Web Usability – Bright Ideas from BrightTALK

I spend a lot of time rabbiting on about the importance of usability and user-friendly design, but sometimes an image is worth a thousand posts.

So without further ado, let’s have a look at how one online events company is making it easy for users to spread the word.

HOMEPAGE USABILITY

Think of BrightTALK as a virtual hub where you can attend and broadcast webinars, form summits and build online communities:

Note how the homepage makes these things clear with:

• The left menu bar, which allows user to filter information quickly.
• A giant space advertising the latest live event.
• The search bar – though they may see better results if they change the text to “Find an event that interests you”
• A scrollable bar of today’s offerings.
• And more in-depth information below the fold.

Usability Takeaways:

• Prioritize information – what do you want visitors see first?
• Allow plenty of space around your text and images – remember that touch screens are replacing the mouse.
• Save a prominent space for the most up-to-date information (social media feeds, latest offers, upcoming events, etc.).
• Give users multiple options for filtering information (menu bars, search, buttons, scrolling bars, etc.).

USER-FRIENDLY PRODUCT/SERVICE LISTINGS

For comparison, here are 2 ways that BrightTALK organizes their Webcast listings:

There are a few user-friendly things I particularly like about their design structure here:

• Images always included with text.
• The black highlighted area for a live event.
• The ability for users to browse and watch previous webcasts.
• The ratings included with each play button.
• Channel, date, tags and duration easily identified.

Usability Takeaways:

• Show users what’s most urgent through color and format (e.g. black highlights and green neon text).
• Always include stimulating images that complement your text offerings.
• Help users organize the information – do they need to know the date? The length? The cost?
• Provide sweeteners to encourage conversions – can you show ratings? Reviews?
• Give users opportunities to explore similar services or products – do you have tags? Channels?

USER-FRIENDLY PRODUCT/SERVICE DESCRIPTIONS

Once you’ve selected an event, a BrightTALK Dashboard appears:

Check out how BrightTALK:

• Displays important organizing information at the top, including the title, presenter and time.
• Provides enough detail to convert skeptical searchers.
• Uses large, bold and colorful text and an Attend button to take users to the next step.
• Includes Share/Invite/Embed options with Icons and Explanatory Text to prompt action.
• Adds a lefthand bar for You May Also Enjoy events.

When you’re thinking about usability for your product/service pages, discuss how you can:

• Use design to take users through a logical decision making process – answer each question in the order that the customer would ask it.
• Promote Sharing through multiple channels – including images/icons and explanatory text will increase sharing.
• Make your call to action the most visible thing on the page -  is it a button? Can you do more with the font and size? Does it have a lot of space around it?
• Again, let users explore similar products or services. Go one step further – let them create their own personal channel.

GOING THE DISTANCE WITH WEB USABILITY

What impresses me most about BrightTALK is their commitment to the follow-up – what happens during and after the webcast:

Note the top bar and the options to:

• Vote on polls offered by the webcast presenter.
• Share/Invite/Embed, depending on your preferred means of promotion.
• Rate the webcast.
• Ask a Question of the presenter.

Though you may not be offering a webcast, you can still:

• Encourage user interaction and gain user feedback through polls and ratings.
• Provide ways for users to ask you specific questions about the product/service.
• Specifically ask users to share their excitement as soon as they’ve ordered the product/service.

This last point is perhaps the most important of all – people share more when they receive a direct request, not when they’re busy meandering around your site. Do it gently, but find ways to guide users to share content. BrightTALK provides a pop-up once the webcast has finished.

NEED SOME HELP?

Worried that users are having a hard time navigating your site? Hoping to see better conversions? Contact me for a free consultation.

Tagged: designing for usability, usability, usability advice, usability tips, user-friendly design, user-friendly design tips, user-friendly navigation, website design

Posted in: Online Marketing, Website Design, Website Tools