Usability Question

[kevin_standlee]

If you are kproche or anyone else who has worked on the 2009 World Fantasy Con web site, you're ineligible for this question because you already know the answer.

If you wanted to find you whether you were a member of the 2009 WFC and you went to the convention's web site, where do you think you would find this information, if anywhere? If you can't figure it out, what would you suggest changing to make it easier to find? Update: To do this in the spirit intended, I ask that you don't look at the comments until after at least trying with or without the hints below. The comments essentially give the game away, and I'm trying to learn something.

Hint 1: I assure you that the membership list is on the web site, and it is linked from one of the pages that is linked to the top level; that is, if you are at the home page, you're only two clicks away from it.

Hint 2: When you click on some of the menu items, a second level of menus will appear below the first level if there is more information available.

The underlying issue is that if you label the section "Membership" then people will ask (and they have) "How do I register to attend?" or "How much does the convention cost after I've bought my membership?" or "Why do I have to buy a membership when I only want to attend?" or something like that. If you label it "Registration" (which is what I did after getting those questions too many times), you get people asking "I can't find anything on your web site about membership." And if you label it "Registration/Membership," you use up too much real estate and probably confuse both groups of people.

Some people solve this by linking everything from the home page, but that turns the home page into a sea of nothing but links, and it causes a lot of people's eyes to glaze over. I prefer a heirarchical style, but it's not good for people who don't see logical relationships between the subject headings and the items under that subject.

My basic problem is that I want to make everyone happy, and I think it's impossible to do that because of the significantly different ways that people look at information.

Comments

[crookedfeet.livejournal.com]

I found the list very easily. I suspect the other stuff is from people who simply aren't used to that kind of convention. We get very weird emails about NADWCON memberships-people wanting to know how much the "higher tier" memberships are, and how much extra it will cost to take pictures of Sir Pterry. Obviously, these are people used to media cons, but I find it frustrating to deal with.

[buddykat.livejournal.com]

Disclaimer - I did not read the hints before trying to find the info.

I clicked on the registration link at the top of the main page, and did not immediately see the membership list button. But after reading the text on the page, I did see the button for the list.

The only suggestion I would make is better contrast for the second set of buttons. I agree that putting links to everything on the front page is not feasible.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

My experience was the same as buddykat's.

Also didn't read hint

[cmdrsuzdal.livejournal.com]

Um; Reg, then Membership List. Two clicks.

Now, I did skim down the page before scanning back up to notice the tab. Putting subtabs in a different color from the main tabs is never a bad idea, though.

Also, text is cheap. There's no harm in adding an extra link at the bottom of the registration page that says 'Already Registered?' and clicks through to the membership list or something.

Already Registered?

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

I've added that, and because there was already too much text on that page without subheadings, I've put subheadings on the page and broke it up by topic. I also put the links to the actual online registration page in several different places, in the hope that the several different ways people read this stuff will get covered. Moreover, I put a link to that online registration form very early on the page, so people who already know most of the material below -- the "regulars" if you like -- won't have to slog through it and can go straight to the registration page.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

I went to Registration-->Membership list. It seemed logical to me.

[caindog.livejournal.com]

I clicked "Registration" and found the "Membership List" link right away but, as with the comments above, a contrasting but pleasant background color for those buttons would make finding them significantly easier. Also, a tab for the main info (call it "How to Register" or somesuch) in the Registration section would make navigating that section a bit more intuitive, especially for people who have clicked "Membership List" or one of the other associated tabs.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Also, a tab for the main info ...

That's a little trickier, because the "main info" is kept at the top-tab level (under "Registration"). In the situation you have, where you've clicked down to the Membership List, the way to go back up to the How to Register information is to click on the Registration tab again, not to click one of the other second-level tabs. I've tried a version of what you suggest, with a "How to Register" tab that recaps the first-level page data's first paragraph and then links back to that first-level page.

[con-girl.livejournal.com]

I went to registration - it was easy. Perhaps because I consider a membership list to be the same thing as a registration list, perhaps because I think that, "Who's registered?" to be a clear question.

But since you have problems with two different groups I would suggest "Attending" which should apply to both.

Also I would make the sub category font stand out a little more - they are not easily noticeable.

[edgreen86.livejournal.com]

Quibble, and I admit it is, but having a membership doesn't mean you are "Attending".

You have an "Attending Membership".

We both know of fans who would be *very* upset to find out that they were members of a Convention, and the Convention *decided* that they were attending.

*sigh*

[corwynofamber.livejournal.com]

It was absolutely trivial to find.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Some conventions do have a "membership list" link on the front page. It really doesn't clutter it up too much. I would not have been sure from this front page if there was a list or not, but on the assumption it must be there somewhere, I decided to try "Registration" first. And bingo. But I'd hardly have been surprised if it was buried in some unexpected place, or not there at all.

[lobolance.livejournal.com]

There was no indication of a membership list on the front page. I went to Guests first. Then Registration. Got frustrated cause I couldn't find a link on the side. THEN I noticed a Membership link had appeared.

It's ok to have new menu items appear once you select a menu item, but you should have a clear consistent menu system; if you can't have a separate submenu bar appear once you make a top level selection, you could have the new sub items appear in a particular color or some such. I'm used to vertical submenus appearing once a main menu selection has been made; barring that, the color idea, or some other way of bringing 'new links here' to attention would be helpful.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

if you can't have a separate submenu bar appear once you make a top level selection,...

We do, any time there are submenus involved. Some sections of the site have nothing beyond the top level. If there are no sub-sections, then no sub-menus appear. Or maybe I'm misunderstanding what you meant.

[howeird]

I found it easily enough. Looking at the available real estate available for buttons on the home page (there isn't any) I'd say the way you have it is best, unless you go change those buttons to drop-down menus, which may be a better answer.

[kproche.livejournal.com]

Feh! Drop-downs are a sub-optimal solution, because you have to go to each button to find out what it offers. Not to mention the problem with implementation not necessarily rendering in all browsers.

Trust me, I've been down that road designing the CC26 site and content management system. I had the argument several times with certain staffers who were insistent proponents of dynamic/dropdown menus. Having run into their failings many times, I had no interest in adding that complication to our site.

The WFC content management system, on the other hand, is based in WordPress, as opposed to the roll-your-own system we had to develop for CC26.
The style of the buttons is determined by cascading style sheet; I don't know if the webmaster can specify a separate button element for the submenu/breadcrumb appearing at the top of the content section.

"We live on assumptions."

[maurinestarkey.livejournal.com]

That's what my ophthalmologist always said when I would explain my declining eyesight.

Same experience as Buddykat. Of course with the first hint I was able to find it and chide myself for not being more thorough. But I've been skimming all my documents lately cause there is so much to catch up on.

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

I got to it in two clicks, so it can't be that hard. *blond hair flip* Like others, I didn't read the hint or additional text. This suggests to me that the ultimate label (1) makes sense to those who think of the "membership" term, and (2) makes sense to those who *don't* think of the "membership" term.

[timill]

No hints; two clicks, no delays.

I did check the front page for a direct link, but then "Registration" seemed the obvious heading to try, and then "Membership List" looked very plausible for finding the membership list...

[twilight2000.livejournal.com]

NOTE: didn't read comments or hints - just went straight to the page :>

I looked for "membership" link on the front page, finding none, I poked at both "guests" and "registration" as the only possible options.

Finding the link to membership lists under registration makes sense from the perspective that it's the only option - but from the user perspective, re-titling that menu entry to "registration and membership" would help a lot more - or having a "membership list" link all by itself if you don't like combing the two ;>

EDIT: Oh dear - I just noticed the Membership *button* - i had scrolled down to see the membership list link in the text! (and would make it either BOLDER or a more standout color - it's not as standout as it could be for those with eye issues).

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Yes, your reactions are similar to other people's.

The problem with Registration/Membership is that the only way to do that would be to get rid of one of the top-level menus. The total length of menus is about as wide as we can let it get now. There's only so much space on the top level. And so far, we haven't identified any top-level menus that we're willing to remove.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

I haven't looked at other comments yet.

Okay; I follow the link to the site. After looking over the first page, go to registration from the top menu bar. First screen doesn't look hopeful, scroll down, and there's a heading saying "Are you already registered as a member?" ("as a member" is redundant in that heading.) Click "membership list" link in that paragraph, and get a membership list. With an alphabetical index at the top even!

I'd rate this A, myself. I probably overrate people's ability to scroll beyond what instantly appears on their screen, though; maybe it's only a B+.

Okay, now I see the stuff behind the cut tag, but not comments yet.

I would have clicked on a "membership" link first if I'd seen one for this task; I remember consciously thinking "nothing here points directly to what I'm looking for; so, what page points in the right general direction?" and that was of course "registration". A top-level link directly to the list would, I hope, be "members" or "membership list"; but I don't think that's really a top-level item.

While I mostly don't like them, an active outline control can help some with the problem you describe; if you click "membership" you get an expanded and hence more detailed list. If, of course, it works at all with the browser I'm using.

In a large group there will always be people for whom a page design doesn't work, you're absolutely right. Doing actual user testing (as this is, at a low level) is a good way to find out how actual people actually interact with the page, considerably better than just a few people's mental models (yes, including mine).

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

I haven't looked at other comments yet.

Thank you! That's what I hope people do. In fact, I'm going to go back and edit the message and ask people not to read the comments first.

Okay; I follow the link to the site. After looking over the first page, go to registration from the top menu bar. First screen doesn't look hopeful,...

So I take it the "Membership List" button that appears as the second row of buttons after you select "Registration" isn't visible or you didn't notice it? (I'm not trying to be critical; I just am seeing how people viewed it. You'll notice that other people had difficulty seeing those buttons.)

...scroll down, and there's a heading saying "Are you already registered as a member?" ("as a member" is redundant in that heading.)

Actually, it's not. Remember, the underlying issue is that some people react to the term "membership" and others to "registration," and the two groups don't completely overlap; therefore, the only way I can see to catch the union of the two is to use both terms.

I'd rate this A, myself. I probably overrate people's ability to scroll beyond what instantly appears on their screen, though; maybe it's only a B+.

Thank you! I don't take much credit for the overall site design, which was done by others. But if things get screwed up, it's my fault because I'm the one mucking around with the individual pages.

I would have clicked on a "membership" link first if I'd seen one for this task; I remember consciously thinking "nothing here points directly to what I'm looking for; so, what page points in the right general direction?" and that was of course "registration". A top-level link directly to the list would, I hope, be "members" or "membership list"; but I don't think that's really a top-level item.

Neither do I, but some people apparently do based on feedback here and in e-mail.

In a large group there will always be people for whom a page design doesn't work, you're absolutely right. Doing actual user testing (as this is, at a low level) is a good way to find out how actual people actually interact with the page, considerably better than just a few people's mental models....

I'm glad that, so far, everyone commenting seems to be taking this in the spirit intended, and nobody has risen up and yelled "The entire site is garbage! I could do a better job with my eyes closed!" and so forth.

Thanks for the feedback.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

I note two people actively considering "guests" as a possible route. I believe I can understand how they got there -- but WOW what a culture clash!

I think I must have been looking at the revised version of the page (the sub-headings I saw).

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

I note two people actively considering "guests" as a possible route. I believe I can understand how they got there -- but WOW what a culture clash!

Yes, to me, too. I would never have expected people to go there looking for a membership list, although in this case, remember that they're trying every link, which may not be representative of their normal thought process.

I think I must have been looking at the revised version of the page (the sub-headings I saw).

Yes, you are. I made changes this afternoon based on some of the earlier feedback.

[peanut13171.livejournal.com]

I found it in 2 clicks and I didn't look at comments or hints. But it *may* be because I had already checked the site before. Can't remember.

Thank a LOT for this post, though. I'd forgotten I had bought a membership and was surprised to see my name on the list!!

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Glad to be of service. :)

[flick.livejournal.com]

home-registration-scroll down-are you a member

But I was actually looking for 'membership', not registration, so it was my second visual pass ("Right, we'll just have to try all the non-impossible links, like "Contact US", won't we?) through the menu.

[flick.livejournal.com]

And, now I've read the post / comments:

To clarify, I also completely failed to see the secondary menu and instead scrolled down until I say it in the text. I suspect that's partly because my sub-conscious thought process was something like "Membership list, membership list, where's the damn members section, oh, it's in 'registration': that's weird, this website sucks, and why is it a blog anyway? Guess I have to hunt through blog posts to find it", so I wasn't expecting the site to actually do anything helpful at this point.

The underlying issue is that if you label the section "Membership" then people will ask (and they have) "How do I register to attend?" or "How much does the convention cost after I've bought my membership?" or "Why do I have to buy a membership when I only want to attend?" or something like that. If you label it "Registration" (which is what I did after getting those questions too many times), you get people asking "I can't find anything on your web site about membership." And if you label it "Registration/Membership," you use up too much real estate and probably confuse both groups of people.

I think my inclination would be to call it membership, because I'd be more bothered about making it easier for fans than for a small number of new people. Then again, this is a media con, so it's a different demographic.

[ashi.livejournal.com]

Oh look, a Registration menu item. That looks promising.
*reads through text* Oh, a membership list. Could this get any easier?

*reads comments* There was a button? Interesting.

[renegade500.livejournal.com]

I personally would like to see a link on the top navigation bar that said membership instead of registration. It didn't even connect with me that registration was membership, so I clicked on the link on the right hand side under quick links that said buy a membership.

I think since so many of us in this community think of the language of membership when wanting to "register" for a con, calling it registration creates a little bit of a cognitive disconnect that doesn't immediately register as being the same thing.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

In the end, for this event, I think that "Registration" is more likely to be something that the people who don't understand what a "membership" is will understand. They are the ones who've never attended a fannish convention and think of WFC as a nothing but a professional writers' conference. They don't understand our jargon, and the only reference they are likely to have is any other sort of professional conference they've attended. What I definitely do not want to do is frighten away prospective members who think that they can't attend unless they are already "members" of some organization.

I am learning something here, though, and I hope others reading this are, too. Our own jargon is potentially excluding new members because they see "membership" and don't understand it. While I'm certainly someone who says we sell "memberships" for a reason, it's off-putting to people who find us for the first time.

PS

[renegade500.livejournal.com]

PS: I do like the links to search by last name. That is a very useful feature, especially as the list gets longer.

And I made my first reply before reading your hints. I found the membership list very easily, but I'll be honest, we called our button membership, and we really didn't get the kinds of how do I register questions that you say you're getting.

Re: PS

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

we really didn't get the kinds of how do I register questions that you say you're getting.

I wonder why that is. Maybe there are more potential first-time attendees living within a relatively short travel distance of our WFC?

[johnnyeponymous.livejournal.com]

As a dumb guy, it took me a bit, but part of that was me expecting it to be in a weird place because no one asks questions about these things unless there's some weirdness. In the end, I went with my gut guess and that was right.
Chris

The answer is search!

[petrea-mitchell.livejournal.com]

My answer is that the search function should look at the whole site, not just the blog entries. The search box is your get-out-of-jail-free card when the menu fails. Nearly every major search engine (like, for instance, my favorite (http://clusty.com/sitesearch)) is happy to show you how to construct a widget that will use them to search your site.

And if you really want to make everyone happy...

[petrea-mitchell.livejournal.com]

...put the WFC site through this tool (http://www.accesskeys.org/tools/color-contrast.html) and act on the results.

I'd also like to say, despite my complaining, this really is one of the better convention Web sites I've seen. (Most convention Web sites, it's clearly not even worth complaining.)