MNGT-136 Blog#10

Reflections on What I have Learned

Well, the end is near, MNGT 136 will be over but not forgotten. This course was not what I thought it would be at first. But I did learn a lot of useful information. The three things that I learned most about are branding, product descriptions, and the how and why of usability tests.

Product Descriptions

Product descriptions can be very tricky to master. They must convince the buyer that the specific item is the one that meets their needs while being simple and to the point. The description also must be able to answer any questions that the potential buyer might have about the product; Such as everything that pertains to the product, the dimensions, care instructions, storage requirements, product material, etc. Product descriptions on an e-commerce site are very important because they can either encourage sales – with clear, detailed information – or drive sales away – with lengthy wording, confusing, unclear information.

Branding

A company is defined by the ideas and presentation that the company expresses. Branding helps an organization build a solid and loyal customer base, encourages employee engagement, and creates more sales – all of which adds value to the company. The most important part of branding is to live the brand. Companies need to adopt and persistently promote their brand. Every area of the company should mirror the brand identity and should be consistent. Policies, values, customer relations, social media presence, and advertising are all opportunities that a company can develop and advertise their brand.

 

Usability Tests

Usability tests are conducted to get a better understanding of the learnability, efficiency, memorability, error rate, and satisfaction that users experience when visiting and using a website. With these tests, data is collected to identify problems with the website. Tests should be conducted from the creation of the site and often after it is launched. Usability tests are important because if a user cannot easily navigate a website, users will leave. The competition is always one click away.

MNGT-136 Week 10- Report on Your Findings

https://pierce.instructure.com/courses/1567485/assignments/11631982/submissions/4462204?download=94064298

 

MNGT-136 Blog #9

A Summary of Talking with Participants During a Usability Test

This article gives a good understanding on three specific techniques to use when facilitating a usability test. These techniques are the echo, the boomerang, and the Columbo technique. The purpose of these techniques is to help the facilitator learn when to speak to the individual and what to say to them. They also help the facilitator in recognizing when and how to answer questions to get more information from the participant.

The boomerang technique is when the facilitator responds to a participant’s questions with a question that in return directs the participant’s question back towards them. This type of technique gets the participant to figure out the answer by themselves. These responses could look something like, “What do you think?” or “what would you do?”

The echo technique is when the facilitator repeats the last phrase or word the user said, echoing the words back to the participant in the manner of a question; also by adjusting your tone, making it clear that it is a question. The goal in using the echo technique is for the facilitator to better understand the participant’s comments, getting the participant to further clarify their comment.

The Columbo technique is when the facilitator plays more of an investigative role instead of probing to get the answers they want. The facilitator will use open ended questions to get the participant to add their observations, completing the question or sentence. This technique is a little like the echo technique as it gets the participant to come up with more information giving the facilitator a better understanding.

This article was very informative and will help significantly, as I will be acting as the facilitator for my usability test.  I will try to follow the tips and information that was given in this article when speaking to the participant. With these tips, hopefully I can get more accurate and useful data.

References

Vizard, L. (2017, February 6). The Art of Facilitation: Tips for Usability Testing. Retrieved from Adobe Blog: https://theblog.adobe.com/the-art-of-facilitation-tips-for-usability-testing/

 

MNGT-136 Blog #8

Two Methods for Collecting Data on a Usability Test

One method that can be used to collect usability data is to have a test monitor. A test monitor is an individual that observes and records the participants’ behavior, feedback, descriptions of how the participant goes about completing the task, and the length of time it takes the participant to complete each task.

Another method is direct recording. Direct recording is where the test participant is recorded with an audio and video tape. Screen recording software can also be used. This method can be advantageous because it eliminates errors that a test monitor could make, such as failing to record a significant response or writing down the wrong time information.

The Process of Reporting Data from the Usability Test

The data for my usability test will be recorded by a test monitor and direct recording. The results of the testing will be summarized in a written report and will include recommendations based on the data gathered.

How to Recruit Participants

Participants can be chosen at random or based on how they relate to the subject matter of the website. The participants should be of a mix of genders, ages, cultures, physical abilities and computer skills. They can be recruited from user groups, trade shows, craigslist social media platforms, customer forums, or just by asking friends and family members.

What to Tell Participants When They Get to the Test

First, I would welcome the participant and give them an explanation of what they can expect during the test. I would let them know what will occur, and the technology that will be used to record data. Then, they will sign a permission form. I would ask them questions about themselves to help them feel more comfortable and to get information on their demographics and background. I would give them a quick tour of the home page and ask questions about their first impressions. I will instruct the participant to ‘think aloud’ while completing tasks so that their verbal responses can be recorded, then proceed to the tasks. At the start of each task, the participant will read aloud the task description from the printed copy and begin the task. Timing of the task begins when the participant starts that specific task. I will observe and enter user behavior, user comments, and system actions. After each task, the participant will complete a post-task questionnaire and give feedback on the task session. After all task scenarios are attempted, I will ask the participant to complete the post-test summary questionnaire and thank them for their involvement.

 

 

MNGT-136 Blog #7

What Would You Do? – Dealing with A Difficult Client

As the designer, I have gone through the whole creation process and completed a usability test. The test showed some major issues with the client’s website. However, they do not want to pay any more money to fix the problems and just wants to “roll” with the site as it is.

First, I would have made sure that the client and I agreed on the scope of the project and the budget that goes along with it right from the start. This would make sure that the client understands what my prices are up front.

If this situation were still to occur, I would:

• Thoroughly review the usability test with the client so that they can see and understand the difficulties and problems that consumers may have with their website.
• Explain to the customer that the money spent on improving their website is well worth it and is an investment in the success of their website.
• Advise the client that they should fix the problems before the initial launch and advise them of the consequences that could occur if they are not corrected. The aspects that could be affected are:

• Customer satisfaction- Customers are easily frustrated when the site does not work as they expect it to.
• Sales & Revenue- Competition is one click away, and frustrated customers may go elsewhere.
• Time- Major usability problems that could easily be fixed before the launch may require the site to be shut down later.
• Cost- The cost to correct the issues later could add up to more than done before launch.

With any luck, the knowledge I have provided to the client, he or she will make the choice to correct the issues. Unfortunately, if the client cannot come to the agreement that the changes need to be made and the costs must be paid, then I would have to listen to what the client wants, do what I was paid to do, and finish the project as I am paid to do.

 

MNGT-136 Blog #6

Three Suggestions on How I Would Get New Clients For http://www.nw-sportscards.com/

 

My first suggestion for Northwest Sports Cards would be to network. Networking in person can be a great way to meet people in an informal/non-selling setting. Either the owner or employees can attend special sports cards and gaming events. They will be able to make connections with potential customers simply by browsing around, introducing themselves, and handing out business cards. Northwest Sports Cards can also network online by creating an energetic presence on social media, community blogs, or sports card and gaming card forums. This will make the business stand out and can create new customers.

My second suggestion would be to encourage word of mouth advertising. Word of mouth can be a great resource especially with the way social media is growing in popularity. Nothing is more effective than a family member or friend recommending a business. Building trust with existing customers is crucial to word of mouth. Trust includes having exceptional customer service, engaging with their customers, and giving them positive reasons to talk about the company. It is important to encourage existing customers to give reviews of their experiences and to offer them a place to share those reviews. Northwest Sports Cards could even offer a referral program or a discount on a new customer’s first purchase with a referral code or coupon.

My third suggestion would be to offer promotions and discounts. By targeting specific customers and using strategically placed advertisements, promotions can attract new customers because many shoppers today are looking for bargains. In addition to increased customer traffic, Northwest Sports Cards can enhance brand awareness and build sales and profits with special promotions.

MNGT-136-Blog #5

Three Methods Northwest Sports Cards is Utilizing to Create and Enhance its Brand.

The three methods Northwest Sports Cards is enhancing its brand are by defining and living their brand identity, creating customer trust, and setting themselves apart from their competitors.

Their brand can be described as:

• Having an incredible selection of sports cards and gaming cards at competitive prices.
• Being sincere, reliable, and trustworthy
• Customer friendly
• Global
• Having a quality and professional image
• Having secure transactions
• Creating easy purchases and delivery

Their logo design is professional, simple, and catchy. The page “Northwest Sports Cards” has good visual representation showing a baseball diamond and name, “Knutsen’s”, across the face of the logo. The blue/green colors give a trustworthy impression. Northwest Sports Cards uses testimonials on their “About Us” page, representing dependability, quality, and a friendly family atmosphere. They promote their value and unique style through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and by putting on special card signings and other special events held at their store.

They appreciate and welcome customer feedback on their products and services, and they have a heavy focus on maintaining excellent customer service. They continuously build trust with their customers providing quality products, recommendations and personal attention. Their branding creates an emotional attachment, personality is fun, memories are created, and they have proven to be a reliable business.

They are able to set themselves apart from competitors because of the characteristic mentioned above, and also with different and faster ways to search, faster transaction speeds with a simple buy feature and checkout.

MNGT 136 – Blog #4

Identify and describe at least two common usability problems with websites (i.e. pulldown menus, taglines) and suggest possible solutions.

 

1. Poor search engines or nearly impossible to search at all:

One of the most common problems that users come across is struggling to find the information they are looking for. Generally, the bigger the site, the harder it will be to locate something within that site. Users tend to go for a search bar when they can’t find what they are looking for any other way. You never know when this might occur, so the search bar should be on every page of a site – not just the home page. Navigation systems that are poorly designed, links that are poorly worded, and search engines that are ineffective to the users are all common usability problems that create confusion and lost revenue. By providing plenty of assistance and visual cues to help your users find what they are searching for; will make their experience an enjoyable one. A couple of examples of assistance and visual cues would be; using a site map, an optional search system, and an error page that helps users find an alternative to the page that is missing; a modified “File not found” page.

 

2. Poor Readability:

Readability measures the difficulty of the words and the construction of a sentence in a piece of content; it is the ease in which text can be read, and it is an important part of Web usability. Font size, color, and scanability are some of the most common factors of readability and are often overlooked. Web designers should use font types and sizes that can be read clearly. Another mistake often made is using colors that are hard to read, colors that are of low contrast make text difficult to read. Using dark text on light backgrounds is the best way to have your text stand out and clearly readable. Regarding scanability, users don’t want to see a lot of text, too much text and they will skip reading it and possibly leave the site for good. When designing a site, you should omit unnecessary text, Krug’s “third law of usability” and to make it a goal, is to remove half of the words; this helps make the useful content more prominent. A few main guidelines to remember is to use simple straightforward words, don’t try to use elaborate words or jargon. Use short sentences, and in general, use an 8^th grade reading level if you are targeting a broad consumer audience.

 

 

References:

 

Retrieved January 24, 2018, from Michael Wong: http://www.great-web-design-tips.com/web-usability/62.html

 

Retrieved January 24, 2018. from Nectafy: http://nectafy.com/readability-guidelines/

 

Retrieved January 24, 2018. From: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/legibility-readability-comprehension/

 

William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White, The Elements of Style (Allyn and Bacon, 1979).

 

MNGT – 136 Blog #3

Define what the terms “street signs and bread crumbs” mean as defined by Krug.

According to Steve Krug in Don’t Make Me Think, street signs characterize existing conventions. Conventions are standardized ways in which we do things. In this case, web conventions are the design elements that many designers have used, and most users expect to find. Users can spend less time and brain power trying to understand the site because everything does what it is expected to do, information is clear, and users can find what they are looking for with little effort. Street signs include:

• Where things are located on a page – One example is the shopping cart; for most e-commerce sites it is normally located in the top right-hand side of the page.
• How things work – For example, e-commerce sites generally follow a process of “checking out” that includes viewing and approving what is in your “cart,” then providing a payment method and shipping address for delivery.
• The search icon for example is a way how things look. It appears as a large and bold image that says ‘search’.

Breadcrumbs show the user’s location within the hierarchy of the website or the path of each page the user has viewed, either in order or by the hierarchy of their current page. Breadcrumbs add to the usability of a site because they improve finding pages, and reducing the number of clicks a user needs in order to get back to a higher-level page in within the site.

Identify what the street signs and bread crumbs are in the Pierce College website.

Some of the street signs, or conventions, used on the Pierce College website are:

• The Pierce College icon is in the top left-hand corner and is conveniently used as a home page button
• Search bar is located at the top right-hand side of the page
• Main navigation menu runs across the top of the page
• Drop-down menu with subsections is used in main navigation
• Social media link icons are made available
• Page sections like website privacy and employment that are of less importance are located at the bottom of the page in smaller text.

When navigating through the Pierce College website, a breadcrumb kind of navigation shows your current location as well as different locations available within a section.

 

MNGT – 136 Blog #2

Summarize chapter 3 and give one design tip that would help make a site more readable and why.

Chapter 3 is about designing a site that is efficient and usable for the visitors. There are six specific guidelines mentioned in this chapter that you can follow to help users see and engage in what you would like them to. The six tips are and include:

1. Following the existing conventions. Conventions refer to commonality, the way things are usually done, things that are generally used and consistent with design patterns. If you can’t or don’t use conventions, you need to make sure that is as clear as possible for the users to understand or that is improved to make it even clearer.
2. Creating and using effective visual hierarchies. Visual Cues: The most important elements can help separate the things that are important and what the relationships are between things. These essential elements are such things as headings, font size, borders, boldness, and color.
3. Separating pages into well-defined sections. Separating the pages and clearly defining the sections helps visitors to concentrate on an area of the website by scanning to those sections and quickly finding useful information.
4. Making visual cues obvious to what tabs, buttons, or links are clickable.  The use of visual cue(s) is extremely important. Visual cues such as Location (like in the menu bar) and formatting (color and shape) to clearly show what is clickable or what is “tappable.”
5. Eliminating the noise. Shouting, disorganization, and clutter are all types of visual noise. Although some people can deal with noisy pages, most find it to be very distracting and irritable.
6. Format text for making scanning easy. Users spend most of their time scanning web pages that are full of text to find valuable information. The use of well-written headings throughout the page tells the user what the section is about. This can save the user time, as it helps them choose whether to read, scan or skip that section. Using short paragraphs, bulleted lists and highlighted keywords also make it easier for the user to scan text.

One design tip that would help make a site more readable and why is to make the font types, font size, and colors fitting for the website design and that it is large enough that it is easy to read. A usable website is one that has been created and recognized by the degree in which that it can be used. If visitors must work at it, then it can’t be used.

 

MNGT – 136 Blog #1

Define what you think project management is and explain why project management is important to creating a website.

Project management is a method of directing, organizing and managing themselves and or others to achieve a successful end result in a specific project. Project management is applying knowledge, skills, the resources and tools available and specific techniques for that project to meet or exceed the expectations of the business or company and or the client; it has a beginning, and end, and has set goals for different stages throughout the project, all the way to project completion. Project management is extremely important, it controls and determines the projects cost and quality of the overall project. It is important while creating a website because it lays out the goal of the project by defining the specific steps to the client and developer. By giving them a project timeline, what the quality will be, and the budget cost should reinforce the client business relationship. Risk management should be a part of project management. Not being prepared for unforeseen issues could be detrimental to the project.

 

There are five stages in project management:

 

1. Initiating – is the first step in getting the project off the ground and to the next stage. It involves identifying the scope of the project, what processes, tasks and skills are needed to start without uncertainty. Required permits, work orders and the authorization of the project is completed. Teams are formed and assigned to their specific tasks, the budget is established, and stakeholders are identified.
2. Planning – Strategic plans are set. Plans are laid out to control and monitor costs, manage time, quality, and any risks involved. Listing tasks by priority are created as well.
3. Executing – In this stage, implementing the tasks required for the project are done.
4. Monitoring and Controlling – This stage is actually part of the execution stage. Monitoring and controlling the progress of the project is very important as it involves comparing the cost of the project as it progresses, the quality of the project, performance evaluations, making the needed adjustments for any issues that arise, and to keep the momentum of the project moving forward.
5. Closing – Closing the project on time, within budget and creating of a quality product is the main goal. All documentation that includes the permits, work orders, releasing of the resources and communicating to the stakeholders that the project has been closed is submitted.