Web User Experience Blog

Launch Of New Header And Footer

2009-11-03T20:16:12Z

We have rolled out a new header and footer on the VeriSign.com site.

We simplified and streamlined the options. For example, we combined the country site identifier and the worldwide site selector into one utility. Using an in-page popup, users can now navigate to another country site from the page they are on without going to a new page to select the country site they wish to visit.

The search utility has been consolidated into a single unit encompassing the 'Search' label, text field, and search button.

On- and off-states have been added to the top-level navigation. The pull-down menus on the navigation have been freshened up and the links and hovers made blue to denote them as more actionable.

The footer has been pared down and includes the standard footer links and the VeriSign Secured Seal to verify the authenticity of the site.

And, the 'feedback' () link in the header and footer with the rotating cross-hair icon allows users to easily provide their feedback as they navigate the site. Look forward to your feedback.

Selecting An Asset Management System

2009-10-29T20:20:34Z

We have been looking into getting a digital asset management system to house, manage, and retrieve our graphical, marketing, and other files. In researching this online, we found that there wasn't a lot helpful information out there. So, to save you some time, here are some things to look for when picking an asset management system:

Hosted (SaaS) or in-house client-side application
Ease of use and user-friendly interface - This one was key for us as we found many solutions with complex, multi-stepped, and poor UIs.
Disk space - default capacity and scaling up options
Subscription and setup fees
Number of users and admins supported and upgrading options
Ability to brand interface
File upload & download options - single file, batch uploads, ftp
Basic and advanced search capabilities
Supported file formats
Preview mode of static versus multimedia files - being able to view a streaming file snippet within the tool is a great feature
Ability add metadata, keywords, captioning, etc.
Auto-rendering multiple file sizes of a single file
Report generation and alerts
Localization support
Lightbox/favorites
Third-party access - e.g. for agencies you work with, you can send them a pick-up link for a file without the need to login to access the file.
Access rights - security and password protection capabilities.
Customer references

VeriSign Homepage Redesign Rollout

2009-10-22T00:58:13Z

We have rolled out our new homepage redesign today! Select users will see the new page initially; some may see different versions of the new homepage as we are conducting tests. The final redesign will be switched over in the coming month when it will be available to everyone.

The goals of the redesign include improving the usability and usefulness of the homepage. Our hope is that it helps you to be more successful and productive as a gateway to accomplishing your tasks.

What hasn't changed on our homepage:

Positioning of the contact us and worldwide sites links, and search utility.

Top level navigation menu functions in the same way with dropdown menus.

We didn't really remove anything although we improved the content.

Here are the main changes you can expect to find:

Interactive banner: An informational section to learn more about Internet-related issues which affect you and your business and how VeriSign can help.

SSL Certificates box: Quick and easier access to select and manage certificates.

Featured items: Carousel slide show highlighting products, events, and more.

Quick navigation: Accordion panels allowing you to self-select based on your role (Information for), task (I need to), or simply jump links into popular/key sections (Quick links).

News bar: News ticker to get the latest VeriSign news.

Test drive it for yourself and let us know what you think: www.verisign.com.

Stay tuned for future posts on the new homepage!

REDESIGNED HOMEPAGE:

CURRENT HOMEPAGE:

How To Stay Safe On The Web

2009-10-07T21:32:39Z

Phishing. Online Fraud. Identity Theft. Online Safety & Security. Personally Identifiable Information. Virus Protection.

These are all the realities of navigating the Web today. For information on how to stay safe on the Web and ultimately, enjoy a good user experience in the online world, check out this latest VeriSign resource: Trust the Check.

Enhancing Your Video Viewing Experience

2009-10-06T01:18:10Z

As part of our effort to provide rich and varied content, we've been incorporating more video on our site. The goal is to ensure you are able to view video without having to leave the Web page you are on - whether it is launching a new browser window or launching an external media player. But the positioning/placement of the video directly impacts the scale of the video. For example, if we are placing a video in the main content well of a page, embedding the video achieves our end goal; but if we need to place a video in less forgiving real estate like the right channel of a page, it renders the video unviewable and utlimately, ineffective as the video interface becomes much too small deeming the picture undecipherable and textual content unreadable.

So, our solution around such spatially challenging cases has been to provide a graphical promotion of the video which onclick launches an overlay on the page with a larger version of the video embedded in the overlay so users can clearly view the video. This way, users are not taken away from the originating Web page. And, once they are done watching the video, they can close the overlay and return to their regular browsing.

The Business of Trust

2009-09-14T21:01:36Z

Cool new corporate video worth checking out. I am roughly paraphrasing:

On the internet, it can be hard to trust. We are in the business of trust - not just Websites or transactions - but entire online experiences that secure identities and connect people in a way that is simple, convenient, and safe...every time!

Your Feedback On Our Feedback Link

2009-08-18T21:00:35Z

We are looking at adding a more prominent feedback link to the VeriSign.com Website. We would like to get your thoughts on the behavior and positioning of this link. The link will potentially look like this: [+] Feedback.

What's your preference?

1) Rotating [+] icon versus not rotating?

2) Would you expect to see the link at the top, bottom, or right of the Webpage? See below screenshot.

3) Would you like the icon to scroll with you as you scroll up and down a Webpage OR stay put but always in view?

Let us know your thoughts. Thank you.

Let Us Know How We Are Doing

2009-08-04T15:23:02Z

We want to hear from you! We make changes to VeriSign.com daily in an effort to improve the user experience of the Website. As you navigate the site, let us know if you experience difficulty finding information, accomplishing your task(s), or anything else. The site is here to serve you and we would love to hear from you on what we need to do to improve it for you.

Leave a comment, email me directly, or use our feedback link on the site.

Launch of Domain Name Services Redesign

2009-08-03T18:46:38Z

We have officially launched the redesign of the Domain Name Services section of the VeriSign.com Website. Some of you got a preview and deemed it a "great improvement".

The redesign is leveraging our new page designs which we have been rolling out across the site. The local navigation, information architecture, and content have all been improved and updated. The user interface is utilizing richer graphics, color, and interactive elements on the pages.

For example, new search filters allow customers to find registrars and render that information dynamically:

Contextually relevant content is displayed inline using a show/hide functionality without the need to leave the page:

And, the landing page is now utilizing a cleaner, clearer, more organized, and visually rich layout:

Test drive it and let us know if you like it!

Wall of Design

2009-07-20T18:52:44Z

Here is a window into our world. It is what I like to call our organized chaos. We are constantly in the midst of a myriad of projects with a long queue still waiting to be attacked.

In our Web Design Team, we like to create project boards of workflows and mockups of work-in-progress projects. It helps us to visualize at a glance, the full landscape of projects we are working on. Although, we are constantly looking at things online - and which for our purposes is the ultimate litmus test - having the screenshots wallpapered around our offices makes them readily available to reference and discuss. We sometimes even maintain some of the iterations or options for pages so we can view the progress and which can also be super beneficial for comparative purposes.

WANTED: Usability Test Participants

2009-07-17T16:07:10Z

Do you work for or own a company that has a current, live Website? We're conducting a usability study with people who work on and/or make decisions related to their site. We're looking for a very broad range of participants, from non-technical business owners and Web professionals to highly technical Web developers.

Usability studies are conducted in our corporate offices in Mountain View. We offer $100 for one hour of your time and feedback.

IMPORTANT: If you're currently unemployed, please answer the questions based on the last or most representative previous job(s) you had.

If you're interested, please click on the link below to answer a brief set of questions:

If you're a business-oriented, NON-technical professional, click here.

If you're a technical Web professional, click here.

Launch of Partners Site Redesign

2009-07-16T11:09:02Z

We are very excited to announce the launch of the redesign of the Partners section of the VeriSign.com Website.

The redesign leverages our updated look and feel, richer graphics, and an improved information architecture and taxonomy of the site content. The intent is to provide a much cleaner, usable, and useful site. The content has been more clearly laid out, compartmentalized, and streamlined. We have utilized lots of white space, graphics to break up the textual content, tabsets, and tables. The end goal is to improve the usability and user experience of the site so that anyone interested in becoming a VeriSign partner can easily learn about out partner programs and enroll, and existing partners can access the partner portal.

AFTER:

Visit Partners Website

BEFORE:

VeriSign Homepage Redesign Undergoes Usability Testing

2009-07-06T09:33:04Z

I am happy to tell you that our homepage evolution process continues in an effort to meet the needs of our increasingly sophisticated and varied users. We have been conducting usability tests on the redesign of our homepage. And as always, the tests were incredibly useful for uncovering a lot of helpful and interesting findings to inform and guide our design. The tests were also great for validating our direction on certain elements and smoking out issues.

We were all pretty stoked about the tests and the results and look forward to getting your feedback as well when the page goes live. Thank you to our test participants for their invaluable feedback.

Call For Usability Test Participants

2009-06-23T17:33:54Z

Participate in a usability test and receive $100 for 1 hour of your time! In our ongoing effort to improve our user experience, we are looking for participants for a usability test upcoming shortly. The tests will be conducted in Mountain View.

We are looking for all types of people: people who do a broad range of business related work from beginners who are just starting out in the field through highly advanced business professionals (sign up); people who do a broad range of Web-related technical work from beginners who are just starting out in the field through highly advanced technical professionals (sign up); and people who do a broad range of activities online, from new users who have just started online activities through very advanced users (sign up).

If you are interested, just click the "sign up" link above that corresponds to your persona and complete the brief questionnaire. If you qualify, we will contact you. Thank you.

(Image source: http://www.experiencesolutions.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/usability-testing.jpg)

Preview Of Naming Redesign Gets Positive Reviews

2009-06-23T00:55:00Z

We are redesigning the Naming section of the VeriSign.com Website and so far the tweets on the street are positive:

# fmichlick @Verisign to Revamp its Naming Services website, screenshots looks like a great improvement. To be launched in mid-July. 4 days ago from HootSuite
# domainnamenews @Verisign to Revamp its Naming Services website, screenshots looks like a great improvement. To be launched in mid-July. 4 days ago from HootSuite

# domaincocoon @Verisign to Revamp its Naming Services website, screenshots looks like a great improvement. To be launched in mid-July. 4 days ago from HootSuite

Here is a sneak peak. This is not yet final but a representation of what the new site will look like.