White Papers Archive

Please note this white paper was produced in 2003

We all know that web users are time poor and fickle when it comes to visiting sites on the web. We are constantly bombarded by advertising and promotions in all their forms. However, some of these advertisements we attend to while others we don’t. Why is that?

The web has been with us for a number of years but up to now there have been very few rules to help designers design sites that support the way we, as consumers, want to use them. Where should design elements – logos, search, advertisements – appear on a site?

Foviance conducted an eyetracking study to determine where people look on a page when they visit a web site. They studied eye movements of people using three well-known newspaper sites – The Times, The Guardian and The Financial Times.

Please note this white paper was produced in 2002

The purpose of this research was to gauge the usability of some of the top travel insurance web sites and gain an understanding of some of the users issues when trying to apply for this sort of insurance online.
A standard and methodical approach to the usability research was used. Six participants were each asked to accomplish the same task on six different sites offering travel insurance. The users were taken from demographics that represent the typical users of these sites. The users were encouraged to “think aloud” so that the specialist could understand what was going through the users mind.

Although the one on one interview sessions were recorded on video, showing user interaction with the sites and users facial expressions, hand written notes were taken to record the problem areas. The users were also asked their opinion of each site to elicit some qualitative preference data.

This is always treated with caution as what users recall as problems are not necessarily the areas which caused them most difficultly in achieving certain goals. This is why web sites owners should always consider user experience and usability as separate but closely related issues.

Please note this white paper was produced in 2001

The argument of whether consumers can actually trust their finances to virtual companies has been raging since the earliest days of online banking. The main issue to concern most users is obviously that of security, and banks have done their utmost to allay these fears.

The one fact that those willing to trust the internet for their banking will often argue is that all money is virtual anyway, there are no high street banks that actually keep individual clients money in a box in their safe any more.

With this in mind, one of the main quantifiable differences between banks with a bricks and mortar presence in the real world and those residing purely in a virtual world is usability.

Good usability reflects well for the site and gives users an impression of reliability and security.
Customers are now more concerned with the level of service they will receive from their online bank, and if the bank can’t get it’s internet presence right, it appears that any level of trust assumed by having a real world presence will count for very little to the user.
After all…”If they can’t use it, they won’t use it”
To obtain a copy of this white paper, please email us.

Please note this white paper was produced in 2001

Television has been a mass media channel for several decades all over the world. Recently, there has been a move from analogue television to digital television, a move fuelled by the convergence of several industries: technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT).
Interactive television (iTV) is an additional service to digital television offering viewers the chance to send information to as well as receive information from the broadcaster.
This White paper is a strategy document that investigates the interactive television industry in the UK and analyses the interactions and perceptions of two of the three key parties involved in this industry: consumers and advertisers, the third party being technology/service providers. The current consumer experience in using interactive TV is analysed to outline the future direction
companies must seek in order to grow this business channel in terms of sales volume and profit. The white paper is targeted mainly at advertisers, broadcasters, and service providers working in iTV. However, other companies, such as media agencies and technology start-ups will also find the white paper learning’s very useful.

This white paper is branded under Foviance’s previous name of The Usability Company. If you have any questions, or wish a copy of the white paper, please send an email to info@foviance.com.