How *Not* To Get Noticed
Usability Analysis of WordPress

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
People don’t notice
good design ...

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
... and people will do stuff
when design fails.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Matt brought a small team in to analyze WordPress.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
“That’s when I know
WordPress is doing its job:
when people aren’t even aware
they’re using it because
they’re so busy using it!
—Mark Jaquith, 21 February 2007
http://markjaquith.wordpress.com/2007/02/21/engine-awareness/

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Our goals were simple:

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Findability,

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
consistency,

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
and something called
“unconscious design” or
“transparent design.”

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
To start, we could have looked at other models.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Solo Blogger Power User Pro Admin
Consultant Teacher
But instead, developed personas based on research.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
We learned some things:

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Users don’t care what
designers intended.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Most visited screens by numbers
index.php
index.php?page=stats
post.php
post-new.php
edit.php
themes.php
widgets.php
page.php
edit-comments.php
options-general.php

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Most people we talked to ignore most of the page.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
So we considered a redesign like this.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Global Navigation
Dashboard
Right Now Recent Comments Blog
See All | Edit All | Edit | RSS
You have [19] unpublished posts, [27]
scheduled posts, and [31] comments in
[9] categories.
Write a New Post
You use the [Hemmingway] theme.
Change your Theme
You're using WordPress [x.x].
Update to WordPress [2.2]
Stats Incoming Links Plugins
See All | Edit See All | Edit See All | Edit | RSS
But research showed that more was needed.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
People don’t like surprises.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
“You have to show people
something they've
never seen before.
And if they've seen it,
you have to show them
in a new way.”
—Lorelle VanFossen, yesterday

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
People like it when you know
what they’re thinking.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
People think of their media as objects.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
And people refer to objects using nouns.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Nouns!

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
People should navigate by nouns, not verbs.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Users didn’t get it.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
“Refer or relate an old post
to a new one” “Post excerpt”
“Moderate comments
(approve/disapprove”
“Add image to post” “Write a new blog post”
“Post author”
“Post a video”
“Respond to comments”
“Post a photo from
my flickr account”
“Change my
password”
10
9
8
Activity
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Manage Create Posts Comments My Profile Plugins
Blog administrator Advanced users, 2+ years Novice to mid-range, 1 year or less

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Clearer verbs as navigation worked.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
People got it.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Drafts are not drafts
most of the time.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Working on it
Working on it In progress
Working on it
Starting idea Saving for reference
Saving for reference
In progress
Removed from blog
Removed from blog

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Drafts

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
People like the
whole truth.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
The Present

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
The Future

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Show when possible.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
People tend to have one
thing to say at a time.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
After publishing a post, users see a new Post screen.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
But they have nothing more to write.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
They need suggestions. Nexts. And reassurance.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Be voyeurs.
Don’t surprise people.
Anticipate what people need.
Don’t be brief at the cost of clarity.
Show, don’t tell.
Never stop at a dead end.

How *Not* To Get Noticed WordCamp 2007
Get Unnoticed.
www.happycog.com
www.bobulate.com