Comments on: Article: Galleries: The Hardest Working Page on Your Site http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/11/30/uietips-05-11-30/ UIE\'s latest insights on the world of design Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:38:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Todd Follansbee http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/11/30/uietips-05-11-30/#comment-143088 Todd Follansbee Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:41:09 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/?p=137#comment-143088 Careful prototype testing focused upon customer expectations and needs with probing questions, accompanied with face time with sales and customer service personnel should reveal primary and secondary questions essential to the product information set (essentially what consumers need to know to make a purchase, and yes this varies). Addressing the primary questions on the gallery page, including properly designed product selection wizards (which reveal rather than obscure the information behind choices) go a long ways towards building more successful gallery pages in my experience. Direct user site testing in this approach is always best begun at Google rather then the doing basic task analysis on subject site since it is important to index and understand frustration levels and body language indicators before you get much into the testing. I find that relying on test subject verbal feedback is always risky when testing issues like this. As always I look forward to learning more about your test results and Kudos for attacking this is important usabilty and persuasion issue. Careful prototype testing focused upon customer expectations and needs with probing questions, accompanied with face time with sales and customer service personnel should reveal primary and secondary questions essential to the product information set (essentially what consumers need to know to make a purchase, and yes this varies). Addressing the primary questions on the gallery page, including properly designed product selection wizards (which reveal rather than obscure the information behind choices) go a long ways towards building more successful gallery pages in my experience.
Direct user site testing in this approach is always best begun at Google rather then the doing basic task analysis on subject site since it is important to index and understand frustration levels and body language indicators before you get much into the testing. I find that relying on test subject verbal feedback is always risky when testing issues like this.
As always I look forward to learning more about your test results and Kudos for attacking this is important usabilty and persuasion issue.

]]> By: Frances http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/11/30/uietips-05-11-30/#comment-104948 Frances Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:13:00 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/?p=137#comment-104948 The Kodak cameras page seems to me a very good solution to the gallery page conundrum. The change is big enough for it to be immediately apparent as soon as you mouseover a camera. As a Flash solution, it isnt great for attracting search engines attention though, but I guess that could be worked out with javascript. The Kodak cameras page seems to me a very good solution to the gallery page conundrum. The change is big enough for it to be immediately apparent as soon as you mouseover a camera. As a Flash solution, it isnt great for attracting search engines attention though, but I guess that could be worked out with javascript.

]]> By: Sara Ulius-Sabel http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/11/30/uietips-05-11-30/#comment-77412 Sara Ulius-Sabel Fri, 01 Jun 2007 17:38:22 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/?p=137#comment-77412 A comment for Sue Saeger about the Kodak site: I think that you have gone a long way towards providing a lot of information at a "gallery" level page. While it took a second to realize the additional information that was available when mousing over the cameras, once I found it I thought that it was a great way to quickly scan through the various options. As far as feedback goes, I would suggest keeping your information in the same place for each camera (zoom, megapixels, etc.). I found that these tidbits moved around a bit, which made it more difficult to make as rapid of a comparison. For example, if "zoom" were a key criterion for me in making my camera selection, I would want to be able to focus my attention at one point on the screen (the area that contained the zoom level) as I moused over the camera options. A comment for Sue Saeger about the Kodak site:

I think that you have gone a long way towards providing a lot of information at a “gallery” level page. While it took a second to realize the additional information that was available when mousing over the cameras, once I found it I thought that it was a great way to quickly scan through the various options.

As far as feedback goes, I would suggest keeping your information in the same place for each camera (zoom, megapixels, etc.). I found that these tidbits moved around a bit, which made it more difficult to make as rapid of a comparison. For example, if “zoom” were a key criterion for me in making my camera selection, I would want to be able to focus my attention at one point on the screen (the area that contained the zoom level) as I moused over the camera options.

]]> By: Wyn http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/11/30/uietips-05-11-30/#comment-373 Wyn Wed, 07 Dec 2005 19:26:22 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/?p=137#comment-373 Would this gallery page of mobile phones be an example of what a gallery page is supposed to do? http://www.nokia-asia.com/phones Would this gallery page of mobile phones be an example of what a gallery page is supposed to do?

http://www.nokia-asia.com/phones

]]> By: Sue Saeger http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/11/30/uietips-05-11-30/#comment-363 Sue Saeger Tue, 06 Dec 2005 13:04:41 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/?p=137#comment-363 This article could not have been timed better! We just released a new Digital Camera page on November 18 (http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2/3/9/19&pq-locale=en_US) that is what you are classifying a Gallery page. However, internally we would never call this a Gallery page because it would potentially get confused with our EASYSHARE Gallery. We ran a usability study prior to the release and found that the participants found the information they need much easier. We are currently watching web stats to see if we have minimized some of the pogo sticking that we were seeing on several of our product pages. We have received some very positive feedback both from internal folks and visitors about the usefulness of this page. It would be great to hear what all of you think. Did we hit the mark? The downside is the amount of time it takes to load and it is a tough sell when it comes to maintaining a second version of this page in a more static format. This article could not have been timed better! We just released a new Digital Camera page on November 18 (http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2/3/9/19&pq-locale=en_US) that is what you are classifying a Gallery page. However, internally we would never call this a Gallery page because it would potentially get confused with our EASYSHARE Gallery.

We ran a usability study prior to the release and found that the participants found the information they need much easier. We are currently watching web stats to see if we have minimized some of the pogo sticking that we were seeing on several of our product pages.

We have received some very positive feedback both from internal folks and visitors about the usefulness of this page. It would be great to hear what all of you think. Did we hit the mark? The downside is the amount of time it takes to load and it is a tough sell when it comes to maintaining a second version of this page in a more static format.

]]> By: Andy Law http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/11/30/uietips-05-11-30/#comment-345 Andy Law Sat, 03 Dec 2005 11:07:59 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/?p=137#comment-345 This is an interesting article, since one of my recent project was to develop an virtual fine art gallery ( www.investinart.net ). I would be interested in any feedback. This is an interesting article, since one of my recent project was to develop an virtual fine art gallery ( http://www.investinart.net ). I would be interested in any feedback.

]]> By: Daniel Szuc http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/11/30/uietips-05-11-30/#comment-339 Daniel Szuc Thu, 01 Dec 2005 10:25:36 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/?p=137#comment-339 We have also heard users complain that *comparing products* is hard work (near impossible) because the right content is not displayed on Gallery pages. Suggest part of this is because there is only so much content you can display on a page (available real estate) and partly because the wrong or no content is presented to help users compare. We have also heard users complain that *comparing products* is hard work (near impossible) because the right content is not displayed on Gallery pages.

Suggest part of this is because there is only so much content you can display on a page (available real estate) and partly because the wrong or no content is presented to help users compare.

]]> By: DeWayne Purdy http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/11/30/uietips-05-11-30/#comment-335 DeWayne Purdy Wed, 30 Nov 2005 23:50:52 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/?p=137#comment-335 We struggle all the time with our gallery pages, mainly the ones linked directly off our home page (http://www.uni.edu). We adjust the categories, test different graphics, put links in the fluffy marketing text, and we recently added what we call "featured links", the yellow boxes right under the fluffy marketing text. I'll be testing (via redirects) which links people are using on the pages and the areas in which they appear to see if any are overtly more effective. We struggle all the time with our gallery pages, mainly the ones linked directly off our home page (http://www.uni.edu). We adjust the categories, test different graphics, put links in the fluffy marketing text, and we recently added what we call “featured links”, the yellow boxes right under the fluffy marketing text. I’ll be testing (via redirects) which links people are using on the pages and the areas in which they appear to see if any are overtly more effective.

]]> By: Kathleen Pierce http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/11/30/uietips-05-11-30/#comment-334 Kathleen Pierce Wed, 30 Nov 2005 21:44:49 +0000 http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/?p=137#comment-334 I have always admired the International Herald Tribune site (iht.com). The layout is simple and easy to understand (although a recent redesign made the page appear more dense). The nav bar remains the same wherever you are in the site, so you stay oriented. And, the items on the nav bar make sense; they correspond to the way most newspaper readers envision the content areas. Many other news sites that I've seen look jumbled, crowded, and noisy-- I feel tense as soon as I see them, and usually want to get off the page as quickly as possible. The IHT site enables you to focus on the news. I have always admired the International Herald Tribune site (iht.com). The layout is simple and easy to understand (although a recent redesign made the page appear more dense). The nav bar remains the same wherever you are in the site, so you stay oriented. And, the items on the nav bar make sense; they correspond to the way most newspaper readers envision the content areas.

Many other news sites that I’ve seen look jumbled, crowded, and noisy– I feel tense as soon as I see them, and usually want to get off the page as quickly as possible. The IHT site enables you to focus on the news.

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