About Us Usability

About Us: Usability Guidelines for Presenting Company Information on Corporate Websites
Making it Easy for Visitors to Find Company Information on Corporate Websites
By Hoa Loranger and Jakob Nielsen
48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA
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Copyright Nielsen Norman Group, All Rights Reserved. To buy a copy, download from: http://www.nngroup.com/reports/about
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ..........................................................................................2 Executive Summary.......................................................................................3 Research Overview .......................................................................................6 Company Reputation Affects Web Searching Behavior ..................................9 Success Rates and Satisfaction Ratings.......................................................11
Average Satisfaction Ratings ...................................................................................................... 12
Prioritizing Corporate Information ..............................................................13 Guidelines Summary ...................................................................................14 Guidelines Discussion..................................................................................18

Homepage ........................................................................................................................... 18 Company Information............................................................................................................ 27 History and Timelines ............................................................................................................ 40 Executive Members ............................................................................................................... 57 Social Responsibility .............................................................................................................. 63 Accolades............................................................................................................................. 69 Contact................................................................................................................................ 76 E-commerce Customer Service ............................................................................................... 85 Non-Profit and Charitable Organizations................................................................................... 87 Content ............................................................................................................................... 89 Navigation ........................................................................................................................... 98 Graphics and Multimedia ...................................................................................................... 109 Presentation ....................................................................................................................... 114
Methodology .............................................................................................119
Overview ............................................................................................................................... 119 Participants............................................................................................................................ 119 Task procedure....................................................................................................................... 120 Open-ended Tasks .................................................................................................................. 120 Directed Tasks........................................................................................................................ 122
About the Authors .....................................................................................123 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................124
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Executive Summary
Representing a company or organization on the Internet is one of a websites most important jobs. Explaining the companys purpose and what it stands for provides essential support for any of the sites other goals. Unfortunately, most websites do a poor job on this explanation. It is fairly common for sites to have an About Us section, and in fact we recommend having a homepage link thats explicitly called either About <name-of-company> or About Us. This link need not be the most prominent on the homepage, but it should be present and easily visible. In our study, users had trouble locating company information when the link had a nonstandard name, like Info Center, or when it was placed near graphical elements that looked like advertisements and thus were ignored.
USER RESEARCH
To find out how users find and interpret information about companies on websites, we conducted a usability study of fifteen sites: four large companies (Allstate, Lexmark, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Sempra Energy), three medium-sized companies (Constellation Brands, Titan, and Pier 1 Imports), three smaller companies (GiftTree, OneCall, and Team Industrial Services), three government agencies (the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of the Interior, and the Small Business Administration), and two non-profits (National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the United Nations Childrens Fund). On each site, we gave users one open-ended task: evaluate the organization. We also gave them several directed tasks, such as to find out who runs the organization and when the organization was founded. Most test participants were mainstream Web users with at least two years Internet experience. We intentionally included a few teenagers in this study because the goals of placing corporate information on the Web often include supporting high school projects, building long-term loyalty, and attracting interns.
SUCCESS RATE: REASONABLE

On average across the directed tasks, users found the requested information 70% of the time. This is a fairly high success rate compared to most of our other Web usability studies, where the success rate usually ranges from 55 to 65%. On the other hand, compared to most other things users attempt on the Web, investigating basic company facts is relatively easy. Our tasks didnt involve transactions, filling out forms, complex searches, or complex navigation. Because the tasks were easy, getting a relatively high success rate indicates adequate usability rather than great usability. Users had particular difficulty finding the most basic company facts, such as: The organizations top executive or official: 59% success Correct contact information: 62% success The organizations philosophy: 59% success Historical timeline and milestones: 58% success
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The poor score for contact information is deplorable for two reasons. First, its information that people frequently request, and not having it readily available frustrates users. Second, its one of the leading markers that people use to judge a companys trustworthiness: Is it a fly-by-night operation, or does it have an actual address and a phone number that its willing to disclose?
WHAT THE COMPANY DOES

Users were fairly successful at answering the most basic question of all: What does the company do? This task scored a success rate of 90%, but this favorable outcome does not vindicate the current Web design. While users eventually discovered a companys purpose after scurrying around the website, most sites failed to offer clear and visible explanations on their homepage and at the start of their About Us section. In a separate project evaluating corporate homepage usability,1 the average site scored only 36% on the usability guideline that recommends explicitly summarizing the companys purpose on the homepage. Tag lines also proved to be content-free blather. Sites scored only 27% on usability for these statements, which should clearly describe the value proposition from a customer perspective and distinguish the company from its primary competitors. Having a short homepage description is essential for usability because it offers a context that helps users interpret all of the site information. Similarly, a slightly longer explanation at the top of the About Us page helps users understand that sections information in more depth.
HELPING OUTSIDERS
People outside the organization are the ones who need help understanding what it does, yet descriptions of an organizations purpose are often written in ways that make sense mainly to insiders. Government agencies are often the worst offenders, and in this study many users were baffled at the profuse bureaucratese and impenetrable abbreviations on the government sites we tested. When asked to find an agencys head, several users were stumped by the job titles traditionally used in many federal agencies. Looking through organization charts and lists of agency managers, users said that they were not interested in the secretary, they wanted to find a person with an executivesounding title like chief. Nobody in Washington, D.C., would ever imagine that it might be difficult to identify a big cheese like the Secretary of the Interior as that departments leader. Thats exactly why organizations need to run usability studies: to find out what people outside their niche know. Often, its less than they think. Websites must be written to help mainstream users, not people who already know everything; they wouldnt go to the About Us section anyway.
1 For our full list of guidelines to improve homepages, please see our book Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed (more information at www.useit.com/homepageusability).
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TRANSACTION SITES AND ONLINE SERVICES

Rather than simply serving as a corporate mouthpiece, the main goal of many Web sites is to provide independent services. This is particularly true for e-commerce sites: selling is what theyre there for; that people might also want to use the site to research the company is typically a lesser consideration. Still, such sites should have a strong About Us section, because users often wonder whos behind a Web-based service, how its funded, and whether its credible. If you order from an e-commerce site, can you trust the company to ship the package? Will they take it back if it arrives in poor condition? If you register on a site, are they going to sell your personal information to anyone who can pay, and thus expose you to endless spam about everything from transaction-related products to offensive porn? Trust and credibility are major issues on the Web, where even the biggest company exists only as a few words and pictures inside a browser window. The most deceitful and unethical company can look as good as a company with a long history of community involvement and honest customer relationships. Explaining who you are and where you come from does matter, as do simple things like providing management biographies and photos. Its easy to resolve the tension between transactions and corporate information. By all means, dedicate most of your homepage to sales, current offers, and navigation to products or services. Just remember to include a simple link to the About Us section. The link doesnt have to be the first or most prominent. If youre using a standard left-hand navigation column, you can even place this link at the very bottom of the list. Just dont hide it.
CONNECTING TO USERS
Saying who you are and what you do is basic politeness in any conversation. In business, its also good to establish credibility and respect by explaining your companys origins, how you view your business, and how you relate to the community. The Web is very depersonalized, but from our earliest usability studies, weve seen that users like getting a sense of the company behind the website. Whos there behind the screen? Having a good About Us section facilitates this understanding. Clearly stating what you do helps customers understand the site as a whole. Of course, the overall site is what ultimately represents you to users. People look at product pages and read the sites content when theyre evaluating an organization as a possible vendor, business partner, employer, investment, or (in the case of charities) donation recipient. Communication isnt restricted to About Us. But dedicating an area to providing users with facts about your organization and its history and values helps pull the sites content together.
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Research Overview
The main purpose of our research was to learn how different people use corporate websites to find general company information. The result is this report, which offers guidelines that can help you better design your site to help users easily find and more accurately interpret company information. The guidelines include ways to improve the usability of About Us sections and other corporate website areas to maximize your companys image, and foster interest and trust. Our usability guidelines are based on methodical observation, interviews, and user feedback. This report summarizes our research results, and explains and discusses each of our recommendations. In this section, we offer a brief overview of the research study. For details about our testing procedure, please see the reports Methodology section.
Procedure
We gave users tasks to perform on various corporate websites. The main task was to find company information. We used a combination of research methods. Our primary approach was the thinking aloud methodology: we observed users as they worked and encouraged them to think out loud as they attempted their tasks. We also gave participants questionnaires and interviewed them at the end of each test session. A total of twenty people participated in the study. They ranged in age from 16 to 65 years. All participants were Internet users with at least two years experience on the Web, though some had significantly more.
Websites studied
We studied fifteen websites of various size and design from different industries. Of the fifteen, four companies were large, three were medium-sized, and three were small; three of the fifteen were government agencies and two were non-profit or charitable organizations. Company / Organization Name The Allstate Corporation www.allstate.com Lexmark International, Inc. www.lexmark.com Bristol-Myers Squibb Company www.bms.com Description The Allstate Corporation is the largest publicly held personal lines insurer in the US. Lexmark International is a $4.4 billion provider of printing solutions. Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global pharmaceutical and health care products company that also provides therapies to treat illnesses including cancer, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and central nervous system disorders. Sempra Energy is a Fortune 500 energy services corporation that has 12,000 employees worldwide. Through its
Sempra Energy www.sempra.com
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Company / Organization Name
Description subsidiaries, Sempra Energy provides energy-related products and services to customers in the US, Europe, Canada, Mexico, South America, and Asia.
Constellation Brands, Inc. www.cbrands.com
Constellation Brands, Inc. is an international producer and marketer of beverage alcohol in North America, Europe, and Australia, with a broad portfolio of wine, spirits, and imported beer brands. Titan provides information and communications products, solutions, and services related to national security to the Department of Defense, intelligence agencies, and other government customers. Pier 1 Imports is one of North America's largest specialty retailers of casual home furnishings and gifts. GiftTree offers gift services and solutions. Their online catalog has products such as gift baskets, floral designs, fruit baskets, and balloon bouquets. OneCall is the mail-order division of Huppins Hi-Fi, Photo, & Video, a fourthgeneration independent retailer established in 1908. Team Industrial offers integrated industrial services such on-stream leak repairs, energy management, and concrete repair services. HUD provides funding for a variety of programs that help Americans find affordable rental housing. The Department of the Interior is the nations principal conservation agency. They protect Americas natural and cultural heritage, offer recreation opportunities, foster sound land and water resource use, and conserve and protect fish and wildlife. The US SBA provides financial, technical, and management assistance to help people start, run, and grow their
The Titan Corporation www.titan.com
Pier 1 Imports www.pier1.com GiftTree www.gifttree.com
OneCall www.onecall.com
Team Industrial Services, Inc. www.teamindustrialservices.com
US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) www.hud.gov US Department of the Interior www.doi.gov
US Small Business Administration www.sba.gov/ca/sandiego
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Company / Organization Name
Description businesses.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society www.nationalmssociety.org
Through a nationwide network of chapters, the National MS Society supports research efforts, educates, and advocates on critical issues related to MS, and organizes a range of programs, including support for the newly diagnosed and those living with MS over time. UNICEF helps children get the care and stimulation they need early in life and encourages families to educate girls as well as boys. It strives to reduce childhood death and illness and to protect children in the midst of war and natural disaster.
United Nations Childrens Fund www.unicef.org
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Company Reputation Affects Web Searching Behavior

During our research, we noticed that people who were familiar with a company had different searching behaviors than people who were not. People tend to spend very little time researching About Us information for well-known companies with good reputations. They were confident that the company was solid, even without doing any extensive research on its website. Most people in our study had already heard of Allstate, and didnt need to use the company website to ascertain that it was a good company to do business with. I've heard of Allstate. I think they're pretty solid. It is a reputable company because it is well known. I know Allstate has been around for years, so it's ranked as one of the top ten companies. Similarly, a user was familiar with Bristol-Myers Squibb and already had a positive impression of the company, even before looking at the corporate site. I think it's a good company because Bristol-Myers is well known. They have a good reputation. They're a pharmaceutical. A user quickly answered that that National MS Society was a good organization to be involved with based on his previous knowledge. I know there are plenty of people that are affiliated with it. It's a popular organization. People who werent familiar with a company tended to spend more time in the About Us and product and services sections. They also had more questions about the company, including how long it had been in business and where it was located. For these potential customers, information like philanthropic efforts, values, mission, and history helped them better understand the companys philosophy. They were less forgiving of sites that didnt address their questions. I've never heard about Titan. They're a lot of companies I haven't heard of. To know that they've been in business since 91 makes me feel better than having a start-up at 2001. If your organization has had the misfortune of earning or inheriting a negative reputation or prejudice, you might want to make your corporate website especially usable in order to win over your audience. For example, one participant had a
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negative perception of governmental institutions that affected her impression of the US Department of the Interior site. It must have some crooked politicians if it has to do with the government. Another user on the Housing Urban and Development site had heard that it assisted renters in finding low-income housing. Her impression of the agencys service in this area was negative, however, and she didnt know that it offered many more programs. I've heard of them -- you have to get on the waiting list or something.
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Success Rates and Satisfaction Ratings

We studied participants as they used selected websites, measuring the designs success based on participants task performance and their feedback about the information that was important to them. We rated site designs based on how thoroughly participants completed their assigned tasks. We measured success on a scale ranging from 0% (no significant progress) to 100% (fully completed tasks); we gave partial credit based how much information users found. The graph below shows the average success rate across the target websites. Across all tasks, the average success score was 70%. Most people were able to find: What the company did Whether the company engaged in community or social efforts
People had the most difficulty finding: The top executive Correct contact information The companys business philosophy Historical timeline and milestones
Average Success Rates By Task

Do they have any interesting historical milestones? What is the organizations philosophy? How would you contact the organization? Who heads the organization? How long have they been established? Do they contribute to community programs? Do they contribute to environmental programs? What does the organization do? 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 71 90 90 100 58 59 62 59 79 84
Successs Rate (% )
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AVERAGE SATISFACTION RATINGS

After the sessions, we asked participants to rate their satisfaction with the tested site on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being very satisfied and 1 being very dissatisfied. The average satisfaction rating across all websites was 5.2. Even though 4.0 is the rating scales mathematical midpoint, users tend to be polite in their ratings. Across numerous user satisfaction surveys we analyzed, the average rating for user interfaces was one unit better than the mathematical midpoint. Thus, the true neutral point is 5 on a 1 to 7 scale (where 7 is best). Bearing this in mind, this studys average user satisfaction rating is only slightly better than the average rating of the average user interface. The main things that negatively impacted user satisfaction were: Complex and overwhelming navigational structures Difficult-to-find critical information, including what the company does, how long its been in business, and who to contact Busy and cluttered interfaces Poor choice of font size and color
The main things that positively impacted user satisfaction were: Pleasant graphic designs that complimented the content and were consistent with the companys image Simple and consistent navigational structures Easy-to-find contact information with toll-free telephone numbers Clearly outlined community and social efforts Endorsements from reputable external agencies Good products and services
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Prioritizing Corporate Information

We also asked users for the key information they look for when using corporate websites to research a companys background. People noted the following information as most important: What the company does When it was established Where the companys headquarters is located Company size (number of employees, locations, and revenue) Background and historical accomplishments Mission statement (philosophy, goals, and values) Executive bios and photos Financial history
On e-commerce sites,2 people said they also look for: Customer comments or feedback Customer service policies (such as returns and substitutions) Privacy/security policies Endorsements by impartial organizations (such as the Better Business Bureau)
Please see our separate report, which has more extensive usability guidelines for designing ecommerce sites. One chapter specifically concerns ways of establishing trust and credibility. Available from www.nngroup.com/reports/ecommerce.
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Guidelines Summary
The following list summarizes our usability guidelines for designing your websites About Us area, based on findings from our user research. These guidelines are recommendations for improving your websites usability. Detailed discussions and examples for each guideline are included in the next section of this report. The page numbers following each guideline indicate where the discussion about that guideline appears.
HOMEPAGE
1. Provide a noticeable link on the homepage called either About <your company name> or About Us. (p. 18) 2. When appropriate, include detailed corporate information about such things as investor relations, press, and employment. (p. 24) 3. Show the company name and/or logo in a reasonable size and noticeable location, ideally in the upper left-hand corner of the homepage. (p.24) 4. Have a brief tag line that explicitly summarizes what the organization or company does. (p. 25 )
COMPANY INFORMATION
5. Explicitly state what your organization does on the homepage and in your websites About Us, IR, and PR areas. (p. 27) 6. Briefly highlight a few significant and interesting facts about your company. (p. 33) 7. For Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), keep the information concise, including only questions that are actually asked frequently. (p. 35) 8. Offer more detailed company information for people who want it. (p. 38) 9. Dont hide company information behind a massive number of vaguely worded links. (p. 38)
HISTORY AND TIMELINES

10. Consider offering a History section that outlines the organizations historical milestones and achievements. (p. 40) 11. Properly format timelines so users can easily and quickly scan the content and pick out important dates and events. (p. 42)
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12. Use caution when using interactive timelines. Before deciding to create a fancy interface, carefully consider whether this approach will help users find the information they need. (p.45)
BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY
13. Provide information in the About Us section that conveys the corporate goals and objectives, and how they can benefit customers. (p. 47) 14. Have pages that illustrate your companys core values such as ethics, diversity, and employee conduct. (p. 52) 15. Use caution when using the term corporate governance as most people dont know what it means. (p. 55)
EXECUTIVE MEMBERS
16. Provide information about the companys high-level managers. Include the persons name, job title, recent picture, and a link to the full biography. (p. 57) 17. For governmental agencies where the top executive has an unfamiliar title, such as Secretary of <agency name>, make sure to clearly indicate who this person is. (p. 61)
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
18. If your company contributes to socially responsible and philanthropic efforts, provide this information, and make it easy to find. (p. 63) 19. Be wary of using the terms philanthropy or philanthropic without explaining them, as some people dont know what they mean. (p. 67) 20. If your company is currently in crisis or has met with controversy in the past, address this in some way on your corporate website. (p. 67)
ACCOLADES
21. Consider designating an area on your websites homepage or About Us area to show customer-oriented awards and recognition. (p. 69) 22. If you have product or service endorsements from reputable independent agencies such as the Better Business Bureau, provide a link to this information.(p. 71)
23. If possible, provide customer stories and feedback about the quality of the organizations products and services. (p. 74)
CONTACT
24. Provide contact information or a noticeable link to it on the homepage and the IR and About Us sections of your website. (p. 76) 25. Make it easy to choose the correct contact. (p. 78) 26. Provide complete contact information. (p. 81) 27. For email contacts, tell people when to expect a response (if you can predict it). (p. 82) 28. Dont require people to register or fill out forms to contact your company or request information. (p. 83) 29. If registration forms cant be avoided, keep them short and simple. (p. 84) 30. Provide an area on the form for people to type in comments or questions. (p. 85) 31. Consider providing a local telephone number for different locations, especially if you serve multiple countries. (p. 85)
E-COMMERCE CUSTOMER SERVICE

32. Give users a clear and easy way to find your privacy policy. (p. 85) 33. Offer policies that are acceptable to your customers.( p. 87) 34. For non-profits and charitable organizations that solicit donations, make sure to clearly report the donation percentage that goes to overhead and the percentage that goes directly to the cause. (p. 87) 35. When asking for donations, let people enter their amount, rather than forcing them to choose from a set of narrow choices. (p. 88)
CONTENT
36. Write and present content in a way that optimizes scanning. (p. 89) 37. Speak your users language by avoiding fancy or technical terms. Governmental agencies need to be particularly wary of overloading users with confusing acronyms. (p. 95) 38. Present reports or information in HTML whenever possible. (p. 96)
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NAVIGATION
39. Have a clear and consistent navigational structure. (p. 98) 40. Keep a consistent graphical look across pages and site areas. Let users know when links will take them to a completely different website. (p. 103) 41. Have links change color to show visited and unvisited areas. (p. 104) 42. Name links clearly, avoiding names that are vague, generic, or have overlapping meaning. (p. 105) 43. Be wary of opening new browser windows. (p.108)
GRAPHICS AND MULTIMEDIA

44. Use a graphic design that reinforces the company image and helps convey information about the products and services. (p. 109) 45. Use graphics judiciously and make sure they dont obscure important content. (p. 110) 46. Consider having demonstration videos if your organization has complex products or services that you want to explain. (p. 112) 47. Keep video clips short. (p. 113) 48. Consider your target users bandwidth. (p. 113)
PRESENTATION
49. Use font sizes and styles that optimize the readability of your site. (p. 114) 50. Ensure adequate contrast between the background and text. (p. 116)
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Guidelines Discussion
Homepage
1. Provide a noticeable link on the homepage called either About <your company name> or About Us.
The homepage is your websites primary gateway and plays an important role in determining whether users will succeed in obtaining the information they need. Homepages with a clear navigation scheme and clear links help users choose the correct path from the start and take them directly to their expected destination. Homepages with vague links and navigation often lead users down paths that are difficult to retrace or frustrate users to the point that they give up before getting the information they need. The link to corporate information on your homepage should be: Visibly noticeable and easy to find, not hidden in dropdown menus or overshadowed by other page elements. Described in clear terms. In our study, the terms About <your company name>, and About Us worked well.
If giving people corporate information is a high priority for your company, we recommend placing the link at the top of the page. Doing so will minimize scrolling and thus capture a broader audience. However, if your homepage real estate is limited and providing company information is not your top priority, then its acceptable to offer the link at the bottom of the page, next to the other corporaterelated links. A user on OneCall couldnt easily find information about the company because it was hidden behind an obscure link called Info Center. I'm trying to figure out what company this is. Obviously, they sell electronic gadgets. Who are they? I can't seem to find any information about them. I don't know who they are. Is this an online mall? Nothing on the homepage jumps out at me. Furthermore, the link was in a banner-like area that was obscured by other graphical elements on the top of the page, causing him to overlook it. When you have a menu bar up here, I didn't even see that. It didn't stick out right way. I didn't know who they were. I didn't find that Info Center easily. it mixes in with the rest of it.
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Similarly, people missed the About Allstate link because it was located in the banner area, which people often associate with advertisements. Its also in a tiny font size and overshadowed by the large navigational buttons below it. On the Team Industrial Services site, a user complained that the Company Info link was buried underneath a large graphic and should have been placed at the top with the other important links. I think on the homepage, these links -- instead of this flashy thing in the middle, these links need to be more prominent. It shouldn't be split [referring to a large graphic that separates navigational links], which makes the person travel. People on the Titan website appreciated that it was easy to find About Titan and Products and Services. The links were clearly displayed at the top, under the banner area. I think its a user friendly site. It has About Titan and Products and Services.
OneCall confused users by placing corporate information under an undescriptive link called Info Center.
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People had difficulty finding About Allstate because it was in a tiny font size and hidden in the banner-like area, which people often associate with ads and ignore. A better placement would be near the Media Newsroom in the left column, or next to one of the main buttons at the top.
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Team Industrial Services hid Company Info underneath a large graphic that overshadowed the other corporate links. Company Info and Contact Us would be better placed with other important links, such as Investor Relations and Locations.
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People on the HUD website didnt notice About HUD right away because it was less prominent than other links, such as HUD News and Priorities. Also, the pages small font and numerous red links overwhelmed users. With everything emphasized on the homepage, people had difficulty deciphering what was really important.
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Titan National Security Solutions had a clean homepage with clear labels. People immediately found About Titan and Products & Services.
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Although having corporate links at the top of the page is more common, Pier 1 Imports corporate links worked well at the bottom because they were nicely grouped and free from other distracting elements. Also, the homepage didnt require scrolling, making them easy to spot. 2. When appropriate, include detailed corporate information about such things as investor relations, press, and employment.
When researching company information, most people immediately want a quick company overview. However, if people are serious about learning more about the company, they expect more detailed information about such things as IR, company news, and employment opportunities. Offering this detailed information shows that the company cares about its customers and is not hiding information. (For guidelines on optimizing usability for journalists, refer to our Designing Websites to Maximize Press Relations report, http://www.nngroup.com/reports/pr. For guidelines on optimizing IR, refer to our Usability of the Investor Relations Area of Corporate Websites report, http://www.nngroup.com/reports/ir.) 3. Show the company name and/or logo in a reasonable size and noticeable location, ideally in the upper left-hand corner of the homepage.
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One of the ways to communicate the sites purpose is to show the company name and logo. Although neither need be enormous, the name and logo should be prominent enough to get peoples attention when they first come to a site. For people familiar with the company, the logo can reinforce branding or corporate image. Even for people who dont know the company, repeatedly seeing a recognizable logo can trigger a similar response. For languages that read from left to right, its customary to find corporate logos in the pages upper left-hand corner. Most of the sites we tested followed this guideline. However, HUD.gov didnt, and participants couldnt immediately determine what organization the website represented.
The HUD website doesnt have its own logo. Borrowing a White House logo doesnt help identify the organization. 4. Have a brief tag line that explicitly summarizes what the organization or company does.
Tag lines should be brief, simple, and to the point. For example, Titans tag line, National Security Solutions, is a good, straightforward summary of what the site and company offer. Vague or jargonistic tag lines only confuse users. For example, HUDs tag line, Homes and Communities, is too broad and doesnt describe their services; Homes and Communities could have multiple interpretations, including real estate listings or home improvement services. A tag line such as Assistance in Making Homes Affordable would be more descriptive.
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Is this a real estate housing company? It doesn't tell you what they do right off the bat. I guess you can tell by reading some of this stuff. Tag lines might not be necessary when the company name itself explains what the company does, such as Sempra Energy, or if the company is very well known, such as Allstate Insurance. The Department of the Interiors site didnt have a tag line, and some participants were unsure about the agencys purpose. A simple and descriptive tag line like Protecting our Heritage and Environment would have helped. Is it the interior or the United States or department of what? It doesn't make sense to me. From this, I can figure out that it's our natural resources type thing, but it doesn't say that.
Some people were unfamiliar with the US Department of the Interior and would have better understood its role if the site had a simple tag line describing what it does.
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The Constellation site had a mediocre tag line: tastes for life. When coupled with the picture of wine glasses, however, people correctly assumed that the company had something to do with wine. A more descriptive tag line, such as Distributor of Wine and Spirits would probably be better for users.
Company Information
5. Explicitly state what your organization does on the homepage and in your websites About Us, IR, and PR areas.
Always provide a straightforward summary of what your company does. Avoid jargonistic descriptions -- at best, they tend to confuse users; at worse, they make them mistrust the site, especially if they perceive descriptions as marketing hype. One of the first places people go to find corporate information is the About Us area. Offering a brief summary of what your company does helps people understand the sites purpose without having to wade through massive amounts of content or numerous page levels. When possible, present the summary on the main area of the About Us page. You should also offer short descriptions on the homepage and in any sections dedicated to IR and press relations (PR), especially if your organization is new or not well known. Dont force customers, investors, and journalists to visit About Us if all they want is a basic idea of the companys purpose. You can provide this in one to two lines, supplemented by a link to a full About Us area for more details. In our other studies, weve found that when companies establish this basic context, it significantly helps people interpret product information, as well as IR and PR content. Even a short description is enough to situate users and facilitate understanding.
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Dont bury this summary information under vague or overwhelming links. Try to keep the summary brief, and make sure to properly format it for ease of scanning. On the Team Industrial Services website, participants had difficulty finding company information because it was pushed below the fold on the Company Info areas main screen. Above the fold, unnecessarily large buttons, graphics, and white space dominated. When people clicked on Company Info, they expected to get the information right away, not more links. They didnt know the main content was below the fold. They didn't do a good job on company information spend more time organizing it so that people can find out more upfront, [rather] than having these things up here. When you go to company info, you kinda look at this and you don't see the information down here presented upfront, so people might skip it. [The information] should be presented up front. A user on the Constellation Brands site appreciated the brief overview that appeared on top of the About Us page. He preferred this site to the Team Industrial Services site. The other website didn't show this information upfront. This one talks about exactly what they do when you go to About Us. Im trying to find out about them. This is a good general thing to have it upfront. People were impressed with the Sempra site, which had corporate information right on the homepage. The information told users what the company does, how big it is, and what the company values, without forcing them to trudge through a lot of content. Also, the About Us link was noticeable and all users found it with little to no difficulty. It's interesting to me that they've been around for 100 years. It's good that they're trying to minimize risk. It's nice to know that they're coming up with new technologies. Its good to know that they are spread out throughout the world right off the bat, it tells you who we are. It tells you they've been around for 100 years, so they're experienced in what they do. When you click on About Us, they give you a lot of information about the company.
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The Company Info page on the Team Industrial Services site confused viewers because the main content wasnt apparent. Users didnt know that they had to scroll past the large graphic to get to the main information.
A user was pleased that Constellation Brands site, www.CBrands.com, had a summary of what the company does right on the About Us page.
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The Sempra site did a good job of telling readers who they are and what they do on both the homepage and the About Us pages. Also, the designers broke the content into small paragraphs, which helps facilitate scanning.
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Since the completion of our study, UNICEF.org updated their site with a noticeable and descriptive What We Do link on the main navigational bar at the top of the page. This design helps people quickly find out the organizations purpose. However, the designs downside is that now the About UNICEF link is less prominent and some people could easily miss it.
The previous UNICEF homepage had a much more noticeable button to About UNICEF, which all study participants easily found. While this homepage design doesnt have a direct What We Do link, participants expected to find this information in the About UNICEF section.
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The square groupings, clean design, and judicious use of graphics on the new About UNICEF page helps give it a professional look. The bold headers and brief descriptions will also help viewers quickly ascertain each sections content. A potential disadvantage to this design is that the organizations About Us information is scattered in many different places. Links such as What We Do and Why We Do It are in the top navigational bar, for example, while Who We Are is on the main page. Similar links should be grouped together so that people can get the information quickly, and not accidentally miss it.
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The old About UNICEF page told what the company did, but in a long-winded way. People couldnt quickly scan and glean information about the organizations purpose. Rather than having long blocks of text, its better to have brief bulleted points. However, the old design was better at placing related About Us topics together in the left-hand navigational menu. 6. Briefly highlight a few significant and interesting facts about your company.
When users are initially researching your company, they want a quick overview. Some of the basic facts they look for are: What the company does When it was started The number of employees Company location/number of locations The companys revenue
A user on the Team Industrial Services site viewed a company as more stable if it had many locations.
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They have locations all over the world, so that's a good sign. Shows that they are successful, that they have branches, that they are a larger corporation. It says that it is safer to deal with them than if they were one office. Similarly, users on Lexmark.com were impressed that the company was global. I think that it's cool that theyre in more than 150 countries. Its good to be associated with the company because it has so many national and international [locations] their services are pretty much all around. Another user on the Constellation Brands site viewed company size as an indicator of company health. They have positioned themselves as leaders in the world. They are second in the US, and second in the UK, talks about how big they are, which is good. It shows the breadth of their company -- how large they are, and how diversified they are on other companies. Large is not is always good, but in terms of what they are doing, the more market they have the better. Another indicator of company size is the number of employees. A user on the Pier 1 Imports site was impressed that it employed so many people. Oh! It employs 18,000 people. Users on the Department of the Interior and Team Industrial Services websites also liked knowing how long the organizations have been around and what they did. It doesn't sound like a bad thing 70,000 employees. They've been around since 1849, so they're certainly an established group they manage land. What I like about them is that they protect wildlife." I like this company right now because it's trying to protect America, and they're spending a lot of money to do it. They've been in business for over twenty years so that's pretty stable to me. Some participants had never heard of GiftTree.com; one of the first facts they looked for was when it was started.
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I don't know anything about them, so the first thing I want to know is how long they've been in business. Since I don't know this company, the first thing I want to know is how old it is. A user on OneCall.com wanted to know the companys physical location, but couldnt find it. Do they have a store -- locations? Because that way I know they are legit and this is not a scam. 7. For Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), keep the information concise, including only questions that are actually asked frequently.
Address real user questions, not those you or your colleagues imagine that users might have. In countless user studies, weve seen too many websites with FAQs that list questions the company wished users would ask. The FAQ feature is helpful only when its reserved for real frequently asked questions. Also, FAQs have a simplistic information design that does not scale well. FAQs that are too long and contain too many infrequently asked questions undermine users trust in the website and damage their understanding of its navigation. For example, the Pier 1 Imports site presented company information in an FAQ format, which didnt utilize the Webs navigational nature and didnt contain enough information. There are several things you can do to determine users most frequent questions. For example, you can monitor support lines and email inquiries, check search logs to see what people are looking for, and conduct field studies or user tests. Also, check with your customer service groups and find out the top fifteen to twenty inquiries that people make. Some of the sites we tested had a single facts page. Although this was helpful, the pages were often buried and difficult to find, and people missed them. The National MS Society and Pier 1 Imports sites presented About Us information in a linear, question-and-answer format, which is good for answering common questions. The style is limited, however, because it doesnt let people easily jump around and navigate to different topics. Although Pier 1s site offered a quick-jump menu at the top, people complained that scrolling up and down was inconvenient. A plus for both sites was that their FAQs seemed to address real user questions. A user on the SBA site was eager to find a link to an FAQ, but was quickly disappointed when she realized that it didnt address any of her questions. Instead, the FAQ served more as a glossary and had a confusing search feature that required her to enter search queries by categories.
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People on the Pier 1 Imports site said they didnt like the FAQ format for About Us content because it required them to scroll up and down to move between topics.
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The National MS Society site also offered its About Us information in an FAQlike format. A big plus here, however, was that the content seemed to address actual questions that users frequently ask.
The FAQ on the US SBA site was a big disappointment because it served more as a glossary than an FAQ.
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8.
Offer more detailed company information for people who want it.
Although we highly encourage you to offer a brief company overview, its also good to link to more detailed information for people who want it. People are leery of companies that are skimpy on accomplishments or historical background. Having well-documented successes and accomplishments on corporate websites is an indication that a company is thorough and methodical in its work and has the history and specifics to back up its claims. Users on the Pier 1 Imports site complained that there wasnt enough detailed information in About Us. The FAQ-style format, with small blurbs for each topic, was generally viewed as inadequate. It has information here, but not as much as some other websites would have. I don't particularly care for that this is all lined up. There's not too much information on each one. There's only one little paragraph for the mission statement and there's not a lot to read. I don't particularly like click on this, and go down and read it. It tends to have less information. They could give more information on some of this stuff, these little bullet points that you have to click and go down. Participants experiences with the Team Industrial Services site gave them a positive impression of the company. Even though viewers didnt fully understand the subject matter, the case studies illustrated how the company worked to resolve issues and took the time to methodically document it. Such measures did not go unnoticed. I like this. They talk about different problems and how they were solved. It showed that they really document their work. Lets say you need a solution that they solved before, it shows you their history. All of the case histories were nice to have the ability to see, because it breaks down what their problems were and how they resolved the problem. It gives you a better feeling that they know what they are doing and could probably get the job done for you. 9. Dont hide company information behind a massive number of vaguely worded links.
Once on the About Us page, people expect to find pertinent company information right away. Bombarding them with numerous links without offering content on this page is jarring, and makes people work too hard to get what they need. Its fine to have links that lead to more specific information, but first provide an overview. Also, ensure that links on the About Us page are pertinent to peoples needs and remove any unnecessary or redundant information.
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The Department of the Interior website didnt immediately offer a description of the organization. When people clicked on About DOI, they were barraged with vast numbers of unfamiliar links, such as Annual Performance Plans and Strategic Plan. For a typical viewer, it was not clear how these topics related to About DOI. The organization doesn't really show what the organization is. It just has a bunch of links to other things. That's kind of weird they give you buttons to places you don't know. You have to click on it to read through it to see what you want. The first half is okay, the second half is what are you talking about? It doesn't fill up the whole page -- it's a mini page. I cant find this because it's not listed on the About Us page. I guess I can't find one particular thing that says what they do without going to their history. The About HUD page also failed to provide company information right away, and instead dumped people into a list of links that had no apparent priority. Because the page lacked content, some people simply clicked on the first several links without knowing what to expect. One user clicked on several links randomly, but said that he didnt learn much about the organization. I really don't know anything about what their company [does]. They're not telling us really about their company.
The numerous non-descriptive blue links on the Department of the Interior site overwhelmed users.
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People expected to get company information on About HUD. Instead, they were forced to wade through a list of ambiguous choices that appeared in no apparent order.
History and Timelines

10. Consider offering a History section that outlines the organizations historical milestones and achievements. Highlighting major historical milestones can increase peoples trust in your company. Timelines help people gain a fuller understanding of where the company has been and how its evolved over the years. Anything particularly noteworthy helps improve consumer confidence. People are particularly interested in milestones such as: How and when the organization was formed When important products and services were invented, and why they are significant Any prestigious awards or recognitions
A user on GiftTree.com was frustrated when she couldnt figure out how long the company had been in operation.
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I don't see how long they've been business. I don't like that -- not knowing how long they've been around. Allstate.com made the mistake of hiding their timeline in Newsroom>Press Kit, and none of the users found it. I want to know how long they have been around. For whatever reason, I don't see it listed in here. A user on Titan.com liked the site, but felt it needed more information about the companys past accomplishments. What have they accomplished? It should say what they've done, what we've accomplished. A user on the HUD site found the organizations timeline and was delighted to see what the agency had accomplished over the years. Good. Its helpful to people and showed history in the past to be helpful for others. And they have a great reputation.
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Allstate.com buried their History & Timeline under Newsroom > Press Kit, and none of the users found it. 11. Properly format timelines so users can easily and quickly scan the content and pick out important dates and events. Optimize scanning by using Web formatting strategies on all histories and timelines. Improperly formatted content is overwhelming and difficult to scan. In our study, people preferred histories that were broken into small paragraphs separated by the date (usually the month and year is sufficient). In general, people quickly lost interest when content was long and wordy. Its better to chunk the information with appropriate headers than to clump it together into massive blobs of text. While its good to show some history, make sure to highlight only major milestones. Your company may have had many important historical moments, but users are not interested in reading a long list of detailed dates and events. Keep the users interest by trimming down the timeline, and showing only the most critical events. People on the Bristol-Myers Squibb site complained that its History contained too many uninteresting details and that the format was too difficult to read. The content was both too detailed and too dense, making it difficult to scan.
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There is a bunch of history. Personally, for me, there is a lot of reading. I wish they could just put the month, the year, and what they invented. Too much breakdown of people that owned the business. This has a lot of information. This goes on forever. That would take up a lot of printing paper. People on the Department of the Interiors website found its History page presentation to be uninteresting as well. The page was visually uninviting with big blocks of text and lacked headers to facilitate scanning. Im bored of the History page. This is a list of times. If they had it in a timeline, that would be cool. This is just there -- it's not cool. This is even less intriguing -- plain font and small. Pier1.com did an impressive job of presenting their history in a clear and inviting format. People quickly and easily found information on Pier1.coms History page because the years were bold and blue for ease of scanning and the descriptions were short and concise. I like the page on the history. It gives the years and what they've done since they started the business. You can learn a lot by just reading this little page here. Milestones that they've accomplished since they've been in existence. It's bulleted here and you can find it. OK, it started in 1962. This is good. You can read how it started. It started as a single store then opened stores all over the place. It looks like it has done well.
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Better formatting, such as aligning the dates and using boldface type, would improve the Bristol-Myers Squibb sites History page.
DOI.gov didnt make adequate use of Web formatting techniques to present its history, causing people to lose interest and leave.
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People on Pier1.com appreciated the History pages clear and simple format. The blue dates and short paragraphs facilitated scanning. (Note: It would be better to use a color other than blue for the years, since blue boldface text indicates links on this site and on the Web in general.) 12. Use caution when using interactive timelines. Before deciding to create a fancy interface, carefully consider whether this approach will help users find the information they need. While fancy and slick timelines might seem initially appealing, theyre often cumbersome and get in the way of people accomplishing their tasks. One of the main drawbacks of an interactive timeline is that people can often get the information quicker from a simple HTML page. Letting people scan for information on a single page is easier than forcing them to hover their mouse over icons or dates one at a time. Also, our previous study with Flash revealed usability issues that should be considered. People are resistant to downloading special plug-ins, for example, and dislike slow loading times. (For guidelines on designing with Flash, refer to our Usability of Flash Applications and Tools report -- http://www.nngroup.com/reports/flash.)
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The Constellation Brands site offered an attractive interactive timeline. However, users had to place the cursor over each year to read the event description -- which might be fine if the user is just browsing around. However, if you have serious researchers on your site, theyll want to get the information as quickly and efficiently as possible, and this type of design doesnt meet that goal.
CBrands.coms interactive timeline had a clean design. However, it might be more cumbersome to use than a standard Web page because it requires people to cursor over each date to view the event.
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Business Philosophy 13. Provide information in the About Us section that conveys the corporate goals and objectives, and how they can benefit customers. Providing a statement about your companys goals and objectives helps people better understand your organizations priorities toward its shareholders, customers, and employees. Clearly outlining goals and objectives shows that the company is serious about what it does and has a solid commitment to being a reputable and trustworthy organization. What is their philosophy? I've seen that on other websites. It makes a statement about a company. It speaks of integrity and commitment, of what they do. If its in writing, you see it. People on DOI.gov found the information on the Quick Facts page interesting because it highlights the main things that people want to see: the organizations mission, its size, and its breadth of services. Oh! I didn't know that -- wow! 200,000 volunteers. They collect all of this revenue and put it back into the parks and land. I think this is great. A user on the Unicef.org site found the Mission page helpful, and after only a few minutes on the site formed a positive impression of the organization. This is very informative. On the Sempra.com site, people easily found information about the companys values. The About Us page immediate described the companys purpose. Also, for people who wanted to know more about the companys values, there was a clearly displayed link on the left navigational panel, which was free from any distracting design elements. Right off the bat again, it gives you a paragraph about it. It tells you what their goal is. They are interested in a lot of good stuff. Let's see what their values are. I think it's good if they really do what they say they do. I expected to see something like this. This is really positive. I think this is a really good page.
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This expanded thing -- that's funny that they're actually recognizing that you could analyze things to death and sometimes you just need to get things done and I assume that employees have a commitment to the company. HUD.gov had a mission statement, but some people couldnt find it right away because it was hidden among a sea of links. They don't have anything right away that has their mission statement as a company, what they want as a company, what their goal is. It doesn't let me have the personal insight into what the company is like and what it does doesn't give you information on what the company wants to do for you. OneCall.com was perceived as being greedy because they didnt provide a philosophy or mission statement. I don't see any philosophy. It looks like they want to make money. They don't say anything to the customer. A user on the Team Industrial Services site criticized the site for not presenting information in the right order. Rather than seeing the huge graphics and links that dominated the companys About Us page, this user wanted to immediately see how long the company had been in business and what they did, and then get their business philosophy. He was disappointed that the site didnt offer the latter. They should say how long it is in business, what they do, then give their philosophy right below it. I want to find out what their motivation is for their business and what they want to achieve. You want that to stand out, to present yourself and make a strong impression in the first couple of paragraphs.
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UNICEF.orgs Mission page explains the organizations goals and helps viewers gain a better understanding of its purpose. The simple design and short paragraphs make this page appealing to read.
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The Values page on Sempra.com does a good job of showing the companys values from a human angle. Having part of the companys mission be fun and maintain a sense of humor gave it a personal touch that people appreciated.
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The Bristol-Myers Squibb sites extensive Mission page addressed a large audience. However, the formatting could be improved by left-justifying the paragraphs into simple bullet points. Also, the graphics at the top pushed the content toward the bottom, causing people to think that there was nothing else on the page.
People didnt realize there was more content on the Mission page because unnecessary graphics pushed the content to the bottom of the screen.
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14. Have pages that illustrate your companys core values such as ethics, diversity, and employee conduct. Users were impressed when companies had information about their core business values and ethics. With the recent news regarding corporate scandals, people are especially leery of corporate practices and greed. Addressing your companys values upfront can help ease some of this mistrust and enhance peoples confidence in your organization. The Bristol-Myers Squibb site had sections on their Pledge and Standards of Business Conduct and Ethics, which implied that they considered ethics important. This is nice. It makes them sound honorable. People on Sempra.com were impressed by the companys diversity and employee conduct policy. Drug testing, conflict of interest all of that stuff is in there. These are all good standards for an ethical work place. You have to judge a company by the face of the employees. They are letting us know that they don't have discrimination against people. That's a nice thing to know about the company, that they treat their employees equally if [people] were looking to invest in the company it would help them know what it would be like inside of the company. They know how the employees will be acting to do their part they are going to know it's going to be in good hands when they're investing in them. The vision and values list on Lexmark.com was easy to read, and people got the impression that the company had dedicated employees. Looks like the employees are dedicated to the product. It looks like they outline the bullet points of their values: employee satisfaction, integrity, and being honest. That's kind of neat.
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Sempra.com showcased their award for diversity right on the homepage.
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The diversity policy on Sempra.com helped people gain an understanding of the companys business practices and the quality of employees that they hire.
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People appreciated Lexmarks vision and values, and said that the formatted list with bold headers was easy to scan. 15. Use caution when using the term corporate governance as most people dont know what it means. Corporate governance has recently started attracting a good deal of public interest, especially from the IR perspective. However, the concept of corporate governance is still poorly defined, and there is no general agreement as to its meaning. Whenever possible, its better to use a more descriptive term such as corporate responsibility or corporate conduct. If you must use corporate governance, offer a brief explanation of what it means. People on the Bristol-Myers Squibb site were confused by the term corporate governance. I dont know what that means not again! Im not used to that kind of stuff. Governance, that's a weird word. I'll click it to see what it was. A user on Allstates site thought corporate governance meant a governing board and didnt click on the link because she thought all companies were governed by the same state board.
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Corporate governance -- I would assume that they are governed by the same board, so that doesnt interest me. Even though Allstate.com used the term corporate governance, they had a helpful explanation right below the link. That's cool that they tell you what's in there, so you don't have to click on it to find out what it means.
Its not advisable to use the term corporate governance because most people are unfamiliar with it. Allstate.com used the term, but also provided a brief explanation underneath the link.
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Executive Members
16. Provide information about the companys high-level managers. Include the persons name, job title, recent picture, and a link to the full biography. Potential customers and investors typically want to scan through information about a companys key players, including their age, position, and background; they also like to see a photograph. Scanning management information is part of the research process, and people form impressions of the company based on the executives background, age, and gender. Many of our users appreciated seeing photographs of the executive members and expressed that websites containing photographs and information about management appeared more personal. Also, in our press relations and IR studies, journalists noted that they often go to company websites to get photographs of high-level managers for their articles. I like to see who's CEO -- the head man showing himself is impressive. It shows strong leadership and he's not hiding. (For guidelines on optimizing usability for journalists, refer to our Designing Websites to Maximize Press Relations report -- http://www.nngroup.com/reports/pr. For guidelines on optimizing IR, refer to our Usability of the Investor Relations Area of Corporate Websites report -- http://www.nngroup.com/reports/ir.) Bristol-Myers Squibb, the SBA, and Pier 1 Imports listed corporate executives, but didnt provide any detailed information about them. Users tried clicking on the names, but that didnt take them anywhere. People said that having just a name doesnt provide enough information about whos running the organization. There's not much information there, just name and title. A user on HUD.gov had difficulty finding the secretarys information, but once she found it, she thought the information was thorough. It gives you biography on the secretary, which is nice. It gives you the accomplishments. It gives you a bit of personalness by giving you the biography of the secretary. It gives you a look at what this person is. The picture helps because you get to see the face of the person. Sempra.com linked people to a full biography with pictures, making the company appear more personal.
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If you click on the picture you get a biography rather than just an identification. If I was trying to reach the company, I would find it useful. It gives info on the president of company. That's helpful. It gives a personal thing to let you know about the president and what the company is about. It helps to make it more personal. Management team -- it gives you information on each one of them, which is very nice. Seems like they are very nice to work with. The way that they give you information about their top people -- letting you know about their people, what they want, and their values, which is very nice. A user on Titan.com commented that having the CEOs picture on the website made the company seem more welcoming and personal. I think it's good. It makes it kind of personal -- Come on by we'll have lunch. You have the people here that run the company. You have pictures of them. It makes it personal.
People on the Bristol-Myers Squibb site tried clicking on the names thinking theyd get more information about the person, but were disappointed to discover that the names werent links.
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People on Sempra.com liked that they could click on the picture or name to get a full biography.
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People expected to see a photo with a biography of top executive members, such as those on this page.
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Titan.com made it easy for people to find background information on its officers. 17. For governmental agencies where the top executive has an unfamiliar title, such as Secretary of <agency name>, make sure to clearly indicate who this person is. When searching for information about an organizations top executive member, people typically look for titles like CEO or chief executive officer. Titles such as secretary of <agency name> confused users because they equated secretary with a person carrying out clerical tasks, not a high-level executive. Even when confronted with an organizational chart, people wondered why the secretarys name was on top. Also, if your organization has many similar or vague titles, such as chief of staff and chief executive officer, make sure to group and label the list in a meaningful way so people can quickly differentiate between the different management levels. On the Department of the Interior website, people had difficulty figuring out the organizations top person. They expected to find a title such as CEO, and werent confident that Secretary of the Interior was right, even when that title topped the organization chart. Normally, you would think the person in charge would be the president of the interior, not the secretary. I went to Secretary (deputy secretary), but I don't believe she is the leader, but she's at the top. I guess she is it.
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People on HUD.gov had similar problems. The contact page listed many people, but the titles sounded too similar and people couldnt figure out who the main person was. The secretary doesn't seem to be the top person though. I'm trying to figure out -- I guess the secretary, chief executive officer, or the White House person. I would think it would be chief something more than secretary, right? Looks like this could be the president right here -- Chief Procurement Officer. It doesn't say what this guy in the picture has to do in the company. I assume it's someone important that works in the company because of his name and job title.
Even with the title at the top of the organization chart, people questioned how the secretary could be considered the main executive member.
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People on HUD.gov werent confident that the secretary was the main staff member. Many of the titles sounded important, but people had difficulty figuring out which one was the top person.
Social Responsibility
18. If your company contributes to socially responsible and philanthropic efforts, provide this information, and make it easy to find. Companies that make special effort to give back to the community and contribute to environmental efforts are often seen as more benevolent and responsible than companies that dont. If your company contributes to such efforts, talk about them on your website. If people are impressed with they see, they might view your company more favorably. While its fine to feature a few stories on the homepage or About Us page, make sure that people can easily get to the entire social responsibility area. If they cant find it right way, they might think that your only efforts are those highlighted in the articles. People on Allstate.com scanned the articles on the About Us homepage and applauded the companys social efforts.
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Oh, thats kinda cool. It tells you what that their programs are and what they support. That part would interest me, what they do for the community, what they give back because Im sure theyre turning a pretty penny. Its nice to see that the big companies are giving something back. I think it's going to tell how they helped out. They took a rundown city and put up a business there and a lot of people got insured. I guess they made a difference. You can probably write a report about just that part. They even have a foundation to stop youth crime, violence. They make teenagers trust police more instead of hating them. You have one that tells a story about hate crimes and tells you how they feel about it. I think this is very informative. A user on Pier1.com commented positively about the companys philanthropic efforts and expected most companies to participate in some kind of community program. It looks like they raise and give lots of money to these things. Race for the cure, that's pretty cool. It looks like they raise a lot of money and do a lot for UNICEF, breast cancer, and United Way. They're a good company regardless of what this is. Most companies have community stuff they do or raise money for. People on Sempra.com were eager to find out if the company gave back to the community and protected the environment in any way. What they do for the community, thats interesting -- to see if they give back, see what their environmental policy is. It's good that they give an environmental summary because it shows that they care about the environment what their expectations are about how they treat the environment. Its good to know they have a strict policy about wildlife. This whole thing is good. It tells you all the things that they care about. Thats good.
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People noticed the featured articles on Allstate.com and were impressed by the community programs that individual employees participated in. While this information was helpful, Allstate.com didnt have an apparent area that showed all of the social programs that the company was involved with and the case histories offered viewers only a small sampling.
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Even though Pier1.com didnt provide many details, people were pleased to learn about the companys philanthropic efforts.
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Sempra.com acknowledged peoples concerns about energy production and addressed them in its Environment section. 19. Be wary of using the terms philanthropy or philanthropic without explaining them, as some people dont know what they mean. Philanthropy is an uncommon term, and some people dont know what it means. In our study, several people got stuck on the meaning and pronunciation of the word. Better to use a simpler, more descriptive term such as social responsibility. I didnt know what that [philanthropy] meant. Phil-lan-thro-py -- hmm. 20. If your company is currently in crisis or has met with controversy in the past, address this in some way on your corporate website.
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Its common for companies to run into problems, but how they deal with them shapes both their character and reputation. When people hear a newsworthy event about a company, they often go to the corporate website to get more information. If the information is not there or is misleading, it seems as if the company is trying to cover it up or that its leaders think nothing is wrong. Investors and journalists in particular are keen researchers and expect to find this information on corporate websites. In our press relations study, journalists did not empathize with companies that tried to cover up a situation or completely ignored it on their website. Address problematic issues on your website and indicate how the company is making amends or moving forward to mitigate the issue -- within whats legally feasible, of course. Explain the situation and communicate to shareholders, vendors, and customers about how your company is going to make the situation better. A user on Sempra.com remembered reading a controversial newspaper article about problems with burning fossil fuels and expected Sempra to address this issue on its website. The user expected the site to address it upfront, and was frustrated when she couldnt find this information right away. I read that San Diego gets most of its energy by burning fossil fuels someplace else. So I would expect them to have some kind of comment about the pollution caused by burning fossil fuel, efficient power plants. I wish they would say something more about it than this blurb. They say advanced technology, but I wish they would say what it is.
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Sempra.com did address issues related to ongoing investigations, but the information was buried, which frustrated users.
Accolades
21. Consider designating an area on your websites homepage or About Us area to show customer-oriented awards and recognition. Acknowledging awards and recognition for the quality of products and services is one way to enhance your organizations credibility and build peoples trust. You might, for example, mention awards for customer-oriented topics on your websites homepage or About Us area. Showing awards that employees have won is a way to show the quality of people behind the products and services that your company provides. On the other hand, you should exercise restraint when displaying awards having to do with your website design -- most people dont really care (unless youre a design company). Each item you add to your site adds to its overall complexity and steals focus from the actual content. If you must show website awards, keep the display simple and away from the main content area. Also, dont feature old awards. That
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might undermine your credibility and communicate that you havent done anything recently noteworthy. Bristol-Myers Squibb listed some of its most prestigious awards from well-known agencies, thereby helping viewers feel more at ease with the quality of products and offerings. Bristol-Myers Squibb did a good job of updating its site with current awards and listing them in a format that was easy to scan. The selective use of bolding helped people quickly scan for the most important pieces of information: The date, name, and agency giving the award. They have some good awards by some real popular magazines. It would make me feel safe to do business with them. It sounds like a reliable company. They've gotten a lot of awards. That's impressive. People on Lexmark.com missed the Awards section all together because it was buried behind an inconspicuous Corporate Backgrounder link that was embedded in a dense body of text. Once in Awards, people still didnt get any information; instead they were forced to do extra work by choosing between corporate and product awards. Even once they were in the right area, people had to read a list of awards in tiny font, without adequate formatting to optimize scanning.
People formed a more positive impression of Bristol-Myers Squibb because it had received impressive awards. The judicious use of bolding made scanning for important information such as the name of the award easy.
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Lexmark.coms Award page was not compelling because the presentation was sterile and uninteresting. The significance of the award numbers was unclear and the tiny font made it difficult to read. Also, having a brief description of the award would have been more helpful. 22. If you have product or service endorsements from reputable independent agencies such as the Better Business Bureau, provide a link to this information. When possible, connect people to third-party sites that can vouch for your companys reputation. Having your company well rated or reviewed by a reputable organization is much more credible than anything you can say yourself. In our study, one of the main things people looked for on e-commerce sites were endorsements from independent and reputable companies. Finding positive third-party endorsements enhances users trust. Although you should include seal of approval logos, dont rely on them to establish trust. In previous studies, we found that people often ignored logos or mistook them for ads. In this study, however, some people noticed the Better Business Bureau and BizRate logos and clicked on them to get ratings. Typically, the sites featured these logos in a visible area on the side of the page, away from other potentially distracting visual elements. Some users on Allstate.com appreciated the endorsements.
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I expected to see Allstate is one of the top rated -- what their selling points are. This is kinda cool: Allstate insurance company is rated A+ by A.M. Best, AA by Standard & Poors. It has been rated the best, AA, by Standard & Poor's [that] is informative. This is cool, that this is rated A+. A user on the Constellation Brands site expressed that having Better Business Bureau information would help her determine the companys trustworthiness, especially since she had never done business with the company before. Just by looking at this website, I wouldn't be able to determine if this is a good business. I haven't done business with them. I need to know if [customers] have been happy with their service. I would find out more about the company by looking at BBB. Another user on OneCall.com said he was familiar with the Better Business Bureau and had used them to check company backgrounds. We are a member of Better Business Bureau -- that's good. I'm familiar with the Better Business Bureau. I do check out companies that way to make sure they don't have too many complaints.
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Having positive ratings from well-known, reputable agencies such as Standard & Poors helps bolster consumer confidence.
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Some people recognize and trust the Better Business Bureau for being impartial and providing reliable information about companies. 23. If possible, provide customer stories and feedback about the quality of the organizations products and services. Users often scanned customer feedback to get a general impression of the companys quality of products and services from a consumers point of view. Make sure that customer feedback is genuine and representative of the true quality that your company provides. Having only glowing reviews without third party endorsements can backfire and diminish trust since it indicates that the company is presenting biased information. A user on GiftTree.com was impressed by the positive customer quotes on the site. They have customer comments, that's cool. OneCall.com had a noticeable link to customer feedback on the homepage, and a user clicked on it to determine whether it was a good company. They have a bunch of feedback which is good, like great selection. This is good. I don't see any bad feedback on this at all. Everything seems to be positive. From just looking at this, I would definitely buy something from them. Onecall.com also had a link to BizRate, which provides ratings based on customer comments. BizRate gave it 100% positive feedback. They only got three negative feedback. They give it outstanding all around. I would definitely shop at this place.
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Having customer comments on your site can help enhance user confidence.
OneCall.com offered customer feedback in several different ways and had links to Customer Comments and to Bizrate.com.
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Contact
24. Provide contact information or a noticeable link to it on the homepage and the IR and About Us sections of your website. Users want an easy way to contact a company. Companies that hide or dont provide this information are seen as evasive and viewed less favorably, especially if the company is unknown. The goal of most companies is to have people refer to the corporate website for answers to their questions. However, some users prefer talking to a real person and many other users might need a question answered quickly and be unable to wait for a response, via email or otherwise. Offering telephone numbers shows that the company cares about their clients and customers, and wants to be available to them. Not having contact information implies that the company doesnt want to be bothered. By giving people a way to directly reach your company, you help ease any misgivings that people might have and, more importantly, you help establish trust. Also, if your company primarily serves a local market, be sure to include on the homepage your citys name (and state/province/ZIP code or other regional identifiers, depending on your countrys conventions). This is important because it increases the probability that potential customers will find you if they use search engines and enter a combined query that includes keywords for both the desired product or service and the location. For example, somebody looking for a dentist in Salem, New Hampshire is likely to use a query like "dentist Salem" or "dentist Salem NH" (without the quotes). Even if you are a dentist in that town, your site would not be found unless all these words appear on the same page. TeamIndustrialServices.com did a good job of providing contact information. Their phone number and address was highly visible on almost every page. There is a Contact us button on top of every page. They have phone number, email, and address. The phone number and address is always visible, so that's great. People on GiftTree.com and OneCall.com liked that the companys 800 number and email address were easily accessible. That is really easy on this one -- you dont have to go through page after page and that's pretty cool. That's one plus. Good that 800 number is on top, with link to contact. There are a lot of places where you can get a hold of them if you want to -- which is good. There are companies that don't even give you an 800 number. I don't like it at all. If I was to purchase something, I want them to send me an email that they received my email. If theyre suspicious, I would want to talk to someone on the phone.
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People had no difficulty getting contact information on the Team Industrial Services site because the information was visible on almost every page.
The SBA website made it easy for people to call by providing a toll-free telephone number on the homepage and the About Us page.
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People had difficulty finding contact information on UNICEF.org because the contact link was too tiny and overshadowed by the pages bigger and bolder elements. 25. Make it easy to choose the correct contact. If your organization has different contacts, make sure that its easy for users to differentiate between them and pick the right one. Sites with a complex contact page, such as those with vague and numerous dropdowns and categories, tend to overwhelm users. Also, dont assume that people know what webmaster means. In our study, three different people confused the corporate contact with the webmasters contact and said they would contact the latter to obtain corporate information. People on HUD.gov had difficulty getting contact information. Once in Contact Us, people faced a set of indiscernible options that were too wordy and difficult to understand. For example, they couldnt quickly tell the difference between If you have questions or comments about HUD's programs in your area, contact your local HUD staff and If you want to reach a specific HUD employee, use our phone book. Out of desperation, most people clicked on the latter option and were forced to use a phone book that required them to know the name of the person they wanted to contact. One user found a list of key officials and said he would just call one of the
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people on the list, while two other users said they would send an email to the webmaster. I don't know the last name of who I want to find. This is very confusing. I would go to the first guy. I wouldn't sit here and try to figure this out. DOI.govs contact page overwhelmed users with too many nondescript links. First, the page was covered in blue links that were clumped together, making it difficult to read. Second, similar sounding links, such as Department of Interior Webteam, and The Department of the Interior Webmaster confused users. Two users couldnt get the right contact information and said they would send an email to the webmaster, thinking they could get corporate information. I'm feeling overloaded. Right now I'm feeling frustrated. I get all these websites, but I don't see any actual phone numbers or addresses. Lexmark.com made it difficult to get a phone number and a physical address. Aside from filling out a form for Media Contact, people couldnt figure out how to contact Lexmark directly. I can't find a number that directly says, Contact this number for information about this company. Under Corporate there is Media Contact. I suppose you would call that number if you're part of the media.
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The word links on HUD.gov made it difficult for people to differentiate among the choices.
People on DOI.gov didnt know the difference between the first two choices and were overwhelmed by the numerous Contact page links.
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People on Lexmark.com couldnt figure out how to get a corporate phone number. They recognized that Media Contact referred to press relations, and didnt think it was the right choice for them. 26. Provide complete contact information. Offer people a variety of ways to contact your company. Some users, for example, prefer online chat with a customer service representative, and several of our study participants said that theyd used online chat. Almost all users look for four main types of contact information: Telephone number Email address Fax number Physical address3
People who used GiftTree.com were pleased with the sites contact information. They appreciated the convenience of being able to communicate with the company using different methods. During our study, one user successfully chatted online with a real customer service representative, got the information she needed, and was very pleased with the experience. Other users preferred different methods. I like calling on the phone if they have a phone number because I find that if you shoot email, it's not as personal. Phone number is very important. And they've got an 800 number and online representatives and reasonable amount of time, 6 a.m. to -- sometimes you deal with East Coast companies, and when you're ready to deal with them. I would rather email than call them.
3 For information about how to help people find your building if they need to visit (including guidelines for online maps and directions), please see our report Making it Easy for Users to Find Physical Locations: 21 Design Guidelines for Store Finders and Locators on Corporate Websites, http://www.nngroup.com/reports/locators.
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When your only option is to email them if you have questions -- I don't like that. It seems too evasive.
GiftTree.com offered customers complete contact information and many convenient methods for communicating with the company. 27. For email contacts, tell people when to expect a response (if you can predict it). One of the reasons that some people shy away from email contact forms is that they dont believe theyll get a quick response -- if they get a response at all. You can show people that your company is proactive in answering email by telling them when
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to expect a response. Most users expect a response within 24 hours. If you give people a timeframe, make sure you live up to your promise. 28. Dont require people to register or fill out forms to contact your company or request information. When possible, avoid registration forms. People dont want to spend time registering to use your site when theyre unsure of the payoff for their efforts. And some people are very worried about being inundated with spam and email. People on Lexmark.com were annoyed that they were required to fill out a long form to ask a simple question. I don't like that you have to fill out all this information, considering all you want to do is talk to them. I hate when you go to a link and have to provide a bunch of information to get into it.
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People on Lexmark.com were annoyed at having to fill out long forms just to ask a question. 29. If registration forms cant be avoided, keep them short and simple. Keep forms as short as possible by presenting only the required fields. Dont confuse users with too many overlapping options and choices. Long and complex forms
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frustrate people. Dont try to make people figure out your companys structure. The onus is on the company to direct emails to the right place and answer in a timely manner. Ask for personal information only if its appropriate. People get upset when theyre asked for something that they dont think should be required. For example, its annoying to have to give your full name if all you want is to know where the company is headquartered. Many people are reluctant to enter personal information that they perceive as inappropriate, mainly for security reasons and because they detest spam and telemarketers. 30. Provide an area on the form for people to type in comments or questions. Give people the flexibility to ask a question or type in a comment if they want to. Sometimes a forms categories and fields are too restrictive, and users want the ability to add comments and clarify their questions. A user on Sempra.com expressed the need for comment boxes on contact forms. They tell you that your questions are important to them, which is good. There is a place for comments. 31. Consider providing a local telephone number for different locations, especially if you serve multiple countries. Think about your international and long-distance audience. If you provide local or toll-free numbers, people are more likely to contact the organization. In Nielsen Norman Groups press relations study, European journalists hesitated before calling a US phone number because of the cost and language barriers, and American journalists were reluctant to call European phone numbers for similar reasons. Sempra.com listed local and toll-free numbers for all of its offices. There is also a page for their office and they have toll-free numbers and local numbers, so that's good.
E-commerce Customer Service

32. Give users a clear and easy way to find your privacy policy. E-commerce sites can demonstrate integrity by making it perfectly clear that they will not give out or sell sensitive customer information, such as name, phone number, or email address. Consistent with our previous studies, users expressed interest in knowing whether a site was secure.
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Users on both GiftTree.com and OneCall.com found the privacy and security policies and said that knowing the companys security and privacy policy was important in determining whether or not they would be comfortable doing business with that company. It looks like you have adequate privacy. That's nice -- I assume that if it's Hacker Safe, then my credit card, name, and address would be more secure. They wouldn't be able to get my email. I've been getting a lot of spam lately anything that has security on it is very important. OneCall will never sell or share your information to any third party. I don't want anyone else getting my info. I don't want people contacting me two years down the line asking me if I want a digital camera.
GiftTree.com made it easy for people to navigate to the privacy and security policy. Showing the Red Hat and VeriSign logos provided another way of helping people identify that the site was secure.
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OneCall.com demonstrated integrity through a straightforward privacy policy that was easy to find and understand. People felt more comfortable about the company after reading: OneCall will NEVER sell or share ANY of your personal information to ANY third party, ever. 33. Offer policies that are acceptable to your customers. For e-commerce sites, check policies -- such as on shipping and product returns -with your typical users to ensure that they meet or exceed their expectations. In our study, one user had a negative impression of GiftTree.com right away, because it reserved the right to substitute products. To her, this policy was unacceptable. (For more detailed usability guidelines on designing E-Commerce sites, refer to the E-commerce User Experience report series: http://www.nngroup.com/reports/ecommerce.)
Non-Profit and Charitable Organizations

34. For non-profits and charitable organizations that solicit donations, make sure to clearly report the donation percentage that goes to overhead and the percentage that goes directly to the cause. In our study, one of the first things people wanted to know about charitable organizations was how much money actually goes to the cause. Dont hide this information in PDF files or annual reports. Make sure it is clear and easy to find. People often hear about unscrupulous agencies on the news, and want to ensure that
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their donations are allocated to the right place and well spent. People distrust charitable organizations that dont clearly disclose this information. People were frustrated on UNICEF.org because they couldnt find information on how donations were allocated: The only thing I didn't see is their overhead -- how much of the funding that they receive goes to overhead and how much actually goes to their programs. I don't know I'd like to see what percentage without doing it in my head. I just wanted to see if they made any statement about donations, disclosure about how much actual goes out to the aid disasters and helping people. I was trying to find out what they use their money on and I don't know where to go. A user on the National MS Society site was skeptical of the organization because she couldnt find the expense ratio. The number one thing I would be interested in is what is their administrative cost and research cost, to make sure that the dollars you donate are going for the research and help for MS patients -- and not all for administration. I want to see administration no more than 20%. And I'm not sure where that would be under. I'm not sure where I would find that that's not obvious to me as to where to go to get that information. If they don't have that information down here that would send a red flag to me. The number one thing is to find the expense ratio and I don't find it on here. 35. When asking for donations, let people enter their amount, rather than forcing them to choose from a set of narrow choices. Its fine to suggest donation increments, but if you dont make it easy for people to enter whatever amount they want, youll alienate some potential donors. Either let people enter an amount, or have an Other option in addition to the suggested amounts. One of our teen users on UNICEF.org was disappointed that the minimum donation amount was $30.00. He said that this amount was too high, and he couldnt afford to donate. I don't like that thirty dollars is the least that you can do. What if you only have ten dollars?
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The National MS Societys personal donation page made donating money flexible by letting people choose their own donation amount.
Content
36. Write and present content in a way that optimizes scanning. Research has shown that people dont read on the Web, but rather skim pages trying to pick out a few sentences or even parts of sentences that hold the information they want. People prefer text that is short and to the point. Also, they detest anything that seems like marketing fluff or overly hyped language (marketese) and prefer factual information. Foster trust by sticking to the facts. Dont overload people with too much text. Offering vast amounts of text is overwhelming and intimidating. Enhance scanning by using elements such as headings, large type, bold text, highlighted text, bulleted lists, graphics, captions, and topic sentences. Use concise and simple language, and break up large blocks of information into short paragraphs. Having content that is properly formatted for the Web encourages people to peruse your site and learn more about your organization. People on DOI.gov complained that the site had too much to read. Teens in particular complained that dense text without graphics was uninteresting. Theres a lot of information I dont want to read. Its white and black and theres not much information. Its boring.
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HUD.gov also had content that wasnt properly formatted to optimize scanning, and people confessed that they didnt want to read it. There is a whole lot more of information that I don't want to read. Bristol-Myers Squibbs site, BMS.com had news articles that were pages long. They give you a lot of information -- a lot of reading though. I wouldn't read the whole thing. I would skim through part of it. A user on NMSS.org liked that the content was presented in short paragraphs with a sprinkling of pictures that kept the site interesting: I guess this is people that have MS a lot of pictures and this is interspersing, and they keep the paragraphs short. UNICEF.org does a good job of showing viewers what they do by breaking it down into a digestible list of key program areas. Nice that I don't have to read through pages and pages of what they do. They have it under Programs.
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Peoples eyes glazed over when they saw this big block of text. They missed information that could have helped them formulate a good impression of the company such as company growth and the number of worldwide offices.
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This page also lacked appropriate formatting, making it difficult for people to quickly identify the important pieces of information. Also, the graphics werent tied to the content in any way. Adding bold headings, highlighted text, and descriptive captions would help.
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The HUD site emphasized the wrong information. Rather than using bullets to highlight major events, it used the arrows to list sub-items for a particular year. This wasnt particularly interesting. Also, the writing style on the subitems was inconsistent, making them awkward to read.
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NMSS.org used big, crisp text, bold headings, and short paragraphs to quickly answer the most frequently asked questions about the organization.
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Titan.coms use of clearly written, boldface headings, along with indents, bullet points, a concise writing style, and appropriate fonts helped make it one of our studys highest rated sites in user satisfaction. 37. Speak your users language by avoiding fancy or technical terms. Governmental agencies need to be particularly wary of overloading users with confusing acronyms. Use language that is familiar to your target audience, and avoid technical language or uncommon terms. Its better to use simple and clear terms than fancy ones that might confuse users. Content is supposed to convey information; when people cant understand it, its worthless. Even worse, it can leave people feeling frustrated and talked down to. In our study, many people were confused by terms such as EHS impact and PD&R because theyre not used in everyday language. A user on Lexmark.com complained that the About Us areas information was too technical for the average viewer.
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The thing I don't like about this is unless you're really into this, you won't know what they're talking about. It doesn't explain to beginners. [Reading] Unlike other printer manufacturers, Lexmark owns the primary technology in its network laser printers, from the toner formulation inside the laser cartridge to the print management software loaded on the network server. If you are new at this, I dont know what this would mean. It doesnt really explain a lot to me. As we often find on government websites, HUD.gov and DOI.gov used many acronyms and terms that people didnt understand. What's PD&R? Cityscape -- what's that? What is the bureau of reclamation? What does wild cards mean? A user on BMS.com was researching information about environmental efforts, but stumbled over the term EHS impact. They strive to prevent negative EHS impact -- whatever that means. 38. Present reports or information in HTML whenever possible. Users often get lost inside PDF files, which are typically big, linear text blobs that are good for print, but unpleasant to read and navigate online. PDF layouts are often optimized for a sheet of paper, which rarely matches the size of the user's browser window. In previous studies, weve found that PDF files are problematic because they are typically converted from documents that were intended for print, so the guidelines for Web writing are not followed -- resulting in lengthy text that takes up many screens and is unpleasant and boring to read. Besides the potential for long downloading times and crashing computers, PDFs are difficult to use. They live in their own environment with different commands and menus. Even simple things like printing or saving documents are difficult because standard browser commands don't work. Most of all, PDFs are just blobs of content. Most PDF files are enormous content chunks with no internal navigation. They also lack a decent search, aside from the extremely primitive ability to jump to a text string's next literal match. If the user's question is answered on page 75, there's close to zero probability that he or she will locate it. Burying corporate information in PDFs means that most people will not read it. Participants in this study were turned off by PDFs and often skipped them instead of using them to research information. Some people who tried opening PDFs quickly abandoned them.
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None of the users on Allstate.com read the corporate governance information that was in PDF format.
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BMS.com doesnt have social responsibility information in a traditional Web format. Instead, people had to open a PDF document or request a printed copy to get that information.
Navigation
39. Have a clear and consistent navigational structure. Use a navigational structure that reflects the users view of the site and its information and services. You should determine the site structure based on tasks that users will perform. Keeping the navigational structure consistent helps people visualize their current location and alternative options. When the structure isnt clear, people have difficulty finding the information and keeping track of where they are. Dont provide multiple navigation areas for the same types of links. Categories that are too similar complicate the interface, making users work hard to create order. Overemphasizing links reduces their impact and clutters the page. And with so many competing elements, all items lose their impact. Its better to clearly feature something in one place. People are very impatient when it comes to the Web and resent convoluted navigational structures that require them to work hard. A properly laid out site minimizes guesswork and gives people what they want when they want it. In our study, people typically spent more time on sites that had a clear About Us section. For example, if the site had a noticeable link to social efforts, people perused that area. If not, they exerted little effort trying to find the answer. Showing
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corporate and social responsibility is a plus in fostering a positive corporate image. However, if people cant find that information, they assume that the company doesnt make such efforts. In our questionnaire, people rated sites with clear navigation higher than those without it. Some expressed that having an easy-to-use site indicated that the company cared about their customers and thus appeared more personal and inviting. As in our previous studies, companies that made things difficult to find were viewed with suspicion and seen as being dishonest or hiding something. People complained that HUD.gov had an inconsistent navigational structure with too many scattered links that were inappropriately labeled and grouped. The site had too many navigational areas at the top, sides, and middle, making it difficult for people to figure out which area to go to for the information they needed. Also, the left navigation panel constantly changed, causing people to lose track of where they were, and many people resorted to starting back on the homepage each time they got lost. Too busy -- the first thing that strikes me is the first page -- just too much wording for someone to scroll down. They need to break it down to more simplistic block categories. These individual pages. It's so busy. A person has to sit here and take a lot of time to try and figure that out. When I went to the budget, nothing on there indicated the budget. It's just unfamiliar words. I would be frustrated. I probably would end up calling them. A user on NMSS.org complained that the homepage was too busy and poorly prioritized, making it difficult to find the most important areas. The website is a little crazy for me. There is a lot going on chaotic. When you first get on, there is stuff everywhere. It's hard to follow when you first look at it. People on Lemark.com had difficulty finding corporate information because of the complex navigation. The main navigational panel frequently changed unexpectedly, and expanded and collapsed even when users clicked embedded links. I didn't like that you had to click a ton of pages to get info, then go there and go some place else before you get what you want. It's kinda hard to follow. Another user on Lexmark.com was looking for social responsibility; he remembered that hed seen it before on the site and became frustrated when he couldnt figure out where it was. On the same site, none of the users were able to find historical information, because it was hidden behind a misleading link called Reporters Resource.
I just saw that and now I don't know where it was. I know it's here somewhere.
HUD had too many navigational areas that werent appropriately prioritized and grouped for ease of scanning.
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A user complained that the National MS Society site was too busy, making it difficult to find the important navigational elements.
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The site had primary links on the left side and embedded in the middle of the page, which confused users. Both types of links expanded, collapsed, and changed the left navigational panel, causing people to lose track of where they were and where theyd been.
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People on Pier1.com missed the important links directly underneath About Us because it blended in with the rest of the page content and was overshadowed by the pink panel and FAQs. 40. Keep a consistent graphical look across pages and site areas. Let users know when links will take them to a completely different website. Having a consistent look across your website creates a feeling of uniformity and cohesiveness. When pages look similar, people know theyre still on the same site. Pages that have a dramatically different look and feel are jarring and make people wonder if theyre on the right page or even on the right website. Sites that are haphazardly linked together and lack continuity appear sloppy and can be detrimental to your brand. Remember, even though there might be internal reasons for giving certain sections of a site a completely different look, viewers dont care. What they see is an unhelpful and unruly site, which reflects negatively on your companys image. Different graphical treatments between pages surprised users. On the Bristol-Myers Squibb site, for example, the primary corporate treatment was blue. But when people clicked on Diversity, a bright orange screen appeared out of nowhere.
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Similarly, when participants clicked on Corporate Philanthropy, they got a completely different page that had none of the previous navigation elements. Oh! I don't like the orange. It doesn't look right. I'm not that interested in it.
Bristol-Myers Squibb: About Us
Bristol-Myers Squibb: Diversity
When users clicked Diversity, BMS.com went from the blue corporate look to a bright orange page.
Bristol-Myers Squibb: About Us
Social Responsibility
When users clicked on Social Responsibility, BMS.com took them to a section that looked like an entirely different site. 41. Have links change color to show visited and unvisited areas. When designing content-oriented navigation, its best to distinguish between visited and unvisited areas so people can keep track of where theyve been and only read the information once. Its important to stick with the standard paradigm of underlining links, and making visited and unvisited links change color. If you dont use the standard link colors (changing from blue to purple), make sure that the
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colors you choose for visited and unvisited links are different enough that people can easily distinguish between them. People dont want to work to find information on websites. Showing visited sites is an easy way to alleviate confusion, yet surprisingly, only four of the fifteen sites we tested followed this guideline. Sites that dont show visited links make it difficult for people to track where theyd been and make them work harder than necessary. This is especially true on sites that have a confusing navigation structure. Showing visited links is another simple way to help make the user experience more pleasant, thereby enforcing the notion of diligence and attention to detail. 42. Name links clearly, avoiding names that are vague, generic, or have overlapping meaning. Cleaning up unhelpful link labels helps create a better user experience and can positively impact how your company is perceived. Good link names help people quickly and accurately predict what they will get when they click a link. When names are nondescript, people are more likely to click the wrong link and miss the information they need. Keep link names as brief and specific as possible. Dont include obvious or redundant information, such as using your company name in each link. Listing links that way presents users with a column of identical words, and they must carefully read through all links to glean the differences between them. Also, dont use generic instructions such as Click Here as a link name. Instead, help people quickly differentiate links by giving them informative names. Rather than just linking to More, for example, tell users specifically what theyll get More of.
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Lexmark.coms links included obvious information: the company name. Better to drop Lexmark, since its obvious that users are on the Lexmark site.
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HUD.gov had unhelpful, generic link names such as More.
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DOI.gov had links called Click here. More descriptive links, such as Facts with graphics and Facts without graphics, would be more helpful. 43. Be wary of opening new browser windows. In general, be wary of opening new pop-up windows. In countless usability studies, weve seen people accidentally click outside the active browser window and bury it underneath the parent window. Most of these people didnt notice the hidden window icon at the bottom of the screen, and assumed that the parent window no longer worked. Opening a new browser window is also dangerous; its Back button goes nowhere and, when fully maximized, the new page can block users view of the original page. In our study, several people didnt know how to return to the company website because the new browsers Back button didnt work. Getting potential clients or customers stuck will rarely compel them to stay on your site, especially it they have slow Internet connections. People who think your site is broken can easily quit and do something else or -- even worse -- research another companys site. Several users on the Bristol-Myers Squibb and Lexmark sites clicked on an international link and couldnt get back to the main site. Even though the Back button was apparently available, the participants were completely locked out of the main site. After many attempts, some people were forced to reenter the URL. Oops! I'm stuck in France my Back button didnt work for that one. The Back button doesn't work. I don't like that it doesn't let me back out to the beginning again. I wish I could get back to beginning so I don't have to read this in this language.
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GiftTree.com launched a new browser window when a user clicked on the BizRate link. She became frustrated when the new browsers Back button was grayed out and didnt work. Even though the new browser wasnt fully maximized, she didnt immediately notice that GiftTree.com was still underneath. Oh, I can't go back? Oh crap. How do I get back there?
Graphics and Multimedia

44. Use a graphic design that reinforces the company image and helps convey information about the products and services. Having a proper graphic treatment throughout a site can reinforce or promote a companys image and convey useful information. Graphics that show real content, rather than simply decorating your site, can complement your sites text and make it more appealing and interesting to viewers. Sites dense with content can seem boring or uninteresting. A site that is aesthetically pleasing as well as informative can set your company apart from your competitors. The teens in our study especially appreciated sites that had a pleasing graphical presentation and used pictures to complement stories. Pictures are important because, given a choice, if people can stare at all text or pictures, people like seeing images. A user on CBrands.com thought that the site didnt properly reflect its image as a wine distributor, and felt that it was too bland. This site could use a little more pictures -- make it a little more appealing. You want to see something new and interesting that reflects your image. Make them more exciting. A teen on the Bristol-Myers Squibb website noticed an article about a new pediatric HIV/AIDS center because of the bold headline, but complained that the page was too long and boring without visuals. The title is big and bold. It caught my eye. There are not a lot of pictures. If it was more visual, it would catch my eye. Another teen user on the Department of the Interior site developed a positive impression of the company because the pictures complemented the content.
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I like this organization because it shows pictures of what they are talking about, not just blank information. 45. Use graphics judiciously and make sure they dont obscure important content. Strategically display graphics in places that will enhance rather than interfere with content. Consider a graphics layout and size in relation to the content design. Avoid using graphics that are so large that they overpower other key elements on your site or take up important real estate. Some sites we tested used pictures in a way that actually diminished usability instead of enhancing it. For example, the DOI.gov site had good content in Mission and History, but the presentation was disjointed and the randomly placed pictures made navigation more difficult. Besides being unattractive, the space could be better used to show more content, rather than displaying text in a long, narrow list. Maybe their mission should just be a simple overview. Looks like a waste of space there. I don't find it captivating or easy to find what I'm looking for. Can't stand the way they present what they do on the website.
DOI.gov used many useless graphics that didnt support the content.
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Team Industrial Services could have made Company Info more noticeable by placing it at the top with the other links. Instead, the link was overshadowed by the large graphic in the middle, and some people missed it.
DOI.gov had some interesting facts about the organization, but some people didnt find this information because the large, unhelpful graphic pushed the content below the fold.
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BMS.com doesnt maximize the use of space on its Social Responsibility page. It would have been better to use this page to discuss the companys efforts, rather than showing a pointless, giant-sized picture of a little girl holding a leaf. 46. Consider having demonstration videos if your organization has complex products or services that you want to explain. When done well, video can help you illustrate complex concepts and augment your text presentations. If people are impressed by your videos, it can positively impact how they view your company. That said, you should use video judiciously, and only when it adds substantial value to your site. A user on Titan.com expressed confidence in the company because it put extra effort into putting together diagrams, documentation, and videos. They have a lot of information on what they do and it's all documented. It's not easy to put together a video and get diagrams. It shows that they are professional and know what they are talking about. A user on Titan.com was fascinated by the videos and watched almost all of them. Wow! That's incredible. It's a glove that tells vital signs. It's amazing! I wonder what the technology is going to be in ten to fifteen years?
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People on the Team Industrial Services site noticed the homepage video link and said that they sometimes preferred to watch a video rather than read through many pages of complex material. This is really good right here. It gives a visual -- people are visual, I guess. They just want to find info as fast as possible, so they don't have to read this three-page thing. If they can watch, its more effective. If you also want to read about it, you can. They did a really good job as far as presenting the information. Video library -- this page is nice. It gives you a visual look at what they did. 47. Keep video clips short. The Web is an interactive media and people want to be in control and move around. Most people dont enjoy sitting through long video clips. If youre going to use video, remember to break it up into small, compelling segments. Most audio and video clips should be less than a minute long. You should rarely expect people to sit still and watch something on the Web for longer than five minutes. The goal is to hold peoples interest, not drive them away. After viewing a video for a few minutes, a user on Titan.com lost interest, complained that it was too long, and backed out. It's a little long-winded for a video. It should have more of the product and stuff showing and less talking. It would have been better to break this video down to small parts. Maybe break it down to different products. I'm not sure who they are targeting this video to. I'm not sure about filler. It's a little much. I'm going to stop that one and look at another one that is a little more interesting. He tried another clip and liked that it was short and yet still informative. That was really nice -- short, to the point. The last one was very drawn out. 48. Consider your target users bandwidth. Another consideration is your target users bandwidth. Most users still dont have sufficient bandwidth to receive streaming video at an acceptable quality. Jerky, lowres video that breaks up several times per minute simply does not constitute compelling content. Videos are useless if people cant see whats on the screen. A user on DOI.gov complained that the video quality was poor. In addition to substandard and uninteresting production, it was difficult to see what was on the screen.
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Poor quality video terrible quality video you can't even read the titles. I'm going to get out of that.
Presentation
49. Use font sizes and styles that optimize the readability of your site. Tiny fonts are difficult to read, especially for people with low vision or people over the age of 40. Small fonts might look good at first glance, but when people have to actually read the text, tiny letters can cause eyestrain and some people cant read them at all. Just because you can read very small text doesnt mean everyone else can. Remember your target audience when selecting font sizes. Choose sharp, crisp fonts. We recommend using 12-point fonts to improve your sites readability. When possible, use fonts that are optimized for onscreen reading. Sans-serif fonts, such as Veranda, are crisp and easiest to read onscreen. People come to corporate websites for many different reasons. For example, they might want to find out what the company does or whether the company is a good investment or worth doing business with. If people cant read your sites text, then they cant accomplish their tasks. Having tiny font can be extremely detrimental. It can cause discontentment and alienation even among people with normal vision, which can negatively affect your brand. HUD.gov had too many links in tiny fonts, making it difficult for people to read. Also, the excessive use of red text created a big blob of text and further diminishes readability. The problem is that it's just too small. Each section needs to be put on a screen so its a little larger and you can look at it. For a lot of people, this size is a little hard to read.
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Tiny font and excessive use of red links made it difficult for people to read the information on HUD.gov.
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Lexmark.com used a very small font that was very difficult to read, even for people with good vision. 50. Ensure adequate contrast between the background and text. Reading onscreen is much more difficult than reading printed material. Maximize legibility by using highly contrasting text and background colors. For optimal legibility, we recommend using black text on a white (or very light gray) background. White text on black background provides high contrast and can be almost as good. However, this inverted color scheme can blur the edge of letters, which slows reading slightly. Light text on black backgrounds must be bold and larger than a black-on-white version in order to be as legible. Legibility suffers most for color schemes with very low contrast, such as light gray text on a gray background. The problem with using low-contrast colors is exacerbated for people with low vision. Also, be careful to avoid color schemes like pink text on a green background; in addition to having too little contrast, it can be impossible for red-green colorblind users to read. Reinforce your commitment to diversity and social awareness by making your site readable by people with all types of vision. Doing so captivates a broader audience and shows that you are conscious of peoples needs. A user on BMS.com had difficulty reading the slides because of the busy background and fuzzy text.
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That is really hard to read. Something is wrong with it. It is very difficult to read. It plays tricks on you. The background color -something is wrong with this. You can't even read that.
This slides busy blue and green background and drop-shadowed text caused a user to wonder if there was something wrong with his eyes.
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BMS.com used red text on an orange background, making this page -- on diversity, of all things -- too difficult to read for users with low or reduced vision.
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Methodology
OVERVIEW
For this study, we used the thinking aloud methodology: We gave participants tasks to perform on websites and asked them to think aloud as they attempted each task. A facilitator sat next to the participant and observed, listened, and took notes. Users commented on: What they were looking for or reading What they liked or didnt like about the site What made it easy or difficult for them to accomplish their tasks
At the end of each session, users answered a questionnaire and discussed their experience with the facilitator. Each session lasted 90 minutes and had the same facilitator. Participants used a PC (with the screen set at 1024x768) and a highspeed Internet connection.
PARTICIPANTS
A total of twenty people participated in this study. There were ten male and ten female participants. The table below shows participants by age group.
Age Group
15-18
18-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-65
Number of Participants
All participants had previous online experience; some were novices, others had been using the Internet for many years. Our participants each had at least two years Web experience, but we screened out technical experts such as IT personnel, programmers, or Web or software designers because they were experts in using the Web, and were generally not the target users for the sites we tested.
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Following is a partial list of participants occupations: Business owner Sales agent Student Homemaker Restaurant server Registered nurse Publications Fundraiser Administrative assistant
TASK PROCEDURE
The facilitator gave users one task at a time, and asked them to carry out each task as far as they would if they were on their own. Depending on the time available, most users tested two pre-selected websites. For each site, users performed the open-ended task first, then completed as many specific finding tasks as possible from a list of items (we staggered the item order from session to session).
OPEN-ENDED TASKS
We asked participants to research company information on the target website and determine whether it was worth doing business or being associated with the organization. We asked participants to write or report their analysis to ensure that they gave due diligence to the task. Each website type required a slightly different variation on the task as follows.
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Corporate or e-commerce Assume that a friend just sent you the following email asking for advice about a company. Indicate on the form below what you would tell your friend. I found some products and services on www.<company name>.com that I might need. Before I make any decisions, I want to make sure that this is a good company to do business with. Please go to the company website and let me know: If, overall, you think this company is a good or bad company to do business with [ ] Good Why or why not? What do you like about the company, if anything? What dont you like about this company, if anything? Non-profit and governmental organizations Assume that a friend just sent you the following email asking for advice about an organization. Indicate on the form below what you would tell your friend. I heard on the news about an organization called <name of organization> and want to know more about it. Could you go to www.<organization name>.com and let me know: If, overall, you think this a good or bad organization to be affiliated with? [ ] Good Why or why not? What do you like about the company, if anything? What dont you like about this company, if anything? Task modifications We originally had a different task for the non-profit and governmental sites, but it turned out to be unsuitable for our goals, so we revised it (as shown above). Originally, participants interpreted the task as being related to property zoning issues and they focused on finding census information, which was not the studys goal. The original wording was: The <organization name> is planning to open an office building in your area of town, but needs a permit from the city. The city is conducting a survey to find out whether the people in the neighborhood would welcome this development. Could you go to their website and let me know: [ ] Bad [ ] Bad
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If, overall, you think this is a good or bad organization to be affiliated with?
DIRECTED TASKS
After participants completed the open-ended task, we asked them to perform the following specific tasks. We rotated the task sequence between users. Find out what the company or organization does. Find out if the company is socially responsible. Find out if and how the company or organization contributes to the community. Find out how long the company or organization has been in business. Find out the main people who run the company or organization. Find out how to get in touch with someone who can answer your questions regarding the company or organization. Find the company or organizations business philosophy. Find out if the company has any interesting historical milestones.
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About the Authors

Hoa Loranger is a User Experience Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group, and heads the San Diego office. She consults with many large, well-known companies in various industries such as entertainment, finance, technology, e-commerce, and intranets. She conducts usability research worldwide and gives keynotes and tutorials on a wide range of topics, including usability principles and guidelines, user-centered design concepts, and applied research methodologies. She has worked with clients to successfully implement user-centered design strategies leading to improved sales and ROI. Before joining NN/g, Loranger served as Human Factors Lead at Intuit, where her group was responsible for the user interaction and visual design for the TurboTax product line. At TRW (currently Northrop Grumman), she specialized in both hardware and software systems, including navigational and logistical applications, and computer configurations for military vehicles. Her extensive research has spanned the globe including Asia, Australia, and Europe. She produces training videos and authors reports that include guidelines on: About Us How to present information about a company or organization on its website. Flash-Based Applications How to make Flash applications more aligned with human behavior and thus easier to use. Teenagers on the Web Guidelines for creating compelling websites for teens. Location Finders How to help users find a company's stores, offices, or other physical locations on websites. Paper Prototyping This training video demonstrates how to design and build paper prototypes of user interfaces in order to get early usability data from testing with real users. Loranger holds a Masters degree in Human factors and Applied Experimental Psychology from California State University, Northridge, and a BA in Psychology from University of California, Irvine. Dr. Jakob Nielsen is principal of Nielsen Norman Group. He is the founder of the "discount usability engineering" movement, which emphasizes fast and efficient methods for improving the quality of user interfaces. Nielsen, noted as "the world's leading expert on Web usability" by U.S. News and World Report and "the next best thing to a true time machine" by USA Today, is the author of the best-selling book Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity (2000), which has sold more than a quarter of a million copies in twenty-two languages. His other books include International User Interfaces (1996), Usability Inspection Methods (1994), Usability Engineering (1993), and Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed (2001). Nielsen's Alertbox column on Web usability has been published on the Internet since 1995 and currently has about 200,000 readers. From 1994 to 1998, Nielsen was a Sun Microsystems Distinguished Engineer. His previous affiliations include Bell Communications Research, the Technical University of Denmark, and the IBM User Interface Institute. See his biography page at www.useit.com/jakob for additional information.
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Acknowledgements
A special thank you to all the people who participated in this study, whose identity weve promised to keep anonymous. Wed also like to acknowledge Derek Loranger and Keri Schreiner for their contribution to this report.
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About Nielsen Norman Group

Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) is a consulting and research company that is solely focused on user experience. We are not a Web design shopwe will tell you what your customers want and how to vastly increase the business value of your site or intranet, but we wont build the new site for you. We are independent of vendors and report the unvarnished truth about what works and what doesnt. Here are some of our most popular services. For the full list (and for current prices), please see our website at www.nngroup.com/services
CONSULTING
Independent outside expert review of the user experience of your website or intranet: $35,000. User testing: typically $25,000 to test a single design; $40,000 for a competitive study.
CONFERENCE
We produce an annual conference where world-class experts teach the latest findings about the usability of websites, intranets, and email newsletters. We also teach correct methodology so that you can hone your skills and conduct your own usability projects with more success than if you use weaker methods. NN/g is the only company that presents the same conference in both the United States and Europe every year. We are in Australia every second year. For the current conference program, see www.nngroup.com/events
TRAINING
Most of our conference seminars are available for in-house presentation at your location. We also have special training events that are optimized for having one of our seasoned usability experts come to your team and teach it usability by leveraging your own design questions: 3-day Learning-by-Doing Usability Testing ($20,000). We take you through a user test of your own design, teaching usability principles with your own project as the case study. Intranet Usability ($18,000). Combines a full-day tutorial with the lessons from our testing of 27 intranets and a full-day workshop about your own intranets usability, based on our review of your design. Application Usability ($15,000). Two days intensive course on everything from screen design (buttons, field labels, widgets) to feature and workflow design. Writing for the Web ($8,000). A writing workshop using your own sample content for the rewrite exercises. Fundamental Guidelines for Web Usability ($8,000). The basics everybody should know about users online behavior and how to design better sites. Prices are stated in U.S. dollars and were valid when this report was published. Travel expenses are extra for all training seminars and for many other services; prices are higher outside the United States. Prices are subject to change without notice: for current prices, please see www.nngroup.com/services
PRICES
Reports by Nielsen Norman Group

For a full list and to download reports, please see http://www.nngroup.com/reports
WEB USABILITY

OTHER
About Us section of corporate sites: presenting company info online PR section of corporate sites: supporting journalists Investor Relations area of corporate website: supporting investors E-commerce user experience: 207 design guidelines B2B: 144 guidelines for converting business users into leads and customers Wish lists and gift certificates Location finder usability: 21 design guidelines Flash usability (with supplementary highlights video from user testing) Site map usability: 28 design guidelines Intranet usability guidelines based on user testing of 14 intranets Intranet design annual: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2002, and 2001 Intranet portals: report from the trenches Ten best government intranet designs Email newsletters: 165 design guidelines Confirmation emails and transactional messages: 74 design guidelines
INTRANET USABILITY
E-MAIL USABILITY
SPECIAL USER SEGMENTS
Beyond ALT text: improving usability for users with disabilities, 75 design guidelines (also available in software form as a Dreamweaver extension) Flash accessibility: usability of Flash design for users with disabilities Web usability for senior citizens: 46 design guidelines based on usability studies with people age 65 and older Usability of websites for children: 70 design guidelines Teenagers on the Web: 60 design guidelines Return on investment for usability Paper prototyping: a how-to video (32 minute DVD) 230 tips to improve the way you run user tests Recruiting test participants for user testing Testing users with disabilities: 40 guidelines for running studies WAP usability report: field study findings Celebrating holidays and current events on websites
USER-CENTERED DESIGN METHODOLOGY
INTERESTED IN A CUSTOM REPORT?
We can conduct a competitive study of a group of websites in your category, resulting in customized guidelines to support user behavior on your exact type of site. Or, of course, we can test your website or intranet and give you a prioritized list of the specific usability problems in your current design with advice on how to fix them. We also have training courses to teach you how to do usability yourself. Please see http://www.nngroup.com/services
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Usability Week 2007 takes you beyond the typical conference experience, offering a three-day usability camp, a three-day intensive session on interaction design, and several specialized, day-long tutorials that get both broad and deep on core usability topics. Come for as few or as many days as you want.
Who Will You Meet at the Conference?

Our conferences draw attendees from all over the world, and from organizations of all sizes. Here are the companies that sent the most people in 2006: American Cancer Society Australian Bureau of Statistics Avenue A | Razorfish Bank of America BBC Boeing BT California Franchise Tax Board California HealthCare Foundation Caterpillar Charles Schwab Cisco Systems Continental Airlines Dell Doctors.net.uk Eddie Bauer Esurance Inc. Expedia / hotels.com Federal Reserve Bank Fidelity Investments GE Goldman, Sachs & Co. Hewlett Packard Home Office, UK HSBC IBM Intelligent Finance Intuit King County L.L.Bean Microsoft Modern Woodmen of America MusiciansFriend.com Nationwide Insurance Nokia Nolo Press
Three-Day Intensive Camp:

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Specialized Full-Day Tutorials:

Fundamental Guidelines for Web Usability Gain insight into essential user behaviors, explore pivotal guidelines, and discover how understanding information foraging, navigation and search options, and content usability can help you build a website thats easier and more enjoyable to use. Application Usability 1: Page-Level Building Blocks for Feature Design Learn the user experience implications of the basic design components buttons, scrolling, notification dialogs, windows, and more used to build any application. This knowledge will help you build full-fledged applications that optimally support user tasks.
Application Usability 2: Dialogue and Workflow Design Day two moves beyond the UI components themselves. Learn to better apply and combine such components to create more effective flows for different tasks. Numerous examples provide templates and techniques for everyday use. Intranet Usability 1 Learn the essential features of well-designed intranets, along with key usability guidelines and testing tips. Youll also get a rare peek at corporate intranets and discuss how to deal with organizational issues that impact intranet design. Intranet Usability 2 Day two covers intranet branding and promotion, as well as detailed issues in intranet design, such as search, navigation, personalization, employee directories, HR information, and forms. Designing B2B Websites Learn the intricacies of designing business-to-business websites that convert visitors into paying customers or hot leads for your off-line sales channel. Well detail results from our extensive studies of B2B sites, and how to apply those findings to better support your customers purchase decisions throughout the entire buying process.
Advanced Interaction Design: Websites That Sell Most websites do more to drive customers away than to entice them to buy and to keep buying. Study the key mistakes made, then master the sales and psychology fundamentals you need to maximize website ... and many smaller companies from sales. Presenting Company Information on Corporate Websites Learn how customers, journalists, financial analysts, and job seekers research companies online and what this implies for the design of your about us area, press and investor sections, and employment listings. Email Newsletter Usability Studies of more than 100 email newsletters show how spam, subscription maintenance, content selection, subject lines, and other key issues impact an email newsletters success. Writing for the Web: Content Usability Rewriting and reorganizing text according to our Writing for the Web guidelines often doubles the usability of a website or intranet, and drastically increases the success rate for effectively communicating key messages. Pay only for the days you need. The more days you attend, the deeper the discount. Early bird rates save even more, so sign up early!
Nordea Bank Philips Medical Systems PricewaterhouseCoopers QVC Reed Business Information Royal Bank of Scotland Sandia National Laboratories Showtime Networks Social Security Administration St. John Ambulance Standard & Poor's Starwood Hotels & Resorts Suncorp Target Tetra Pak ThomasNet T-Mobile Totaljobs Group Verizon Vodafone Wachovia Bank Wal-Mart Washington Mutual Washington State Dept. of Traffic Wells Fargo Which? Yahoo! Yell Group Zillow.com
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About Us: Usability Guidelines for Presenting Company Information on Corporate Websites

Making it Easy for Visitors to Find Company Information on Corporate Websites

By Hoa Loranger and Jakob Nielsen

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

About the Authors .....................................................................................123 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................124

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

SUCCESS RATE: REASONABLE

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

WHAT THE COMPANY DOES

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

TRANSACTION SITES AND ONLINE SERVICES

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

Sempra Energy www.sempra.com

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

Company / Organization Name

Constellation Brands, Inc. www.cbrands.com

The Titan Corporation www.titan.com

Pier 1 Imports www.pier1.com GiftTree www.gifttree.com

Team Industrial Services, Inc. www.teamindustrialservices.com

US Small Business Administration www.sba.gov/ca/sandiego

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

Company / Organization Name

National Multiple Sclerosis Society www.nationalmssociety.org

United Nations Childrens Fund www.unicef.org

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

Company Reputation Affects Web Searching Behavior

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

Success Rates and Satisfaction Ratings

Average Success Rates By Task

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

AVERAGE SATISFACTION RATINGS

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

Prioritizing Corporate Information

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HISTORY AND TIMELINES

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

E-COMMERCE CUSTOMER SERVICE

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

GRAPHICS AND MULTIMEDIA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

48105 WARM SPRINGS BLVD., FREMONT CA 945397498 USA

NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

History and Timelines