Paul Boag on content management systems

Paul Boag - who wrote the excellent "Website Owners Manual" - has written a number of articles on his views about content management systems (CMS). I've pulled together links to several of his articles that have provided me with some food for thought.

Why people leave your website

A nice little article, including video footage, which highlights 5 common usability problems. I particularly like the points that are the real fundamentals, underlining what happens when you're not 100% clear about what your site is there to do.

Practical website development podcast - Boag

Paul Boag's latest podcast series is an excellent listen. Week by week he is covering all the key tasks and considerations when undertaking a website redesign, and practically applying it to an overhaul of his own site - www.boagworld.com.

Web strategies that don't work

In his article, "5 popular web strategies that don't work", Scott McDonald outlines some common approaches often adopted at the outset of website projects. See how many are familiar to you...

Reporting usability problems - 10 tips & facts

If you've ever conducted your own usability tests and then reported on your findings,  then this article will be worth a read (and bookmarking for future reference).

Usability vs business interests

A really interesting article packed with examples in which Jeff Sauro discusses situations where improved usability doesn't necessarily help a business achieve its goals.

Scenarios & personas

Kim Goodwin discusses how scenarios help bring your personas to life, and encourage stakeholders to engage with them.

Field studies - benefits & costs

Jared Spool writes about field studies - how he's used them, their benefits and the overheads involved.

Steve Krug blog

Steve Krug - author of probably the two most accessible and enjoyable books about usability - has started blogging.

Social media challenges for higher ed

An interesting article in UK newspaper the Guardian, on how college students are using social media more and more - ahead of relying on official communications channels. It also gives a few examples of what universities are doing to begin to engage with these key audiences in new ways.

Diary study research tips

A great introduction to diary studies; what they are, why you might want to use the approach and how to get the most out of them.

Listening skills for usability test moderators

David Travis provides 15 useful hints for anyone conducting a usability test.

Prioritising usability problems

A really useful resource for anyone conducting usability tests and getting overwhelmed by the list of findings. How do you decide what to fix and what to live with?

Tips for persona success

Jared Spool again shares insights from his research with design teams to highlight factors which support successful persona projects.

Data-driven decision making

A great article on website analytics - how to use them to best effect. For yourself and for your organisation.

Local government usability testing

I came across a blog the other day by the Camden Borough Council web team. Great to read about a group so committed to putting the user at the centre of a website overhaul. I suppose one positive from the ongoing rounds of cuts in the public sector - and we have to grasp these positives when they arise! - is an increased user focus in the field of web communication and service delivery.

Writing accessible link text

A quick reminder of why considered link text is important for accessibility, including some examples and a few tips to help you do a better job.

Link purpose: accessibility for web writers - article by 4syllables.com

More accessibility tips for web writers

Persuasive design - enhanced usability?

Persuasive design has been around for a long time, but usually associated with 'bad' things like fast food, gambling and so on. An interesting article targeted at usability professionals which argues that "...persuasive design should be your next skill set".

The cost of customer service

I've been supporting a review of email enquiry management, which made me think back to an article by Gerry McGovern about the relative cost of customer service. Digging deeper reveals some very interesting UK local government figures on the cost of managing transactions via a website, versus on the phone, versus in person.

Search analytics book - free chapter

Lou Rosenfold's new book, "Search Analytics for Your Site - Conversations with Your Customers" is due out in the next week or so. In the meantime there's a free chapter. I find the topic fascinating and Lou really knows his stuff.