Store locator usability: problems and best practices, part 2

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Quick Summary: In part 1 of this article we defined the problem: store locators often suffer from poor usability. Here in part 2 we continue our look at ways to improve them. Let’s continue where we left off with our examination of improving store locators.

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Store locator usability: problems and best practices

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Quick Summary: Many would-be bricks-and-mortar shoppers go online to find the location of a nearby retail store. Often their efforts are frustrated by the poor usability of store locators. In this multi-part article we’ll examine the problem and explore some best practices. It’s hard to imagine any company making it more difficult than necessary for customers [...]

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The big cost of small usability problems

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Quick summary: User experience problems tend to be cumulative. Enough small problems can have the same effect as a few large ones – namely, causing users frustration and sometimes causing them to give up on your application or website. Crafting a good user experience requires finding and eliminating major usability issues, but less severe problems deserve [...]

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Regrettable User Experience: too much information

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With gratitude for (and apologies to) James Lileks and his outstanding book “Gallery of Regrettable Food”, this is the second in an occasional series called “Regrettable User Experience”. In each “Regrettable” article I briefly highlight a website or application practice that should be avoided entirely or executed in a very different way. Next on our list [...]

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Reduce costs and improve usability with visual standards, part 2

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Quick summary:  In part one of this two-part article we examined ways in which weak or missing visual standards detract from website and application usability. Here we look at ways to address the problem. We’ve looked at the problems created by a lack of visual standards. And we’ve considered some reasons these problems arise. Now [...]

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Reduce costs and improve usability with visual standards, part 1

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Quick summary:  Lack of attention to visual standards usually leads to poor usability. In the first part of this two-part article we’ll look at the reasons visual standards are important, the hidden costs of ignoring them, and the reasons standards are often weak. In part two we’ll delve into ways to address these problems. There’s [...]

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Readable type = usable type, part 2

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Quick summary: Improving type readability doesn’t have to be difficult. Attention to a few basic rules can ensure that users can easily notice and read important text on your website or in your application. In this article we’ll examine the ways in which type readability affects usability and user experience and we’ll cover some best [...]

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Readable type = usable type, part 1

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Quick summary: The visibility and readability of website type is important to nearly every online process. Yet many websites still miss the boat. Type is often too small, low contrast, displayed in dense blocks, or displayed where users may not see it. It’s easy to find examples of type treatments that detract from usability. Instructions, [...]

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