Today we’re introducing a new weekly feature on our blog called “Terrible and Terrific Tuesdays.” Each Tuesday, we choose one usability topic or concept, and discuss one terrible and one terrific example of that topic.
This Week’s Topic: Credibility
Credibility on the web is something that is challenging on different levels for small companies and large companies alike. Small companies need to build credibility and establish themselves on the web to gain user trust while large companies need to reinforce their well known brands online. Usability issues on websites can harm credibility for both causes. On the web, we need to really think about how user experiences affects how the user perceives the credibility of the website.
Terrible
Blatant advertisements, overwhelming homepage, fly out menus, and other strange violations of usability best practices make this site our first Terrible Tuesday. Although the brand itself is strong, the design of this website does not give the impression of something that is updated, secure, or reliable. A good place to start would be to fix the most basic usability issues, such as the three level fly out navigation menu.
Terrific
A simple homepage that looks clean, updated, and follows basic usability standards helps reinforce a simple flight booking process and user experience. Rather than overwhelming the user with too many choices, the site uses a task-based information architecture that helps guides users to the right place.
Check back on Friday for our post talking more about how to establish trust and credibility on your website, and also for something I like to call the Credibility Cake!(™).
In the mean time, let us know what you think about the Terrible and Terrific of the day!
