UI/UX Articles And Interesting Tidbits Of The Week
June//26//2020
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
In-App Messaging. Interesting article hailing from Intercom, focused on the power of In-app messaging. Specifically, the article details the different types of messaging that can be adopted, when pursuing further product adoption or stickiness with users. It includes considerations on when and where to use this type of strategy, including user retention, user conversion (from trials to paying customers), onboarding, to name but a few. Highlight of the article includes:
“Keeping long-term users is difficult no matter what industry you’re in. And the issue is particularly pronounced for mobile retention — some 68% of users launch a mobile app less than 10 times. In-app messaging is a great tool to provide valuable tips and remind users why they should continue using your app. This could be as simple as highlighting their accomplishments or milestones, for example: “You’ve sent 100 messages this month! That’s 25% more than last month .” Proactive messaging can resolve common customer questions, as you’ll use automated messages to pre-empt questions from your users before they even come up. Address simple questions, like “Where can I see my account details?” or notify them in the event of an emergency: “Our app is currently experiencing an outage. We will notify you when we’re back up and running.””
2.
Traffic Sources & Analytics. Not a typical highlight of this newsletter. This article hails from the WebDesignerDepot and focuses its attention on SEO and analytics underlying an Organization’s web presence. Analytics and Metrics are of course one of the main sources to start User Research (alongside Market Research, Usability Testing, Customer Support, User Reviews), and it never bears too much of a repetition to state, that tracking how users navigate through the product, understand friction points, conversion paths, cross sell opportunities, to name but a few, are all ways to amplify the user/client understanding, and further finesse the retention/relationship. Highlight of the article includes:
“Always keep on the lookout for fluctuations in traffic volume. If the rate of traffic suddenly drops, there could be a logical reason why. Drops in traffic could be fundamentally down to site hosting problems, 404 errors or slower website speeds. Getting to the bottom of these issues can help to maintain high levels of traffic and ensure that users stay on your pages for longer. Many high-quality analytics platforms will offer the chance to send notifications on your dashboard whenever an issue with your site accessibility occurs. These notifications could relate to redundant hostnames, where your website is being sent data from different hostnames. You could also set your account up to receive notifications when there’s a drop in your website’s conversion rates.”
3.
How People Read Online. Another highly relevant article from the Nielsen Norman Group, focused on online reading patterns. The article summarizes some of the findings from the research that was done using eyetracking studies (one of the quantitative usability testing methods that can be used), including how responsive products have affected how people read and consume information. The article sheds light on the evolution of reading patterns, including spotlight on terms such as “lawn mower pattern”, “pinball pattern”, among a few others. Very educative and substantial as it is typically the case from NNG. Highlight of the article includes:
“As in 2006, content creators need to accept this fact: People are not likely to read your content completely or linearly. They just want to pick out the information that is most pertinent to their current needs. We can design content that supports scanning by: Using clear, noticeable headings and subheadings to break up content and label sections so that people can scan to find only what they’re most interested in; Placing information up front (in other words, “front-loading”) in the structure of our content, as well as in subheadings and links, to allow people to understand the message quickly while scanning; Employing formatting techniques like bulleted lists and bold text to allow the eye to focus on the most important information; Using plain language to keep content concise and clear”
