TED Websites User Interface Experience Inspection

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Defining Usability
Evaluation Criteria
Major Principles and Their Application
Recommendations
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Usability is one of the primary aspects that should be utilized to evaluate any interface. Seffah and Metzker (2004) claim that this feature is instrumental in enabling users to perform tasks efficiently. Usability is a complex concept consisting of several elements including simplicity, user-centeredness, navigability, consistency, and learnability among others. The adherence to the principles of effective usability can make a website a successful product or a failed platform for sharing information. Numerous online platforms for delivering messages exist, but some of them are more effective than others. One of the illustrations of an exemplary interface is the TED website. TED is a nonprofit organization aimed at spreading ideas& in communities around the world (Our organization, n.d., para. 1). The website contains TED speakers talks on a variety of topics, as well as the data concerning the nonprofit, ways to participate, and other relevant information.

The website was chosen due to its popularity and proper usability. This resource is often used for training and education, which makes it one of the most reviewed and cited websites. Its websites usability also contributes to the wide popularity of TED talks although certain faults can still be traced and should be eliminated. This paper includes a UX/UI analysis that consists of the discussion of the central principles of usability and the way they are applied to the TED website. The description of strengths and weaknesses, as well as recommendations on possible improvements, are provided.

Defining Usability

Although the term has been utilized for several decades, researchers and practitioners have failed to come up with a specific definition. Seffah and Metzker (2004) emphasize that usability is often associated with users satisfaction, learnability, and performance. At the same time, no proper software quality attribute has been provided by either the researchers and the standardization organizations or the software development industry (Seffah & Metzker, 2004, p. 72). This paper is concerned with the user experience, so the focus is on attributes relevant to this area.

It is possible to define usability as the ability of a software product to be understood, learned, used, and attractive to the user, when used under specified conditions (Seffah & Metzker, 2004, p. 72). This definition includes the major attributes of a successful interface including the completing of certain tasks, the existence of certain limits and boundaries. Visual aspects, as well as the products learnability, are also mentioned. Software developers tend to address these elements and principles when creating new products or improving the existing ones. Functionality is the key attribute as all software products serve to complete a set of tasks. For instance, when developing software for clinical settings, the software is characterized by such features as the visual representation, controlled terminology presence, and the provision of recommendations facilitating decision making among others (Horsky et al., 2012). These attributes and characteristics depend on the functions to be addressed.

Evaluation Criteria

The conceptualization of the term usability is essential for the evaluation of UX/UI of various digital products. The analysis of the website under consideration will be based on the concepts articulated by Adikari, McDonald, and Collings (2006) and the features described by Seffah and Metzker (2004). Adikari et al. (2006) note that usability is comprised of such critical components as memorability, efficiency, error tolerance, functional correctness, flexibility, learnability, and satisfaction. The authors add that these categories are interrelated and some of them overlap. Therefore, the first three characteristics can be combined and associated with functionality and simplicity. Memorability and learnability are interrelated as these concepts imply users ability to use the product more efficiently each time. Flexibility and satisfaction are linked to the concept of user-centeredness analyzed by Seffah and Metzker (2004). The present analysis will include the focus on such aspects as simplicity and functionality, user-centeredness, and learnability.

Major Principles and Their Application

Simplicity and Navigability

Simplicity is a manifestation of the user-centered design as people seek simple solutions and answers. As mentioned above, users expect to perform certain tasks when visiting any web page. Irrespective of the educational background or having extensive skills, people still dislike being distracted from their goals (Marcus, 2015). They do not like being distracted from performing the planned tasks, so they value simplicity, which is an important principle to follow when developing a web page or application.

As far as the website under analysis is concerned, it is possible to note that the developers employed the user-centered approach and followed the principle of simplicity. The major purpose of the website is to share stories that are presented in the form of videos. The central goal of a user, hence, is to watch certain video pieces. The home page of the website is aimed at people who do not search for a particular item but visit them to look for ideas and stories. This web page does not present excessive details on all available videos. The first thing the user can see is a set of three videos that are regarded as the most relevant. Scrolling down will provide the user with more items on a variety of topics. Importantly, the videos are grouped under specific categories, and the titles of each set of videos are provided in bright red letters in bold. Hence, using the home page can suffice to locate the necessary piece. It is possible to conclude that the TED website adheres to the functionality principle.

It is quite simple to navigate the website and search for specific videos and data. In the top right corner, such categories as Watch, Discover, Attend, Participate, About, Login, and Search are placed. It is possible to find videos on specific topics or watch recommended pieces. The information concerning the history of the project and the latest news and announcements are easily accessible. However, an important option is missing as it is quite difficult to find a talk by a specific speaker. The principle of user-centeredness is not followed in this case. Although many people may be interested in talks on certain topics, many users may need to find a talk by a particular speaker. This gap can be regarded as a flaw that has to be addressed.

The website follows major navigation conventions that include the availability of custom search, various categories, website map, and other elements. Ease of navigation is one of the premises of proper learnability. The website includes quite a limited number of categories that will not make users confused. The web pages characterized by the provision of a considerable amount of data include some outlines given on the right of the page. It is also important to note that it is easy to return to the home page by clicking on TED presented in bright red bold letters at the top of every web page. At the same time, the option to return to the top is not available, which can hurt user satisfaction.

The simplicity of the website is apparent as visitors can start watching videos at once, which is their primary expectation and goal. The home page does not have any distractions such as advertisements, elements other than videos, bright patterns of the background. This kind of minimal design has become common for modern UI development, and it has proved to be favorably accepted by users (Joo, 2017). Joo (2017) also notes that rich colors are now a characteristic feature of successful products. The TED websites design is consistent with this trend as a rich color mix is used as a background and bright red bold letters TED draw the users attention. The background can perform multiple tasks as it serves as the necessary contrast to the primary information (videos) and alludes to the setting of the conferences themselves. The background seems to display the blurred stage with the famous red letters. Users have an opportunity to concentrate on the items they need without being distracted by colors, patterns, news, advertisements, and other elements. The interface is clear and easy to use, so users experiences are likely to be pleasant.

User-Centeredness

One of the primary or rather guiding principles to consider when creating an application or a website is user-centeredness. Developers should remember that their products serve a goal or a set of goals, so it is essential to make sure that the users peculiarities and needs will be addressed (Satzinger, Jackson, & Burd, 2015). This is the primary aspect to analyze when evaluating a website as users pay most attention to this area. Satzinger et al. (2015) claim that people find all the elements (databases, hardware, and scripts) of a product irrelevant and develop their attitude towards the website based on its interface. An effective website will be designed in a way to foresee the users actions and desires and appropriately address them.

The overall design is also important for user satisfaction. Ji, Yun, Lee, Kim, and Lim (2017) emphasize that peoples cognitive and behavioral peculiarities should be analyzed when developing the interface. For instance, consistency can make users feel comfortable when using a product or be cautious and fixed on some areas. The web pages of the website under analysis follow the principles mentioned above although some minor inconsistencies are present, they can hardly be avoided. Many web pages are devoted to events, opinions, and announcements, which makes it hard to insert only video icons instead of pure text. Such web pages as Participate and Attend stand out against the rest. For instance, the web pages that dwell upon events and participation are characterized by the prevalence of text rather than visuals and video products (Organize a local TEDx event, n.d.). The information that can guide the user is present on the right, but the visual presentation of the web page is rather different, and, hence, it seems more complicated than the rest. The consistency of the digital product is disrupted, which may have an impact on the users satisfaction.

Learnability

Learnability has several definitions, but the major idea behind this principle is the users ability to understand how to perform tasks and reach objectives with a short period (Grossman, Fitzmaurice, & Attar, 2009). The faster users learn how to achieve the goals they set, the more satisfied with the product they will be. In simple terms, people like to use products they are accustomed to and have the necessary skills to benefit from this usage. Each time they find a more effective way to complete tasks. If a digital product is too confusing or changing all the time, people are likely to abandon it.

TEDs learnability is quite high as it can be easy to understand how the product can be utilized most effectively. As mentioned above, navigation is similar to traditional frameworks used in other digital products. The principle of consistency is also prevailing although some disruptions are present. The web pages have similar layouts and designs, so the ability to use one of them translates into the development of skills needed to use the entire website. This feature is specifically pronounced when watching videos as every item has several functions that can be used. Once the user employs all the features related to a video, they receive the experience necessary for achieving one of the major goals, that is to search and watch videos.

Recommendations

Although the usability of the digital product in question is quite exemplary, several gaps can still be addressed.

It is necessary to add an option to search videos by speakers. In the vast majority of cases, these are ordinary people from all over the world, so the list of names can be quite unnecessary. However, it can be beneficial to add a list (with the links to the corresponding videos) of speakers professions, backgrounds, and spheres of interest. Many users may need to find the talks of a certain kind of people rather than videos related to a particular topic.
Some web pages associated with written information rather than videos should be presented more consistently. It can be effective to provide names of categories and a visual to illustrate the focus rather than include a detailed description of the contents.
Web pages tend to include a considerable amount of information including a list of videos. The user can scroll down to look through the available data, but there should be an option to return to the top of the web page. Simple arrows or buttons can facilitate users learning and enhance their satisfaction.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the TED website can be regarded as an illustration of an effective interface characterized by a high level of usability. The digital product under analysis aims at creating a platform for sharing messages that take the form of video talks. The websites usability was evaluated with the help of such features as simplicity, navigability, user-centeredness, and learnability. The website interface ensures that users will perform their tasks within an appropriate amount of time. User satisfaction is quite high as the product is designed in terms of peoples needs, it is simple to navigate it and learn how to use it more effectively. At the same time, the website can be improved as developers can add a search option, enhance all the web pages consistency, and introduce a button to go to the web pages top. Irrespective of these flaws, the websites interface provides insights into the most important aspects to consider when developing digital products.

References

Adikari, S., McDonald, C., & Collings, P. (2006). A design science approach to an HCI research project. In Proceedings of the 20Th Conference of the Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group (CHISIG) of Australia on Computer-Human Interaction: Design: Activities, Artefacts and Environments (pp. 429-432). Sydney, Australia: OZCHI.

Grossman, T., Fitzmaurice, G., & Attar, R. (2009). A survey of software learnability: Metrics, methodologies and guidelines. In Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 649-658). Boston, MA: ACM.

Horsky, J., Schiff, G. D., Johnston, D., Mercincavage, L., Bell, D., & Middleton, B. (2012). Interface design principles for usable decision support: A targeted review of best practices for clinical prescribing interventions. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 45(6), 1202-1216.

Ji, H., Yun, Y., Lee, S., Kim, K., & Lim, H. (2017). An adaptable UI/UX considering users cognitive and behavior information in distributed environment. Cluster Computing, 21(1), 1045-1058.

Joo, H. (2017). A study on understanding of UI and UX, and understanding of design according to user interface change. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, 12(20), 9931-9935.

Marcus, A. (2015). HCI and user-experience design: Fast-forward to the past, present, and future. Berkeley, CA: Springer.

Organize a local TEDx event. (n.d.). Web.

Our organization. (n.d.). Web.

Satzinger, J. W., Jackson, R. B., & Burd, S. D. (2015). Systems analysis and design in a changing world (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Seffah, A., & Metzker, E. (2004). The obstacles and myths of usability and software engineering. Communications of the ACM, 47(12), 71-76.

Click Here To Order Now!