March 2006 Issue
More Alike Than We Think
Published: March 20, 2006
What happens when a site has to appeal to a wide range of people? How do you sort out their different usability requirements? Will they conflict, and if so, how do you prioritize them?
Working on a new Web site to provide information about admission
to The Open University
(OU) in the UK,
Ian Roddis, who is in charge of the OU Web strategy, issued
a challenge: How can we make sure that the site will provide
the right information in a format that will be useful and usable?
Read more
Category: Columns
Open Sesame! Selling UX Services
Published: March 20, 2006
For some UX professionals, selling consulting services is
as difficult as opening a magic door without a secret password.
There is no simple password that can magically open prospective
customers’ minds so they can see what you can do for
them. However, there are a few strategies you can use when opening
a dialogue with new customers that will lead to your sales success.
Read more
Category: Features
Why UX Should Matter to Software Companies
Published: March 6, 2006
In this era of global competition and rapid software development,
more than ever, companies must ship
high-quality software products to succeed in the marketplace.
A good—even great—user
experience is an essential component
of a quality software product and provides a sustainable strategic
advantage that differentiates a product from those of
a company’s competitors. Thus, user experience is a core competency
within today’s software companies, and an expert in
UX strategy and design is an indispensable part of a software
product team—just as the product manager and software
architect are—particularly if
a team is working on a new product.
Read more
Category: Features