Comments on: How Usability Affects Products – Part 2: Basecamp http://webiscope.com/2007/09/how-usability-affects-products-part-2-basecamp/ Internet Healthcare Collaboration Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:10:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Delia Carter http://webiscope.com/2007/09/how-usability-affects-products-part-2-basecamp/comment-page-1/#comment-160 Delia Carter Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:45:12 +0000 http://creativity-unleashed.net/webiscope/?p=54#comment-160 Agreed. It's good not to force the user to rely on error messages to know if a task was or was not completed. Basecamp is a winner in my book too. I first began using it because it was served up by a vendor as their extranet. Later, I set up a site for an internal group on it and I had the pleasure of doing the exact same exercise using Sharepointe. I like Basecamp and its offerings better, no matter how subtle some of them (like the color changes) may be. Oftentimes it's the little things that count. Agreed. It’s good not to force the user to rely on error messages to know if a task was or was not completed.

Basecamp is a winner in my book too. I first began using it because it was served up by a vendor as their extranet. Later, I set up a site for an internal group on it and I had the pleasure of doing the exact same exercise using Sharepointe. I like Basecamp and its offerings better, no matter how subtle some of them (like the color changes) may be. Oftentimes it’s the little things that count.

]]> By: Thomas Ames http://webiscope.com/2007/09/how-usability-affects-products-part-2-basecamp/comment-page-1/#comment-159 Thomas Ames Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:09:44 +0000 http://creativity-unleashed.net/webiscope/?p=54#comment-159 At first I too was wondering if you were just easily amused, but then you hit the nail on the head with these statements: "That little bit of color and motion lets the user know that their item was added, and that all their information is ready to go. No reloading of the page, no wondering if their information was lost in the transfer." Exactly right. About eight months ago our CMS vendor made an "upgrade." Yes, quotes. With these base program upgrades there are always things you love and hate. And one thing I hated was that whenever I wanted to resort the news items on our front page, I would have to wait for the CMS page to reload to show the new listing and the option for time on and off. How annoying! So with the next "upgrade" I demanded something better. It was a simple change, but effective: the page darkened, a box popped up with a status bar, and it went away when the sorting reloaded. I know perfectly well that it's just a mask for the page to reload, but it made me feel better that it was completed. Sometimes -- and I'm hesitant to say this -- appearance is everything. Page reloads are horribly archaic, and the darkening with a new window gives the user some confirmation that their submission is being acted upon. Quite simply, this minute act of automation can go a long ways in promoting reliability and communication with your organization. At first I too was wondering if you were just easily amused, but then you hit the nail on the head with these statements: “That little bit of color and motion lets the user know that their item was added, and that all their information is ready to go. No reloading of the page, no wondering if their information was lost in the transfer.” Exactly right.

About eight months ago our CMS vendor made an “upgrade.” Yes, quotes. With these base program upgrades there are always things you love and hate. And one thing I hated was that whenever I wanted to resort the news items on our front page, I would have to wait for the CMS page to reload to show the new listing and the option for time on and off. How annoying! So with the next “upgrade” I demanded something better. It was a simple change, but effective: the page darkened, a box popped up with a status bar, and it went away when the sorting reloaded. I know perfectly well that it’s just a mask for the page to reload, but it made me feel better that it was completed.

Sometimes — and I’m hesitant to say this — appearance is everything. Page reloads are horribly archaic, and the darkening with a new window gives the user some confirmation that their submission is being acted upon.

Quite simply, this minute act of automation can go a long ways in promoting reliability and communication with your organization.

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