Comments on: Don’t mess with conventions http://www.communicatejesus.com/2009/08/dont-mess-with-conventions/ Sat, 11 Feb 2012 06:25:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Steven Kryger http://www.communicatejesus.com/2009/08/dont-mess-with-conventions/comment-page-1/#comment-1198 Steven Kryger Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:16:48 +0000 http://communicatejesus.com/?p=2067#comment-1198 Thanks Ben! Usability issues seem to be standing out to me more and more at the moment. I'm realising that no one has to use your website or service, so unless it's easy to use, people probably won't use it. On the plus side, there's lots of easy things to fix to make a website more usable. Thanks Ben! Usability issues seem to be standing out to me more and more at the moment. I’m realising that no one has to use your website or service, so unless it’s easy to use, people probably won’t use it. On the plus side, there’s lots of easy things to fix to make a website more usable.

]]> By: Ben Crothers http://www.communicatejesus.com/2009/08/dont-mess-with-conventions/comment-page-1/#comment-1197 Ben Crothers Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:26:20 +0000 http://communicatejesus.com/?p=2067#comment-1197 Mate, you'll be a usability expert yet! Good stuff. These issues of convention, ambiguity and information commitment are big areas to consider in online form design, and it can be tricky to strike a balance. Sometimes the more instructions and explicit guides online forms have, the more they just get in the way. And as you note, the more form fields there are to fill in (required or not), the more perceived commitment is expected of the user, which increases 'friction'. Users can be surprisingly compliant in filling in long forms if the *perceived reward* is big enough (e.g. online surveys for redeemable points, competitions). But as you say if it's not even clear what you're signing up *for* on Angliconnect, then there'll be a lot of friction quickly! Mate, you’ll be a usability expert yet! Good stuff. These issues of convention, ambiguity and information commitment are big areas to consider in online form design, and it can be tricky to strike a balance.

Sometimes the more instructions and explicit guides online forms have, the more they just get in the way. And as you note, the more form fields there are to fill in (required or not), the more perceived commitment is expected of the user, which increases ‘friction’.

Users can be surprisingly compliant in filling in long forms if the *perceived reward* is big enough (e.g. online surveys for redeemable points, competitions). But as you say if it’s not even clear what you’re signing up *for* on Angliconnect, then there’ll be a lot of friction quickly!

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