I’ve been looking at commenting plugins for Wordpress that extend functionality for linking to trusted commenters, that said, as far as I’m concerned, anyone who comments and doesn’t spam me at this point is trusted. So link me up here, I will follow your links.

Why is it findability so hot right now?

Because search engine marketing and social marketing can be combined with the web development accessibility techniques, web standards, and good user experience design practices we’ve been using behind the scenes all along.

Developers create search engine marketing goodness as soon as they register the site

Whether you’re a web developer or designer, you’ve dealt with choosing a domain name from your hosting company’s domain name search. And you know the frustration of trying to find a name that isn’t taken yet tells enough about your client’s product. If you’re a SEO, you probably know your domain name is the best place to start building your branding strategy online. Maybe you haven’t searched for domain names using a control panel like your developer has, but you want the ultimate domain name and you have some ideas about what names would work best.

Let’s work together

Get your marketing strategist and your developer together and bounce ideas. If the marketer doesn’t like to play with a domain name wizard, the developer can drive the mouse. If the developer has a hard time thinking up alternate domain names that will reflect your brand strategy, your marketer can easily give lots of permutations until you find one that works. Ideally you should have the marketer come up with some domain name suggestions in advance.

Where the manager or strategist comes in

The manager, strategist, or consultant, is not much more than the moderator here. If you’re familiar with Agile this blog post sounds like something you might already be doing. The consultant knows the basics of how domain name registration works and the basics of search engine optimization. He fills in data such and comments such as “that domain name has underscores in it – do you know Google doesn’t like underscores and works better with hyphens”.

Uh oh, there’s that Agile thing again

Agile techniques work outside the office or in your most casual get togethers. Hook your developer up with a marketer and get them talking. You’ll get the best advantages of each expertise, and the chance to get your developer on the cPanel while the marketer is brainstorming on paper. Ultimately the entire product is the better for combining the expertise of both roles, and everyone gets to do what they love.

Every UX designer knows, when we get to do what we love, we are highly productive. Just search for my entries on flow and the goals of user experience design.

In the meantime, get your marketer and your developers to chat about it – you’ll get the best results and each will do their best work without infringing on eachother’s different modes of working. That’s agile!

- more on findability

- principles of universal design

- interface design – how to improve user experiences and make money by designing better rich internet applications and interfaces for everyday products. Example? I just used my Rogers cable guide and saw they changed their interface. Now it’s a lot faster and easier to turn on Treehouse On Demand movies. In 5 seconds I was able to turn the next episode of Dora on for my sons to watch so I could come back to this blog and keep writing. I will pay for Rogers above others purely because their interface is that fast and easy for me to use. Customer inertia means I will only switch to another provider if the time it takes me to use their interface makes me feel like it’s worth learning even though it takes an extra 10 minutes out of my day, because I have toddlers and this blog that need my attention right now.

If your product gets in my eyesight and proves I can learn it fast enough that it’d be worth setup time to switch, I would. If your interface doesn’t quickly and easily prove to me I can use your service just as fast and get other benefits, I won’t switch. Ever.

Otherwise I am working on launching a new blog at JuicyWebDesign. This new site will focus on applying practical tips of user experience design with CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and newer technologies like Ajax, without losing usability and accessibility. A popular term for this is “bulletproof web design”. Websites have a long way to go on improving flexibility and preventing problems caused by irresponsible use of CSS, JavaScript, Ajax, and more. I’m also going to be talking about designing rich internet application interfaces in AIR, Flex, Silverlight, etc. I hope you will check it out, if you work on the web, it’ll be invaluable.

This is achieved through several methods, such as intelligent information architecture, intuitive interface design, and yes, also grabbing results in search engines. However, instead of trying to get people to your site to earn hits or even money, the idea is to connect the valuable information you offer with the people who can best use it. You can convert these customers to buyers more easily, yes, and that looks good for ROI and visitor metrics, but really the focus is on filling customer’s needs and helping them get there. 

Think about it. When you walk into a store, a helpful sales associate is always available to ask you how you are, let you know about sales, and offer to assist you. When customers find themselves in a strange new site, with no idea which way to go, findability can help. 

A List Apart featured an article on the findability “orphan”:

The fundamental goal of findability is to persistently connect your audience with the stuff you write, design, and build. When you create relevant and valuable content, present it in a machine readable format, and provide tools that facilitate content exchange and portability, you’ll help ensure that the folks you’re trying to reach get your message.

A website that ignores findability is whispering into the wind, hoping that someone passing by might catch a hint of its message. To further complicate the chances of reaching your target audience, a cacophony of other websites are vying for the same commodity—attention.

For those who want a quick look at findability and how it compares to search engine optimization, this presentation on SlideShare, Findability: Going Beyond SEO, is perfect. Aarron Walter has presented a comprehensive findability checklist as well. 

If you peek at the URL for Aarron’s checklist you’ll notice he mentions web standards. That’s right folks, web standards help make your site findable and more easily accessible by both screen readers and search engines too. Finally, as the value of search engine and other online marketing methods are recognized, people are seeing the importance of accessible, standards-compliant code and development.

More information on findability to follow in future posts. In the meantime, if you want to dive deep into findability on your own, check out Aarron Walter’s book, Building FIndable Websites. Ambient Findability by Peter Morville is excellent as well and comes highly recommended.

David Armano adds:

It means that the days of being a specialist are over. Not to be confused with a “jack of all trades” T-shaped people have a core competency, but can easily branch out. And they possess curiosity, empathy and aren’t afraid to ask “why”.

So what are the signs of a T-shaped person? Look for experimentation in their background. Have they worked in different areas of expertise? Have they experienced different mediums? Are they willing to place themselves in the shoes of others and throw pre-conceived notions out the window? Do they step out of comfort zones on a regular basis? Do they occasionally make you nervous?

Here’s another take, on Word Spy, “Having skills and knowledge that are both deep and broad”.

My problem is, I’ve got the broad, but desperate to take it deeper – from all the theory I’ve read and background I have into practical experience doing it in the real world.

I was surprised when in a group with several people I considered roughly my age and older that the majority felt Facebook, Twitter, and other similar online tools were at best a waste of time. To me these are a way of life – instinctive and natural, and part of my day. I’m as likely to check Twitter first thing in the morning as I am to brush my teeth or wash my face. That is apparently a very Generation Y point of view.

I fit into Generation X at the end, or Generation Y at the beginning, depending which way you look at it. Different sources will place Generation Y born from 1976-1995 or 1982-2001, and I was born in 1980. A great friend who was only about four years older than myself and I used to discuss where the gap was between us; where the generational difference played out or went unrecognized. He insisted even those few years could make a difference in so many ways. For instance, even the television shows he grew up with were different then what I knew well. Still, I also was exposed to my mom and dad’s favourite shows such as The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie, so in a way, this shifted my perspective as well from others in my age group.

In Joshua Porter’s Designing for the Social Web, he begins by quoting Douglas Adams, in an imagined conversation between a future child and teacher. Through doing so, he illustrates how before television, people were engaged in interactive entertainment – sports, theater, music. And now, as the web grows and changes, people are again beginning to make interactive entertainment a very important element of their lives. Are tools such as Facebook and Twitter a waste of time? Or are they simply more interactive entertainment finally filling the gap that television has left in our lives?

I’m not sure it matters to me whether my friends use these tools. I know most of the friends I met offline first do not and refuse to. And yet I’ve made a wealth of wonderful online friends who do use them. I have made connections for networking and being mentored that have entirely changed my perspective and path. I don’t think it matters so much whether someone uses Facebook or not, but as a designer first, I think there’s value in trying it, if only to see what Generation Y sees. If you are too busy thinking yourself too good for such silly websites, perhaps you are too blind to the real meaning they have for society now, particularly in Generation Y. It would be a waste to ignore this demographic.

Is that true though?

I choose positions based on opportunities and adding to my skill set, not because I consider myself a master at them already. In short, I intentionally go broad rather than deep. It has certainly made my career journey longer than I would’ve liked in the beginning. Then again, when I started out I wanted to be a veterinarian.

Even when I came to the IT world, I first earned a diploma in computer programming. I had done web development and design already, and thought I could love code. I’ve done design, I’ve done development, and I’ve done training. More recently I’ve been writing. For me it’s not whether things are broad or deep, its finding what I’m passionate about.

If I’m not ignited by what I can do and how I can help, I’m not giving 100% of me to anything. Sure, I could lope along and get the job done, but I’m not the type to sit still and satisfied with just satisfying requirements. That requires keeping broad familiarity and willingness to flexibly do whatever it takes. It’s not that I haven’t found something I like, it’s that I like it all. I see it all as a part of a holistic part of real quality user experience. The features that are coded aren’t going to get used if the interface is impossible to use. That gorgeous site won’t get visited if the content stinks and the important details are difficult to find.

User experience design is a great example where you have to stay broad, not deep. By having a basic understanding of trends and technologies as well as marketing, findability, making money but also meeting people’s needs and keeping up with what excites them, you meet the needs of both the company and your customers. Here information architecture, technical communication, interface design, and social trends such as social and online marketing, come together. Here the most important element is, in my opinion, a passion to help users to get there, and ensure companies make it happen. That necessitates a broad view, not a deep one.

Then again, I have to wonder, am I just not realizing that I’m “not really good at anything”? The truth is, I can’t specialize as deeply in some of the things I am very interested in. I admire developers, yet I know I can’t dedicate the time and effort needed to become an excellent programmer. There are technical communicators who I consider geniuses, and yet know I cannot compete with since I don’t give all of me to that field either. I can’t give 100% to interface design, information architecture, technical writing, or anything else, because I spread myself over all of these things.

As the user experience design field grows and changes, many are specializing in some of the integral elements, whether they focus on information architecture and good content, or interface design and graphics. Still, even if you carry the role of information architect (IA), you probably are aware of usability issues and how designs can be optimized to make that information findable. The interface designer in turn makes beautiful things, but ensures they meet business objectives and share necessary content as well.

Maybe the real answer is “go deep… but not TOO deep.”

Maybe I should finally admit I need to go deep, and carry a periscope just so I can keep an eye above water.

This business of choosing opportunities I know will challenge me isn’t always all its cracked up to be.

1. All the options have similar functionality, and many have equal feature sets. In short, most of them will do the things I need. That said, I work alone and as an amateur, so the functions they all have meet my needs now, even if I’d like to use some higher end stuff later on a professional basis. If this was all that mattered, I would’ve chosen the free one immediately.

2. Screenshots. My husband is going to roll his eyes at this. Compare screenshots. MindManager uses an Office 2007 like ribbon interface, with a wealth of flags, markers, symbols, and creative drawing options. If I didn’t want to be able to easily use flags and other icons as well as actually enjoy my interface, I’d still be scribbling on a notepad.

This is a mindmapping program – it needs to let me be creative, and it needs to excite my mind with what I can achieve using it. Don’t give me some ugly interface, I want something sexy and exciting. I don’t want just functional, I want something that makes my mindmaps impressive and worth sharing. MindManager works better because it opens creative possibilities and stretches my ideas of what I can do with the software. I’m instantly thinking about what flags and icons I can use to add meaning, and how I can use colour schemes, different fonts, shapes, lines, and so forth, to communicate my thoughts creatively and effectively. I’m a designer, I don’t want to be restricted to black, white, and fugly.

3. The demo experience. MindJet offers a free demo, you email them to get access. Most people don’t like giving their email out but by doing so, I’ve gotten an awesome demo. And how did MindJet make me feel good about giving them my address? They immediately emailed me, thanked me, told me about the demo, and pointed me to tutorials and tips on how to get started. Immediately I knew I was valuable and I could easily get using this software. I don’t want it thrown at me and then to be ignored – no sales associate in a store would ignore me while I was looking at their goods. Why do software vendors do it? I want someone who says “good morning, how are you today? let me know if I can do anything at all for you”.

4. On Twitter I must’ve mentioned MindManager and they must’ve had someone searching Tweets for people talking about their software. Immediately I got a personal message from someone saying, quite literally what I mentioned above, “let me know if I can do anything at all for you”. I am tired of just being sold a product – I want good service. I grew up with a father who provided top-notch, excellent, quality service to everyone who came into his store, because it was the only right way to do it. Period. If you can’t make the effort to smile and say “good day, how can I help you”, don’t waste my time. If money means more to you then my happiness, I’ll look elsewhere.

5. Instructional materials. The first thing I was offered when I opened MindManager was interactive tutorials and videos to get started, see how it’s done, and make my own demo mindmap. Instantly I was enthralled, excited, and inspired by how easily and quickly I could work in this software. If your software makes me think I’m going to need hours to figure it out, I’m going to find someone like MindJet who understands I’m not going to touch dusty old reference manuals or click around trying to find the right menu item. Especially when it’s something like mindmapping, and is therefore not instinctive or obvious to the everyday user.

Also, I don’t need to be told to click a button, I need to shown what the button does for me. I’ve been using Windows for a long time, and “click the Ok button” is not an instruction I need.

6. Check the website – Mindjet: MindManager 8. See how quickly you spot the key differentiators? The site is clean, crisp, and bold, yet all the interface elements get out of the way as you read through. The bits that make this software more powerful then others are clearly stated, and an interactive example of the mindmap you can do in their software is the first thing you see. If that doesn’t inspire your creativity and make you want to dive in and start using their software, I don’t know what else could.

In Short…

It all goes back to flow, “the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity”. Here we have software that is in the best position to combine great functions with creative design possibilities – because, after all, that’s what mindmapping is all about – taking creativity and making it usable, effective, and organized, then saving and sharing it. MindJet exemplifies the purpose of their software in their service. Their software gets the functionality right, but so do many others.

The difference here is in the user experience. They smoke the competition in my eyes because they went so far above and beyond requirements. I expect software to meet my needs and provide great functionality, and all of the options do. But I want to know what sofware does for me, I want it to empower me to reach my goals, and I want to see how fast I can make it happen. It couldn’t be any clearer then what I get through getting a trial version of MindManager, using their interactive tutorials, and visiting their website.

What boggles me is how many companies will flat out tell you they realize their users will never open their manuals, and yet print the documentation anyway. How can you then be so surprised when your technical support is inundated with calls from angry users? Of course they’re frustrated – they thought they could just finish this one thing off in a few seconds, and ended up knee-deep in documentation muck. They probably spent 10 minutes just trying to find the darn manual you wasted trees, ink, and money on, and then they couldn’t find the answer they wanted quickly enough anyway.

Everyday users like interactive user assistance that helps them get the job done quickly and easily. You and I both know your interface allows them to do what they need to, and you will tell me it’s not hard to figure out. Guess what? If your users are turning to help documentation, it is not easy to figure out, and they’ll resent feeling stupid or having to take the time to look things up. Especially if they have to waste time trying to make sense of your technical documentation. People are learning to use computers at the same time they learn the alphabet. They grow up using Google as a verb. If you don’t give them the right answer quickly enough, they’re going to find it elsewhere. And if they have to use your software, thinking some bigwig up in corporate spent a load of cash on something that’s frustrating to use, of course they’re calling tech support to yell and complain.

We can no longer insist people become technical wizards just to use software, because kids are growing up knowing now that they are smart enough to use computers, and when the software doesn’t do what they want, they aren’t the ones at fault. They aren’t stupid. They realize a competitor probably does it faster, and they know how easy it is to get at your competitors. They’re not impressed with reference tomes.

The web allows so much flexibility for handling information and getting tasks done. Even if they’re not Googling their way to your competitor, people like interactive tutorials, screenshots, videos, and podcasts. And if they have to read it, they at least want to quickly read what they need to finish their task up in the next minute or two, rather than trudging through a very impressive but useless technical manual. Information overload is a reality and the media offers so many enticing ways to draw attention.

As far as being concise in technical writing – using headers, organizing information, avoiding jargon – can take you, I don’t think it can get everyone there. At least not in the printed manual format based on features and functions or menu items. User assistance should be modular, task-focused, user-centric, and part of an entire instructional strategy. Don’t waste time and money with the same ol’ printed manuals you know are going to be ignored anyway. Why spend company money on dusty old tomes that are never used and frustrate your customers?

Chances are simply by being aware of usability issues and the short list of psychology and human-computer interaction info on that article, you’re already ahead of your business competitors. It can be amazing how much a little difference makes.