Posted in Online Publishing Strategy	May 19, 2008

"It's all about the user" says Cia Romano of Interface Guru

Cia Romano, CEO of digital consulting and usability firm Interface Guru, told publishers that their website is the window to the corporate soul and that if their strategy isn’t user-centric, then they have no strategy at all.

Romano asked the publishers in the room how many of them have identified the three types of people that visit their website, and only about 2 or 3 raised their hand. “That’s not good,” said Romano.

Romano said that redesign is usually thought of as a visual exercise, but it’s more about functionality. She reminded publishers that they should think more about how things work (on their sites), not about how they look.

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“Give your site the squint test”

During Romano’s session and in the subsequent breakout design critiques, Romano encouraged publishers to give their site the squint test:

1. Back up from the screen a little bit
2. Squint your eyes and take notice of the primary visual

Does it reflect the message you’re trying to deliver?

5 Questions/Stages the User Experiences on your Site

1. Orientation: Where am I?
2. Permission: Did I ask for that ad?
3. Interactivity: What can I do here?
4. Relevance: Does this matter to me?
5. Speed: How long will this take?

Web 2.0: Know your users first

We find that publishers are often too quick to start implementing 2.0 features on their sites without ever knowing whether or not their users will adapt to these tools. Romano agrees, warning publishers to know their users before they start implementing 2.0 features. Is a social network really the ideal outlet for your aged 60+ audience? Just because something is shiny and new doesn't mean that you should automatically use it. Keep this in mind: WWMUW - What Would My Users Want?

Read the rest of our session coverage:

Successful Multi-Media Publishing Strategies

Optimizing Advertising Sales - Print and Online

Learning From the Big Guys