Multi-Language Usability Testing: The VOANews.com Redesign

VOANews.com Redesign May 2008

Web Executive Seminars Putting Online Audiences First, Again and Again May 8, 2008 National Press Club Washington, DC Learn more: www.forumone.com/wes

VOANews.com Redesign May 2008

What is BBG?

The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent federal agency responsible for all U.S. Government and Government sponsored, non-military, international broadcasting

What is BBG?

What is the Voice of America?

VOA broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 115 million people in 45 languages.

Television, Radio, and Internet

What my offices does

Provides technical support and templates for a content managed 24/7 news website in 45 languages, including right to left languages

Creates the framework for the website, but not the content

Content: News, audio, videos, photos are provided by individual language services

The family car for a household of 45+ drivers

Provides the family car for a household of 45 drivers

Research Resources

Content oriented focus groups mostly TV and Radio

Webtrends (no persistent cookies allowed)

Web surveys

Usability missing from design process

Challenge to Define Audience

Three Types of Users

1. Loyal Visitors Bookmark us, listen to us, watch us. Come for news, program information

2. English Learners Want to improve their English skills: Learning English, Special English

3. Information Seekers Come through search engines. New users that we want to hang on to

Six User Centric Steps

1. Research-International Expert Review February 2006 Report

2. Adopt Best Practices February 2006 Report

3. Got a Mentor Nicole Burton, GSA

4. Create Prototypes

5. Test-VOA Usability Tests at George Mason July 2007 Report

Tested with English as second language students

Tested in three languages: English, Chinese, and Kurdish

Incentive - each participant received an I-tunes card and a

chance to win a I-pod.

Each team consisted of a Moderator, a “Computer,”

and several note-takers and observers.

What the New Design Does

Tabs for user friendly navigation to News, Programs, Special English…

Left column is unique for each tab; more room for links

“Services” area for podcasts, RSS feeds, Mobile, Blogs, and Chat.

“Services” area for podcasts, RSS feeds, Mobile, Blogs, and Chat.

Embedded Audio/Video player

Additional New Features

New Features Include

News Ticker in Language

“Magic Box” allows display of more than one language database on a page

Smart Left Hand column that lets the user know where they are.

Dedicated area in the right hand column for “Features”

Features and Social bookmarks at bottom of articles

Comments block at the bottom of articles for readers feedback

Google search tool

New User Centric Design Goals:

Keep users on the site longer & convert them to Loyal Visitors

Get users to watch and listen to multimedia products (evolve towards a more multi-media focus)

Bolster the audiences for VOA radio and TV broadcasts by providing easy to find program and schedule information

Encourage users to interact with VOA through easy to locate RSS, Chat, Blogs, Podcasts, Social Networking and readers comments forms at the end of articles.

Test Surprises – “Ah-ha!”