Usability and User Experience June 11, 2008

Many website owners see usability as one of the key value generators for 2008 as the cost of acquiring traffic continues to grow.

This seminar aims to give a solid background on what is a wide and varied subject through using case studies and examples from several e-commerce and non-commercial websites. Importantly it will provide hands-on experience through workshops on the key principles of usability and will inspire attendees to add value to their own websites when they return to the workplace.

WHO IS THE COURSE FOR?
Anyone who has a role to play in website conversion and wants to understand the principles and how to apply best practices. It is suitable for client or agency staff but we would expect some previous experience of website terminology.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?
• Introduction - the importance of usability for online success
• Usability definition, standards and commercial benefits
• Overcoming barriers to implementing usability
• Calculating conversion and the revenue impact of usability

Usability design principles
• The key usability principles to be considered in the design of navigation, homepages, page layout, forms and error messages in the usability experience
• Merchandising on the web. How to present products and services to allow users to choose most easily
• Persuasion architecture – the subtle aspects of page design and content to engage your customers and attract them all the way to the checkout
• Checkout, registration and form design best practices to finalise the transaction and maintain trust throughout
• Looking to the future: usability in Web 2.0 sites and rich internet applications
• Workshop in using card sorting techniques to inform a site's navigational structure

The usability lifecycle
• How you can integrate usability activities throughout the website design process, applying practical techniques based on relevant usability standards such as ISO 13407 Human-centred design processes for interactive systems
• Practical usability methods including persona and scenario creation, rapid prototyping, creating usability metrics, and an overview of usability analysis and testing
• Workshop applying informal usability assessment and testing methods

Official Website: http://www.e-consultancy.com/knowledge/events/1540/usability-and-user-experience--manchester-seminar.html