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Volume 3.9 Issue 4
Erratum: ArisHost's extra 50 MB web space is available for only $ 2 a month-not
$ 6-as earlier printed. We apologize for the error.
AH! News
ArisHost Updates: Cat's Not Out Of The Bag Yet But
AH! Trends
Using Website Usability
Link Up!
www.usability.gov
Our Site!
The ArisHost site of the week: www.ewokvillage.com
AH! Relief
Another List Off the Web. Enjoy!
Archive
Our Previous Issues
AH! News
ArisHost Updates: Cat's Not Out Of The Bag Yet But
Things remain brewing at the ArisHost offices but they're not letting the cat out
of the bag yet. "We're not ready to disclose what we have been developing-not yet at least.
Let's wait when we've finalized and integrated these systems." The ArisHost executive says
this with a grin, as if teasing curiosity and/or excitement. "All I could tell you is that
these service upgrades will definitely stir up our clients and the whole team. It's going
to be great!"
If the ArisHost website's update page is any indication, then we should be looking
forward to a lot of service extras and product developments. The current update page
(accessed via www.arishost.com/Updates) announces ArisHost's new Add-on Service
Packages and FAQ sections. Add-ons include DNS services, POP and FTP accounts, extra
gigabytes of bandwidth and extra web space. Customers can install these services just
by visiting the Add-on page in their control panel. The new FAQ sections, on the
other hand, are now full-packed with fresh information. Topics include domain name
registration, billing, CGI and email. It can be accessed via: http://www.arishost.com/
Support/index_faq.html.
Now that's a load of update news, even without the cat. There is more to expect
from ArisHost, and the bag of goodies will be revealed soon!
AH! Trends
Using Website Usability
Recent events have once again spotlighted the awesome power and reach of the World Wide Web.
Internet traffic is said to have increased in manifolds. Browsers all seem to point to top
news sites like CNN.com, MSNBC.com and BBC.com; and these sites have not always responded
accordingly to the sudden deluge of online visitors. The increase in Internet traffic is
referred to as the flash crowd, and is actually common in social interest sites when big
stories hit. MSNBC.com and CNN.com have temporarily scaled down their homepages in response
to the events of the past weeks, using instead, simplified web pages with fewer images.
BBC.com, on the other hand, still has too many graphic files, excusing the slow page
download with a "slow due to the weight of traffic" posting.
Although the events and circumstances of late are far from normal, these however underscore
the incapacities of even the popular and professionally designed websites. The main issue
here is website usability-the importance of which cannot be downplayed with or without
special events or latest breaking news. Usability is a necessity in website design, and
should be well planned for.
Basic to such objective is to have a clear idea why entities and individuals go online
in the first place. Designers and web masters should focus on the bottom line, and forgo
online 'cool and glamour' -that is, without sacrificing as much creative license as possible.
Users and user experience should be the major consideration in web design: they should be
able to easily navigate, find information, make a purchase or get help through a website.
The best way to determine website usability is to measure using usability metrics, with
major components such as time, error rate and the subjective satisfaction of the user.
These translate to the user success rate, which on the average is a low 56%. This number
is based on a recent usability study conducted for 20 leading US e-commerce sites. The
same study supposes a 79% increase in online sales had these sites adopted the usability
guidelines.
Now, although it does not guarantee e-commerce success (a major factor of course is
product pricing) nor increased site visits, usability is a prerequisite for both.
Surfers need ease in navigation and page download, sufficient information and effective
search tools, as well as good images. Jakob Nielsen, the web's recognized usability guru,
predicts the demise of 'non-usable' websites in 10 years, saying that users will eventually
abandon sites that are hard to use. It's a good idea to start now and adopt research-based
usability guidelines (www.usability.gov) --it's a feasible investment of incrementing returns.
Sources:
Usability Issues in Web Site Design
www.lboro.ac.uk
Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, January 21, 2001:
Usability Metrics
www.useit.com
Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, February 18, 2001:
Success Rate: The Simplest Usability Metric
www.useit.com
National Cancer Institute
www.usability.gov
E-commerce User Experience
Nielsen Norman Group Report
www.nngroup.com
Utility, Usability and Likeability: Dimensions of the Net and Web
Brian R. Gaines, Mildred L. G. Shaw and Lee Li-Jen Chen
Knowledge Science Institute
University of Calgary
Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
ksi.cpsc.ucalgary.ca
Link Up!
http://www.usability.gov/
Usability.gov is a comprehensive resource site that has everything on website usability.
It has complete and easy-to-understand information on topics, such as usability basics and
methodologies, and how-tos in Server Log analysis. There are several sections on related
links-with links to usability sites, accessibility resources, Internet statistics and market
research, and newsletters and current publications being especially helpful. The website
offers a free 75-paged research-based website usability guideline for those who need expert
help in website design and redesign. Usability.gov is a National Cancer Institute site so
there are updates about the organization as sidebar. It remains dedicated to usability though,
and is actually a great example of a website with perfect usability-you'd know what usability
is just by pointing your browsers to www.usability.gov.
Our Site!
The ArisHost site of the week:
www.wtcenter.net
Wtcenter.net went up shortly after the tragedy of September 11, 2001, when four commercial flights were
hijacked and crashed in three places, killing thousands of Americans. The website is a memorial to the
victims of that day, as well as an online log of developments and sentiments about democracy's current
struggle. Visit the site to get updates, find out links to news sites and charitable institutions, view
relevant pictures, and voice out feelings and opinions through article submission and the message board.
AH! Relief
Another List Off the Web. Enjoy!
Operating System Error Messages
- Smash forehead on keyboard to continue.
- Enter any 11-digit prime number to continue.
- Press any key to continue or any other key to quit.
- Close your eyes and press escape three times.
- Bad command or file name! Go stand in the corner.
- This is a message from God Gates: "Rebooting the world. Please log off."
- To "shut down" your system, type "WIN."
- BREAKFAST.SYS halted... Cereal port not responding.
- File not found. Should I fake it? (Y/N)
- Bad or missing mouse. Spank the cat? (Y/N)
- Runtime Error 6D at 417A:32CF: Incompetent User.
- WinErr 16547: LPT1 not found. Use backup. (PENCIL & PAPER.SYS)
- User Error: Replace user
- Windows VirusScan 1.0 - "Windows found: Remove it? (Y/N)"
- Your hard drive has been scanned and all stolen software titles have been deleted.
The police are on the way.
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