There has been a lot of press recently on the difficulties the Edinburgh Fringe Festival have faced since launching their programme for this year. Firstly, the online booking system was delayed by a week or so. Then, last Friday the Scotsman reported that those customers who had used the site to buy online were finding out that they had been charged up to 6 times for the same tickets due to confusion with the purchase process.
My own experience with the site has matched that of the stories reported, as I am sure it has with many others. Recently, my partner tried to purchase tickets and was frustrated to find out that after selecting tickets and attempting to purchase them, he was presented with page informing him that an error had occurred but it was not possible to say if the purchase had gone through or not. To find out more we were advised to call the box office...
The box office were not able to conclusively say if we had purchased the tickets or not as they stated the booking was 'awaiting payment'. Did this mean the payment was in process from the bank, or the site had not received payment details? In the end we gave up and decided to watch for transactions on the account to see if any money was debited. So far nothing has materialised.
Since our experience, we have decided to do it the old fashioned way and physically go to the box office. However, it seems so archaic to resort to this strategy with all the technology at our fingertips. Sometimes it really is the easier option.
What is most alarming about this issue is that it's not a new problem. In 2004, User Vision wrote an article- The Show Must Go On(line) which examined the user experience of a selection of Edinburgh Festival sites. More recently my colleague and I revisited this issue to see where, if any improvements have been made in the full article, Booking festival tickets online has Fringe benefits. It appears that much still needs to be done to significantly improve the site's usability.
Friday, 25 July 2008
Booking Festival tickets online has Fringe benefits.
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
New Facebook: Usability research on a grand scale
Earlier this week, Facebook announced on their blog that after 6 months of dialogue with Facebook members, a new looking Facebook was being offered for everyone to use. The product manager for the new profile, Mark Slee, outlined the new features of the design and stressed that most changes were being implemented to make the site simpler and cleaner, which is always important when improving the usability of any site.
New features aside, the thing I liked most was the strategy Facebook are using to ensure that any changes are positive and meet users needs. At the moment, the new version is optional for those who want to try it. Happily, there is a link in the top right corner allowing users to switch back should they dislike using the new version. Additionally, next to that link is the opportunity to leave feedback. This will allow Facebook to capitalise on the massive audience they command on this social networking site and essentially generate usability testing on a grand scale. Other open source companies such as Mozilla have been using this strategy for a long time. Releasing beta versions of their Firefox browser and allowing volunteers to test it for bugs means that thousands of people can contribute to it without crippling Mozilla financially. It also means that feedback is gathered from as wide an audience as possible.
Once the final design is rolled out to every member, there will inevitably be those who will not like the change. Often when people get used to the way a website works, good or bad, they will rightly try to hold on to the system they knew. The key is providing a new design that shows users how much better a site can perform so that they come to realise how valuable it is, and eventually wonder how they ever managed before!
My hope is that Facebook are genuine in their quest for feedback and really listen to the comments sent to them. There is always the danger that they become possessive over their new design and fail to take on board constructive criticism. Perhaps in this case time will tell.
New features aside, the thing I liked most was the strategy Facebook are using to ensure that any changes are positive and meet users needs. At the moment, the new version is optional for those who want to try it. Happily, there is a link in the top right corner allowing users to switch back should they dislike using the new version. Additionally, next to that link is the opportunity to leave feedback. This will allow Facebook to capitalise on the massive audience they command on this social networking site and essentially generate usability testing on a grand scale. Other open source companies such as Mozilla have been using this strategy for a long time. Releasing beta versions of their Firefox browser and allowing volunteers to test it for bugs means that thousands of people can contribute to it without crippling Mozilla financially. It also means that feedback is gathered from as wide an audience as possible.
Once the final design is rolled out to every member, there will inevitably be those who will not like the change. Often when people get used to the way a website works, good or bad, they will rightly try to hold on to the system they knew. The key is providing a new design that shows users how much better a site can perform so that they come to realise how valuable it is, and eventually wonder how they ever managed before!
My hope is that Facebook are genuine in their quest for feedback and really listen to the comments sent to them. There is always the danger that they become possessive over their new design and fail to take on board constructive criticism. Perhaps in this case time will tell.
Monday, 21 July 2008
Crisis at another cash machine.
Following from Lorraine's blog about cash machines, I also had a near disaster with cash machines (ATMs) abroad.
I was in Canada earlier this year and using an ATM. I was surprised to find that the order of transaction was:
The UK order of transaction is:
This goes to show that once we are used to a particular practice, we assume it's a given, familiarity of the process is built up. I too am in favour for championing the standardisation of ATMs internationally.
This got me thinking, cash machines and mobiles have similar numerical interfaces in the UK, but what about the calculator! Perhaps that's for another blog.
I was in Canada earlier this year and using an ATM. I was surprised to find that the order of transaction was:
- I requested my money,
- my money was given,
- my cash card was then returned.
The UK order of transaction is:
- I request money
- my cash card is returned,
- my money is given.
This goes to show that once we are used to a particular practice, we assume it's a given, familiarity of the process is built up. I too am in favour for championing the standardisation of ATMs internationally.
This got me thinking, cash machines and mobiles have similar numerical interfaces in the UK, but what about the calculator! Perhaps that's for another blog.
Monday, 14 July 2008
Accessibility (or lack of it) in action.
Having spent a large portion of yesterday browsing a large bookstore (part of a well known chain), my wife and I decided to go for a coffee in their in-store coffee shop (again part of a VERY well known chain).
Having enjoyed our coffee and fed our 9 month old son, we needed to go and change his nappy. As is often the case, the nappy changing facilities were located within the disabled toilet. I suppose this is a space issue, to allow room for buggies and prams etc.
Upon trying to get into the disabled toilet, we discovered it was locked. OK, so back through the two sets of doors to the coffeeshop to find out how to access the disabled toilet. That's two sets of doors to find out that the disabled facilities are locked and two further sets of doors to find out why. Four sets of doors.
We were then given an enormous, medieval looking key with what I can only describe as a dustbin lid attached (presumably in case you decide to steal it - although why you would do such a thing is beyond me). Back through the two sets of doors to the toilet and then once you are ready to leave it's back through the two sets of doors again to hand the key back. Eight set of doors and one case of being made to feel like a potential criminal later, the nappy was changed and we were on our way.
The whole experience was difficult enough for us, and there were two of us, both able-bodied. I shudder to imagine how difficult such a laborious process must be for someone in a wheelchair for example.
If the above process sounds ridiculous, that's because it is. However, many site designers place equally ludicrous obstacles in the path of disabled users every day. Web pages and site functionality are regularly made inaccessible to disabled users for one reason or another, leading to frustration and anger.
Many disabled users shop online, simply because it makes purchasing goods easier for them. When large high street stores implement accessibility hurdles in their stores similar to that which I've detailed above, it's easy to see the appeal.
Sadly, in some cases the online experience can be worse than the offline.
Having enjoyed our coffee and fed our 9 month old son, we needed to go and change his nappy. As is often the case, the nappy changing facilities were located within the disabled toilet. I suppose this is a space issue, to allow room for buggies and prams etc.
Upon trying to get into the disabled toilet, we discovered it was locked. OK, so back through the two sets of doors to the coffeeshop to find out how to access the disabled toilet. That's two sets of doors to find out that the disabled facilities are locked and two further sets of doors to find out why. Four sets of doors.
We were then given an enormous, medieval looking key with what I can only describe as a dustbin lid attached (presumably in case you decide to steal it - although why you would do such a thing is beyond me). Back through the two sets of doors to the toilet and then once you are ready to leave it's back through the two sets of doors again to hand the key back. Eight set of doors and one case of being made to feel like a potential criminal later, the nappy was changed and we were on our way.
The whole experience was difficult enough for us, and there were two of us, both able-bodied. I shudder to imagine how difficult such a laborious process must be for someone in a wheelchair for example.
If the above process sounds ridiculous, that's because it is. However, many site designers place equally ludicrous obstacles in the path of disabled users every day. Web pages and site functionality are regularly made inaccessible to disabled users for one reason or another, leading to frustration and anger.
Many disabled users shop online, simply because it makes purchasing goods easier for them. When large high street stores implement accessibility hurdles in their stores similar to that which I've detailed above, it's easy to see the appeal.
Sadly, in some cases the online experience can be worse than the offline.
Thursday, 10 July 2008
ITV Catch-up - part 2
A new day arrives and with it a new problem with ITV Catch-up. I spent all day yesterday and part of today staying away from news and sports media. Why? So that I didn't ruin the excitement of watching the Tour de France online. Yesterday's stage was ideal for Britain's Mark Cavendish to take that elusive stage victory.
I wanted to watch it with the same excitement as though it were live. Many of you will have done the same with football games.
When I got to the appropriate page I was greeted by the image below. Yes that's Mark Cavendish. He appears to be quite happy about something. I wonder what it could be?
I wanted to watch it with the same excitement as though it were live. Many of you will have done the same with football games.
When I got to the appropriate page I was greeted by the image below. Yes that's Mark Cavendish. He appears to be quite happy about something. I wonder what it could be?
Thanks ITV!
Monday, 7 July 2008
Le Tour Toujours - unless you're trying to watch it online
For those of you who aren't so sad, you spend all your time watching Big Brother, you may have noticed that the Tour de France is on just now. I'm a bit of cycling nut so I was trying to catch up on the 2nd stage online yesterday. I did this a lot last year without problem so expected it to be a breeze.
However this year I have to deal with ITV's new player. I'm not going to bore you with the reasons why the BBC iPlayer is much better. Mostly because the BBC have never covered the Tour in my lifetime, so I don't care how good their interface is on this occasion. I will say that 'Catch up' is a gazillion times better as a label than 'iPlayer' though.
This year we understandably need to endure some adverts ITV.com but the way ITV has handled this is pretty poor.
You see, I was watching a 2 hour programme and as you might expect I had connection problems and lost the programme altogether. Getting back to the part of the programme I wanted was a nightmare. The fast forward feature does not allow you to go to the exact part of the programme you want to watch. Instead it just skips to the next ad break.
It took me a while to work this out. The player then disables the fast forward controls while it plays the adverts. You then have to wait for them to finish before skipping to the next advertising break and then the next and so on. You need to watch a section of the programme to see if it is the bit you need and then skip again if it isn't. For a 2 hour programme this is more than a little annoying.
The thing with catch-up TV is that the content is such a big draw that you can wrestle with bad interfaces for hours just to watch it. I spent over 3 hours trying to watch 2 hour programme. By the time I got to see the end of the stage my girlfriend had already told me who won.
I'm still considering a suitable punishment for her.
However this year I have to deal with ITV's new player. I'm not going to bore you with the reasons why the BBC iPlayer is much better. Mostly because the BBC have never covered the Tour in my lifetime, so I don't care how good their interface is on this occasion. I will say that 'Catch up' is a gazillion times better as a label than 'iPlayer' though.
This year we understandably need to endure some adverts ITV.com but the way ITV has handled this is pretty poor.
You see, I was watching a 2 hour programme and as you might expect I had connection problems and lost the programme altogether. Getting back to the part of the programme I wanted was a nightmare. The fast forward feature does not allow you to go to the exact part of the programme you want to watch. Instead it just skips to the next ad break.
It took me a while to work this out. The player then disables the fast forward controls while it plays the adverts. You then have to wait for them to finish before skipping to the next advertising break and then the next and so on. You need to watch a section of the programme to see if it is the bit you need and then skip again if it isn't. For a 2 hour programme this is more than a little annoying.
The thing with catch-up TV is that the content is such a big draw that you can wrestle with bad interfaces for hours just to watch it. I spent over 3 hours trying to watch 2 hour programme. By the time I got to see the end of the stage my girlfriend had already told me who won.
I'm still considering a suitable punishment for her.
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Big Brother sets an accessibility task of it's own
Love it or loathe it, Big Brother recently returned to our screens. Those of you who haven't been watching it will probably be wondering why I should be writing about Big Brother in a blog which is primarily about usability and accessibility.
Quite simple really. One of the contestants is blind. Mikey Hughes from Kilwinning in Ayrshire is a radio presenter with RNIB's Insight Radio. Mikey is now featuring heavily in an advertising campaign by the RNIB which features a strapline along the lines of "Mikey will leave the house this summer. Thousands of blind people won't".
Curiously, the RNIB seem to have removed an earlier message on their site which said that Mikey had applied for Big Brother off his own back and would be taking unpaid leave from Insight Radio whilst he was in the house, presumably in case Mikey decided to walk around the house naked or get into fights with other housemates.
Instead, Mikey's time in the house has been enlightening for his fellow housemates. Granted, he has been patronised at times and in one particular instance was given a triangle to play as part of the Big Brother Orchestra, much to his disgust.
Only last week, Big Brother set housemates a new task. This task was to live life as a blind person for half a day. Housemates were paired off and took it in turns to be the blind person, wearing specially adapted goggles whilst the other housemate became their 'guide'.
Whilst some of the housemate failed to see the true purpose of this exercise and instead used it as an excuse to fool around and bash things with their canes, a number of the housemates sought advice from Mikey.
Mikey relayed his experiences both inside and outside of the house and in particular the issues he had with the cooker in the Big Brother house. The cooker in the house has a flat surface, flush with the worktop and Mikey revealed he'd nearly been burnt a few times as a result.
As this discussion continued, the implication of being totally blind finally dawned on the other housemates and Mikey's ability to interact with his environment without the benefit of sight was appreciated and admired.
Often we have the same experience when testing with blind users. Personally, I find screen reader software frustrating and cumbersome to use, so I am always stunned by the ease with which blind users can use the software and adapt to accessibility obstacles thrown in their way. Many of these obstacles are not as we expected. I'm sure that many of the housemates in the Big Brother house thought that the cooker was safe for Mikey because there was no open flame. It turns out that they were wrong.
Sometimes we can also make the wrong assumptions about how disabled users interact with the web. Regularly, we find that what would be considered classic accessibility issues are not accessibility issues at all because users have become so used to these problems that they have developed mechanisms to overcome them.
Only by spending time with disabled users, in a proper test environment, can we learn how they interact with the web, the problems they face and ultimately how to improve their online experience.
Quite simple really. One of the contestants is blind. Mikey Hughes from Kilwinning in Ayrshire is a radio presenter with RNIB's Insight Radio. Mikey is now featuring heavily in an advertising campaign by the RNIB which features a strapline along the lines of "Mikey will leave the house this summer. Thousands of blind people won't".
Curiously, the RNIB seem to have removed an earlier message on their site which said that Mikey had applied for Big Brother off his own back and would be taking unpaid leave from Insight Radio whilst he was in the house, presumably in case Mikey decided to walk around the house naked or get into fights with other housemates.
Instead, Mikey's time in the house has been enlightening for his fellow housemates. Granted, he has been patronised at times and in one particular instance was given a triangle to play as part of the Big Brother Orchestra, much to his disgust.
Only last week, Big Brother set housemates a new task. This task was to live life as a blind person for half a day. Housemates were paired off and took it in turns to be the blind person, wearing specially adapted goggles whilst the other housemate became their 'guide'.
Whilst some of the housemate failed to see the true purpose of this exercise and instead used it as an excuse to fool around and bash things with their canes, a number of the housemates sought advice from Mikey.
Mikey relayed his experiences both inside and outside of the house and in particular the issues he had with the cooker in the Big Brother house. The cooker in the house has a flat surface, flush with the worktop and Mikey revealed he'd nearly been burnt a few times as a result.
As this discussion continued, the implication of being totally blind finally dawned on the other housemates and Mikey's ability to interact with his environment without the benefit of sight was appreciated and admired.
Often we have the same experience when testing with blind users. Personally, I find screen reader software frustrating and cumbersome to use, so I am always stunned by the ease with which blind users can use the software and adapt to accessibility obstacles thrown in their way. Many of these obstacles are not as we expected. I'm sure that many of the housemates in the Big Brother house thought that the cooker was safe for Mikey because there was no open flame. It turns out that they were wrong.
Sometimes we can also make the wrong assumptions about how disabled users interact with the web. Regularly, we find that what would be considered classic accessibility issues are not accessibility issues at all because users have become so used to these problems that they have developed mechanisms to overcome them.
Only by spending time with disabled users, in a proper test environment, can we learn how they interact with the web, the problems they face and ultimately how to improve their online experience.
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