Newsletter | Archive

Welcome to July's edition of USEworthy. In this issue, we focus on quality and best practice. As mentioned in last month's newsletter, The Office of the e-Envoy launches its "Quality Frameworks for UK Government Website Design" in the coming weeks. Catriona Campbell, Chairman and Co-founder of The Usability Company was one of the two usability specialists consulted by the Office of the e-Envoy to assist in developing the document. In support of this framework, we present our short and snappy overview of fundamental considerations for a usable and accessible website that can be applied to all websites.
 

Tobias Misera, our newly appointed Head of User Centered Design discusses the benefits of involving User Centered Design at the beginning of the development process.

In addition, we provide an accessibility news update in two parts. We bring you news of the first legal case brought against companies over the failure to make their sites accessible to people with visual impairments by the RNIB and we discuss the new Euro Accessibility Group comprising of twenty-four European organisations and the W3C/WAI for the creation of a Euro accessibility project.

June was a busy and successful month at The Usability Company. We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded the contract to provide Bradford and Bingley with User Centered Design and User Centered Design services for the Market Place website redevelopment project. In addition to providing User Centered Design services The Usability Company will also use WebIQ, a unique technology that identifies visitor intent and associated success, carry out lab based usability testing and provide Accessibility Audits.

The Usability Company is also delighted to announce some changes to our team. Tobias Misera has now become Head of User Centered Design at The Usability Company. Tobias has been active in developing frameworks for organising digital information for over eight years. With a strong track record working in digital design, Tobias has provided consultancy to numerous blue-chip clients including KLM, BT Cellnet, Victor Chandler and Tesco.

Carl Kim has joined our Usability Practice team as a Usability Specialist. He not only lends an international dimension to the team by bringing many years' experience in usability in Australia but he also brings client side and agency usability experience. Carl has held usability roles at Westpac, the leading online bank in Australia and AMP Henderson Global Investors, Australia's largest fund manager.

Last month, The Usability Company sponsored the usability supplement in the June 19 issue of The New Media Age. The supplement serves as a comprehensive guide to usability and accessibility issues. It includes an introduction to usability and provides a good overview of usability and accessibility issues. Please contact us, if you would like a free copy of this very useful supplement by emailing info@theusabilitycompany.com with your request and we shall send you a copy. We have both electronic and hard copies, so please indicate which format you would like to receive and provide the relevant details.

A list of key issues and considerations for usability and accessibility that are applicable to all websites. 

A few years ago, many clients were not aware of the importance of User Centered Design (User Centered Design) in website development. The focus was solely on having a web presence at all costs in order to compete in the new market. There was a general lack of understanding of the complexities involved in designing a website. 

The RNIB has confirmed that it is supporting a number of individuals in cases against companies failing to make their websites accessible for people with visual impairments. 

Twenty-Four European Organisations from twelve countries working in the field of Web Accessibility, together with the W3C/WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the creation of a Euro Accessibility Project.