This document discusses improving user experience for WordPress sites. It defines user experience and outlines several methods for evaluating and improving UX, such as card sorting, personas and usability testing. The document then provides tips for good design practices like using tables and contrast to improve readability, implementing responsive and mobile-first design, and using stock images and fonts to enhance a site's visual design without reinventing elements. It stresses the importance of content, calls to action, and metadata like excerpts and contact details to create a high-quality user experience.
3. • Senior Information Architect, Province of
British Columbia (Canada)
• UX Specialist, Province of British Columbia
(Canada)
• Independent UX Consultant
• WordPress Developer
• Author & Publisher
Adam Ungstad
4. 2012, 2013
EuroIA - Edinburgh Sept 26-28
WordCamp Victoria 2012
UX Romandie April 2013
6. User Experience is…
“the way a person feels about using a
product, system or service.”
- Wikipedia
7. “a person's perceptions and responses
that result from the use or anticipated use
of a product, system or service”
- International Standards Organization
User Experience is…
8. “how a person feels when interfacing
with a system.”
-Smashing Magazine
User Experience is…
14. Good UX Helps Users...
• Find what they came for
• Complete tasks quickly
• Understand primary content
• Discover related content
• Navigate across channels
• Recall content later
• Feel that they got what they came for
15. A Few UX Methods
• Content Inventory
• Card Sorting
• Contextual Inquiry
• Diary Studies
• Personas
• Scenarios
• Co-Design Studios
• A / B Testing
16. A Few UX Deliverables
• Site Maps
• Wireframes
• Wireflows
• Storyboards
• Journey maps
• Functional Specifications
• Prototypes
• Design Guidelines
17. UX takes a lot of work!
But there are some ‘universal’
principles and patterns.
18. Q: What is the most
important page on your site?
19. Q: What is the most
important page on your site?
A: Whatever page the user lands
on.
69. Use Contrast
Using contrast is a good thing. It helps
people to read your content.
Using contrast is a good thing. It helps
people to read your content.
Using contrast is a good thing. It helps
people to read your content.
71. But think about the things you look at
all day:
• Your Computer Monitor
• Your TV
• Your SmartPhone
• Your Photographs
• The windshield on your car
Image Gallery Thumbnails
76. NOTE: this setting only applies
to photos added after the setting
is changed
77. Q: What is the easiest way to
make your site look good?
78. Q: What is the easiest way to
make your site look good?
A: Let other people do the work
for you.
79. This doesn’t mean you should hire expensive:
• graphic designers
• photographers
• flash developers
• UX Designers
(well, maybe UX designers... ;-)
Don’t re-invent the wheel
80. You bought a premium theme for $30.
For a couple dollars more you can buy:
• fancy sliders
• icons & backgrounds
• stock photos
• Responsive plugins
• anything you need really!
Don’t re-invent the wheel
81. Spend $20, get that responsive jquery
slider, and impress your users like you want
to.
Spend $3, and get the background you want
so you can stop trying to design it yourself.
You have content to write!
Don’t re-invent the wheel
86. • Comfight lets you search Flickr with specific
criteria on usage rights (IE Creative
Commons).
• Need a picture of a garden to go with your
post? Try compfight.
Give credit where it is due.
compfight.com
92. Use Active / Positive Tense. Change these
sentences:
• Geneva is not a large city
• I don’t like the cold
• WordPress does not cost a lot of money
Readability
93. Use Active / Positive Tense. Change these
sentences:
• Geneva is not a large city
Geneva is a small city
• I don’t like the cold
I like the heat
• WordPress does not cost a lot of money
WordPress is affordable
Readability
95. Use white space:
• Small paragraphs
• Small column widths
• Bullet points, numbered lists
• Subheaders
• Tables
Readability
96. Good typography is like new paint for the
walls of your living room...
It is:
• inexpensive,
• easy, and
• it makes you look good.
Typography
97. The easiest way to use good fonts
on your site is to use an
online service.
98. • You (usually) pay a small fee
• You drop some code into your header
• You can use all kinds of cool fonts.
• Don’t go too crazy however. Arial is fine
for the body of your posts!
Online Font Services
102. Put it on every page.
• Good for findability
• Good for SEO
• Builds trust
Contact Information
103. This doesn’t mean put a link to your
“contact us” form.
If you have an address or phone
number, put it on each page. Then people
know you are real.
Contact Information
104. • Scrolling vs Clicking
• Calls to Action
• Responsive Design
• The Last Word
Miscellaneous
105. Scrolling is better because:
• It is faster
• Requires less effort
• Doesn’t load new pages
• Mouse wheels and swipes
Scrolling vs Clicking
106. No one uses scroll bars anymore, because
we have mouse wheels and swipes.
Don’t be afraid of long pages.
Scrolling vs Clicking
107. • Use High Contrast
• Consider bundling products
• Place them before and after the fold
• Don’t interrupt a sequential process
Calls to Action
108. Get a Responsive theme, especially if you
are using social media.
Don’t worry if your home page looks weird
with it... chances are no one will see the
home page anyways.
Responsive Design