Fusion Alliance

The website I chose is www.fusionalliance.com This is actually a company that specializes in website usability in the Indianapolis area. At first when you enter the site the opening movie takes a little long o finish which might discourage some users. Then once you open one of the menu items, if you don't want it anymore you aren't quite clear on where to click to close it. Once you click on the menu item that you want it has a clear page that you can tell what page you are on and there isn't too much discouraging text around it. Although I was really confused because the menus are still around both sides of the page. When I wanted to find Lets Talk again I didn't think to look around all sides of the page which made me think for a little bit. All-in-all I really do like the website design. It's to the point, and I would hope they would have a good website considering they specialize in website usability.

Sarah McHie

Another Web Usability Expert

Jakob Nielsen is a Web usability master according to his Web site:
http://www.useit.com/
"Don't Make Me Think" actually references an article from useit.com in one of the page notes. The site fascinates me because it is so simple; mainly text on a white background. It looks like a Web site that would be designed in TCOM 101 and yet it is the Web site of a leading Web expert. However, there is no doubt the site is easy to use and is clearly organized. The site has obvious headers and titles, and there is no question as to what can and cannot be clicked. On his site he explains that he leaves the site in its bare bone nature to make it standout and because he is not a designer nor artist himself.

In addition to the site, I choose the 2007 Webby winner of the year for Naviagtion/Structure, http://demo.fb.se/e/ikea/dreamkitchen/site/default.html
to give people an idea of what has been chosen by experts as a great site.

- Gabe

Content is King

As was mentioned, sites that are easy to navigate, and effortless, gain respect for their 'fluidity'. Causing people to struggle while navigating is a quick way to loose people's interest in your information. But when it comes to content, sometimes simplicity, even seemingly anachronistic simplicity, gives way to the content. My submission for the week is The Drudge Report - the place to go for news fast.


http://drudgereport.com/

To say that The Drudge Report is bare bone's design would be an understatement - but what makes the site useful is the mass of content, and how quickly it is updated. Drudge has many employees and bots that scower news sites for breaking coverage, and they often beat the major news sources (CNN, MSN, BBC) to the punch.

-Paul Symons

I can find what I'm looking for

The reading mentions that no one ever reads everything on a web site. People scan, find what they're looking for, and move on. This is important to keep in mind with websites that people visit for different reasons. As a sports fan, occasionally I need to visit my favorite team's website to find out certain information.

http://www.nba.com/pacers has information displayed so that I can easily find what I'm looking for, whether it's ticket information, the schedule, or player information. All I would ever need to find is easily accessed from the bar at the top of the page.

Apples

Apple's website and online store has always looked very professional and reflects their products.
It is very user friendly for those who are just browsing or know what kind of ipod or apple that they are looking for. This is great because it makes the user not have to think when browsing around on the website. Also, it doesn't represent someone's myspace.

store.apple.com

Article about User Psychology, G4TV's Website

With concern to thinking online, here's an interesting article:

http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/56666.html

With respect to web design, users don't like to think too hard about how to utilize different features, but the web does seem to promote actually reading something and discussion of that information.

As for websites with excellent design, there's G4TV's website.

http://www.g4tv.com/

Everything is easy to find, regardless of the fact that a huge plethora of content exists and relates to their television station.

-Mitch Sanders

Now that I read it...I get it.

When I first learned the title of our textbook I was aprehensive. In my opinion, one of my biggest problems with the internet is that it doesn't make you think. Spending hours on youtube watching videos of bulldogs skateboarding and guys being kicked where the sun doesn't shine isn't exactly stimulating.
Then I realized the writer's point. Content is king. You shouldn't be concerned with navigation. If you have to think about the website itself, there is a problem.

my link for the week is http://www.howstuffworks.com. Ironic considering fact of life #3. I consider it a good site. Everything is arranged under the explanations column on the left. I have never not found the article I was looking for using the search bar at the top of the page.

Audio Gear Made Easy

Sweetwater's site features an easy to use navigation system, as well as pages that contain enough white space as to make the user feel overwhelmed by information.

www.sweetwater.com

I just wanted a skateboard

Here is a good example of a bad site or rather, one that forces me to think unwillingly.
http://www.shortysinc.com/

I never did find what I was looking for ...

No Thinking Involved

This corporation's site is laid out in a fashion that makes navigation very simple. It uses specific categories and obvious buttons to make it easy for the user. www.chevrolet.com