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Usability: March 29, 2007
I did a random search using the word "Fly" and came across a Web site called Fly Racing (pop-up). Three thoughts on my impression of the site are: First, the most noticeable element is the layout. Very clean and neatly laid out content without clutter on the Home page. The downside is that some of the text is a little too light against a light background. Darker text would suffice. Secondly, the navigation is cleverly executed. Not only is there a text link, but when you rollover the link, there is a corresponding image that pertains to the text. This can be helpful to those who would have accessibility issues in reading the small text on the light background. I liked the ingenuity of this multimedia element. Thirdly, the logo which is actually a letter mark is suitable for this company, since there is a wing at the beginning of the logo that symbolizes flight. Overall, the site could be more balanced if the color and font size were adjusted to make it accessible to a wider audience.
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I used Lufthansa to do the Krug's Trunk test who in the first chapter on page 47 says, "Your objective should always be to eliminate instructions entirely by making everything self-explanatory, or as close to it as possible. When instructions are absolutely necessary, cut them back to the bare minimum." I personally think this is the heart and soul of design. On the Lufthansa Opening Page, it gives you the option of choosing what country or location you would want to visit. This is a very handy feature in pointing the visitor to the right direction as shown below.
Site ID - I then chose USA and once I entered the site, above the Lufthansa logo was the word USA to show that you are in the US version of the site, which answers Krug's question, 'Where am I?"
Major sections & Navigation- The site has some major sections that make it easier to know where to look. Some of the sections and navigation elements are: Booking, Top Offers, Informatin and Services, Miles & More, and My Account.
Search - As shown below, it has very comprehensive search features. The first one is on the top right that allows one to search the entire site, and then to the left you can search for airport, or search by price and travel dates. This Web site will "Not Make You Think" as far as booking a flight is concerned information is readily available. However, I would recommend a 10 pt font size for the body text.
Five usability questions I would consider in design of a Web site or multimedia project are:
Is the site (interface) multi-platform? I would want something that works on various platforms and is cross-browser compatible, in order to reach as broad an audience as possible.
Does the visitor have a way to contact me? It is important to provide information as to how a visitor can contact me either by mail, phone or Instant Message, if they have any questions for me.
Are my links and or icons active? Navigation is a very important element in usability. Dead-links could turn visitors off, so I would want to have an interface that can get users from point A to point B and back.
Is the site (interface) accessible to all audiences? I would take into consideration those with disability issues, but also those do not have them, because naturally I would want it to be user-friendly to people of all genres.
Does it load fast? And by that I mean (10-20 seconds) for the data to load on the page. If the site or interface takes too long to load, visitors may lose interest, hence defeating the whole purpose of my project.
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