Finally!! Google releases a starter guide for Search Engine Optimization. The guide document essentially encourages us to make small modifications to parts of our website. When things add up, these small changes will have profound impact on site’s user experience and performance in organic search results.
Of these 22-page document, Googles has dedicated 3 full pages to cover navigation - How to make your site easier to navigate. The best practices for site navigation can be summed up:
Information Hierachy is recommended to be user-centric
Text navigation works better than Flash or Javascript approach
Use of “breadcrumb” navigation
Set up an HTML sitemap pages on your site and use an XML sitemap file
Consider what happens when a user removes part of your URL
Aspire to have a glimpse of design principles of Korean-based Samsung? TG got a chance to listen to a talk but it was completed in such a hurry that not much details got answered.
Samsung Design China managing director Jin Jae-han, in his ”Create an Emotional Journey of Design” conference conducted in Shenzhen, divulged his design philosophy as follows:
Why Design?
Not only design can create physical value including basic product value, it can also add symbolic valueto customers. Symbolic value is all about value-added, premium services and company brand. In Samsung, we believe that 21st Century is the “Time of Culture” and that “knowledge asset” determines the value of an enterprise.
What’s Design Strategy of Samsung?
Samsung has three layers in developing its design strategy over a period of five-year plan. We have developed an identity for our products In 2006, attaining the goal of product leadership. From 07 to 08, we are eager to develop brand leadership, hailing “Originality’ as the highest concept in an attempt to achieve the gold of premium design. By tapping ourselves into our culture value, we are getting ready for creating emotional experience, fighting for cultural leadership by the end of 2010.
What’s Emotional Experience?
Emotional Experience is composed of three major components: DESIGN, INTRIGUE and DELIGHT.
Design: From the first impression to catch the visual charming
Intrigue: Continue the intuition and interesting discovery
Delight: A story that can bring inspiration, enlightenment and enriched value
What’s a good design?
A good design is how to make a brand, attract customers and make money.
How to become a usability professional? - a question that caught TG by surprise a few weeks ago while discussing tips and tricks of optimizing landing pages.
To tell the truth, TG cannot answer it off the top of my head. UI design, usability are something TG has done for a while, they come to me in such a natural manner that it acts on my instinct rather than a logical thinking - despite there’s a compelling need to do data analysis in support of argument. The desgin work appears to be a routine car-driving experience; when to start an engine, withhold a brake, roll up and down the window do not require a deep thought at all.
I feel therefore I am
One thing TG can be sure is that as a designer, regardless of what areas you are specialized in, we need to become affectionated and would be better to develop a sense of empathy. Trying to feel what our users feel - their happiness and pains.
“Feel” 感觉, is absolutley abstract but it fits TG so well that it gets me connected to the rest of the world. A song TG finds it enjoyable and it’s the driving force within myself to perfect my job for our users. This version is particularly amusing - Stand by me - Timon and Pumba
Regret to my training
TG is so thankful to the colleague who inspires me of rethinking what, how and why I am pursuing the career now!! My remorse to her is my messy, unprepared training!
TG like browsingYoutube to look for great music video, movie clips or online advertising and got them embedded. The price is perfectly right — no charge at all!! Yesterday, TG found Youtube made a small but significant change in its embedded video.
As usual, TG played a favorite movie clip with an embedded link, when it came to an end, Youtube displayed a number of other choices, that’s usual; yet it added another UI element at the top.
Guess what it is? It’s a search box!
TG don’t know when and how Youtube come up with this idea. It’s a brilliant though. Not only does its small deployment increase its stickiness, engaging the users in Youtube environment, it also enables users to get quick access to a barrage of video - a user-centered tactic. TG was addicted to it, kept trying searching for another 30 mins..
In a time of financial crisis, it is far more important for us to work harder to improve our quality of work. TG was reminded to tell everybody in usability field that UPA China will host its User Friendly 2008 in Shenzhen. It’s expected that the event will bring all brains togather, sharing experiences and developing insights to create great design.
The seminar will last for 4 days, starting from 24 to 27th Oct. If you are interested in it, you can visit UPA China website
Photo courtesy of i88.photobucket.com/albums/k171/Circleline/Pills.jpg
TG feels overdosed myself with SEO pills over the last couple of days.. will take a break and write something else. Writing a blog is something TG like as long as its does not pose any pressure to keep up with the deadline or meet a target with dollar sign on it!! Anyway, the last part we will discuss is “Texts used in META description”
