Comments on: Web Sites and Usability

By: Vivienne Quek

Vivienne Quek — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:49:53 +0000

Non-tech folks are maximizing on easy to use wordpress to create their own website … for free. Creative firms like us just have to work smarter to have more interesting solutions that meet the clients’ needs and objectives.

By: Crazy College Roommate

Crazy College Roommate — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:27:04 +0000

I second that on the Joomla comment, CMSes are getting easier and easier to use. You are still looking at a bit of overhead for the nontechnical user to set up something like joomla, but the savings of not having to go through a web design company are huge. Some of these companies charge a years rent for a relatively basic website. Many non-tech folks are surprised when they realize how easy it is to roll your own these days.

By: Tai Slim

Tai Slim — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 14:54:54 +0000

Getting a quality traffic is one thing and getting repeat visitors is the different task. Website usability should serve the purpose for repeated visitors.

By: Vivienne Quek

Vivienne Quek — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:07:29 +0000

Hi Richard
Thanks for your compliment. Easy to read font is great when the article is long, and I tend to have a lot of share. :)

By: Richard Mongler

Richard Mongler — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:51:25 +0000

Most websites have tiny fonts that are hard to read.

Your site has fonts I don’t have to zoom in to read and it is very easy to read. Welp after 15 minutes of digging in your HTML source and hunting through linked files, I found the reason. Your default main font is Trebuchet MS. Very easy to read.

By: bennet

bennet — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:47:09 +0000

good comment posted on the blog…good job.

By: Don Sabatini

Don Sabatini — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 11:26:18 +0000

Yes, a site which looks like a professionally designed, is very important.

By: help the aged insurance

help the aged insurance — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:27:22 +0000

An open source CMS like Joomla can help non-techie users maintain a website.

It just takes a little extra technical knowhow up front.

Well worth the small extra upfront investment.

By: Vivienne Quek

Vivienne Quek — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:47:24 +0000

Hi Larry, Hi Calvin

Yes, there are limitations to Templates, but given the current economic situation and the importance of companies having a web presence, this could very well be a short term measure to be followed by a more robust response when they are more able.

There are many ways to approach businesses and many solutions to choose from. I guess each must make their own choices

All good points, thank you for contributing your thoughts.

By: Calvin Warr

Calvin Warr — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:35:18 +0000

Good points. To Larry, I agree with you. In the case of templates, it is always a case of the solution looking for a problem. It is not for everyone.

But for those with limited budgets, and needs that fit, it is probably the lowest cost, yet the highest impact solution they are likely to find.

Most of the time, I would spend a lot of time looking for the “appropriate” CMS for clients, since a CMS is pretty much a “super flexible template”.

By: Larry Roth

Larry Roth — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:28:28 +0000

Thanks for the article and the link…it was a great read. A couple of pints I would make….

Templates may be a good solution for many companies, but by their very definition they beg the question–do they fit the needs of the user? You solution really needs to be based around the needs of your users. I question whether very generic templates can do this. They can, of course, get you over some of the big usability hurdles–such as poor code, lack of a focal point–but you still need good content and a solid IA to make for a quality site.

Your point: “Another important reason for having good usability on your site, you need your visitors to be able to actually find something useful for them.” is the central tenant of useability-IMHO.

Thanks again…