Dr. Usability (Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Web)

I'm a big fan of usability.

There are a LOT of people out there, designers included (especially flash designers, as much as I love their work) who don't understand the concept of usability. If a website isn't functional, then it's useless.

Usability covers more than just load times and depth. It looks at everything from the way the colours integrate and draw the eye, to the layout of the page, to the font, embedded information, notice that a new page will open or popup, navigation issues, compatibility for ages 3 to 103, usage statistics of the target market...it goes on. It gets very involved in Human-Computer Interaction, and is better known as User Centered Design.

I'm by no means an expert. One of my closest friends is though, and we occasionally (re: once a week) get our drink on and wax lyrical about websites with poor usability. Government websites, at any level, are PAINFULLY atrocious examples of bad usability. The example I just gave sends shivers down my spine. It's by no means the worst I've seen (I wish I'd taken a screenshot of the old Harvey Norman website...), but it just...eew.

The problem with usability is defining it. Something may strike us as completely wrong about a website, but we just can't put our finger on it. The experts can, but then again, that's why they're experts. We're just normal people.

Sometimes, though, we find a website that we love. And we'd go back again and again, just to marvel at it's prettiness. If you want to see a few sexy websites, check out your local boutique ad agencies. Sometimes they're shit, but they're updated about once every six months, so chances are they'll be close to 'cutting edge' stylistically. It's a touchpoint for potential clients, so the agencies will try to sell themselves.

Me? The one website I can't live without is my local online newspaper (and online trade mags). Sure, sometimes the articles suck, and the design isn't great, but it keeps me informed faster than reading the paper.

Ultimately, I want information from my websites, not gratuitous creativity. I don't mind what they look like, so long as they do the job. I won't be hanging around on the site long enough to care anyway! I'm Gen Y, I've got people to do, things to see, attention span of a goldfish...that doesn't mean, though, that I don't appreciate good usability for others when I see it.