Here at Gravtrain Limited we always advise  our clients clients to update there websites and make them look current. The are many ways to do this.

Today the internet is fast. It is very fast! It is the fastest way to get information and if anything happens anywhere, it is more than likely that it will appear on the internet first. Fads come and go faster than a blink of an eye and on the web everything is up for scrutiny. This is why it is so important to get right anything you decide to publish on the internet.

It's important to look fresh, up to date and with it, or should I say it is imperative that what someone publishes on the web does not look old, neglected and unused. There is a lot of caution around computer and internet  technology especially when it comes purchasing items.

If a site looks well maintained and regularly updated it will instinctively evoke an initial sense of trust which can lure a user to spend more time on the site and more likely to convert.

There are many ways to make a site look like it it is well maintained and constantly looked at and updated and will we be going over some of the methods that Gravytrain uses for it's clients to give this impression to users.

A very easy and quick way to start would be to put a date, time or some kind of countdown on your web site. I have noticed a couple of sites use count downs, some count down to a deadline specific the users of t that site, like a competition for example. Also goals soccer's site has a count down to the world cup. You can easily add a date to your site using the following tutorial: http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex6/clock3.htm 

Last week I returned to Gravytrain Limited's HQ to conduct and report on the The Acid Test When applied to toady's most popular browsers. The Acid Tests were brought in to create an environment that allowed browsers to adhere to the same set of rules, ensuring that  when users view the web, the web pages viewed will all render the same way regardless of which browser is being used.

Hmmmm... So who would ignore these rules and continue to build such a Frankenstein of a browser? Well there is no hiding when Gravytrain reveals it's findings from applying the Acid tests to todays leading web browsers.

You can apply this test yourself if you wish. Simply follow the links set out below and view them in the browsers you wish to test, while comoparing with the correct  examples ilustrated later in this article.

Acid test 1 - http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/Test/CSS1/current/test5526c.htm

Acid test 2 - http://www.webstandards.org/files/acid2/test.html#top

Acid test 3 - http://acid3.acidtests.org/

Here is how the tests should appear when correctly rendered in a browser:


Gravytrain Limited's finding from the Acid Tests:

Test 1 - Internet Explorer 6 & 7, FireFox 3.0 & 2, Safari and Opera all pass

Test 2 - 
Acid Test 3

This is designed to test browsers abilities to render DHTML and loads an animation the score is marked out of 100 and the results were as follows:

Safari: 87/100

Opera: 84/100

Internet Explorer 7: 14/100 (!!!!!)

Internet Explorer 6: Causes a script error and crashes browser

Fire Fox3: 71/100

Google Chrome:  78/100


Conclusion

Yep you guessed once again it's Microsoft responsible for rushing ahead and building Frankensteins and unleashing  it into the world of suffering web users. Bad IE!!!!

It's one everyone has been talking about yes google have released a beta of their new adventure in browser technology. As it is a beta we may not have worry too much about testing websites in this browser though there is no doubt that at some point gravytrain will have to test this browser so it is definitely worth looking at. On the surface chrome is a very nice browser very user friendly and a slick design. However if you have a Mac or linux you will not know this as they haven't finished developing these versions yet.

In terms of usabillity it appears to work well and to a similar standard of Firefox. Only time will tell whether Chrome can challenge Internet Explorer but it's fair to say that a fair few of us here at Gravytrain Limited are keeping our fingers crossed!

This is the most used browser on the internet so it goes without saying that it is imperative that websites are checked in this browser. The introduction of tabbed browsing and the support of png format images are the most noticable differences from ie6 though it is subtle differences in which it renders html is slightly irritating. With the release of IE8 Looming the staff at Gravytrain Limited are keeping there fingers crossed that they don't follow habit and release a browser that renders the code completely different to ie6 &7!!!

For me Interent Explorer is one of the first nuisance browsers. The most annoying thing to note about ie6 is that when I went through the analytics for gravytrain limited clients there was pretty much a 60/40 split between  IE 6 and IE7 users. Even this fact would not be annoying if IE6 and 7 didn't render HTML differently!!! So this is a good example of what happens when 1. Browsers don't comply to current web standards. 2. Browser versions are released without proper testing. Another annoying feature of IE 6 is that it wont support PNG's without a hack. My advice is if you know anyone who uses IE6 go on there machine when they're not looking and renove it!

Firefox is many developers and my personal favourite browser. Fire Fox renders code the way it should be according to current web standards and guidelines. In August 2008 there were recorded  19% (approximately) of web users using Fire Fox make them the second biggest browser worldwide to obviously Internet Explorer. At Gravytrainthe majority of workers are FF lovers with a couple of people still stubbornly protecting Microsoft's at least 'iffy' browsers. I think the point that the former mentioned Gravytrain workers would say is that FF follows the current web standards when rendering code. Which makes you ask the question... Why don't all browsers comply to current web standards? This is a question I have heard muttered through gritted teeth many times in the gravytrain offices!  

Life as a web designer/developer has got... well... not tougher as such it's just become LONG! In recent months we have seen the release Internet Explorer 8 beta, the official launch of FireFox 3 and just last week we saw the release of Google's new adventure into the world of browser 'Chrome' beta. Here at Gravytrain Limited we have been delving into these new developments in the new war of the browsers.

Some times it is hard enough to get your site looking the same in just firefox and ie 7. Let alone ie6 and ie7! It looks like in the very near future we are going to have to test sites in ie6 ie7 and ie 8, firefox, safari and Chrome! Hense the word "long". I like the odd problem solving excercise as much as the next guy but I have visions of trying to solve issues between 20 different browsers!

So over the next couple of weeks Gravytrain limited will take you through the different browsers on the internet and explore the ideas behind them.

There was a relaxed atmosphere in the Gravytrain office last friday all projects were on or a head of schedule, targets were being met and it was the weekend! Encouraged by a relaxed atmosphere we knuckled down to some 'fun learning'. This had all the staff at Gravytrain limited smiling!

In the last post we mentioned usable forms and how Gravytrain Limited implements usable forms to achieve better conversions the client. We gave the example of quotesearcher and how Gravytrain broke up the form to increase the click to quote ratio.

In this post we will look at the work Gravytrain have been doing on Mortgage Plus. We are currently redesigning the Mortgage Plus site. One of the main goals of the Mortgage Plus site is to get users to request a quote. We came up with two solutions to improve the quote requests on the Mortgage Plus site.

The first solution is to incorperate the quote form on all primary pages of the site. This makes it very easy for the user to see what information is required of them and fill in if neceasary. The Second solution is to reduce the size of the form to mininmal information required. This way the user doesn't feel that it is too much of an effort to complete.

Forms are often an integral part of any website and can be used as a point of contact between the website owner and website user. Gravytrain Limited are always looking for ways to increase the effieciency of forms. When you increase the efficiency of forms you are also increasing the dialogue between client and customer, which can only be a good thing.

There are a number of stratergies Gravytrain employs to increase the number of people to complete quotes and I shall go other a couple of case studies now.

Quote Searcher

On www.quotesearcher.co.uk you will see an insurance website. The website encourages the user to click a button to get a quote using key words and phorases like "Instant" or "comepleted in minutes" . Once they arrive at the form the user is presented with a three step process, landing on the first step they view just two fields to fill out. It is also important to note that these first to fields do not ask the user to give away much personal information. This encourages the user to start the process. Similar ideas are used throughout the form process which keep the user from beginning to end. Quote Searcher have enjoyed a great deal of success with this emplementation. They have a high click to quote ratio and a low abandoment rate, thanks to the solutions provided by Gravytrain Limited.

 

In conjunction with the Gravytrain Limited website rebuild Gravtrain will be adding an online resource center that the staff of Gravytrain Limited will be able to access. This resource center will contain locations for Gravytrain's log ins to image libraries and other design resources. Staff members will also use this area to run usability tests and evaluation.

There will be a great deal gained in having pooling the information into one place staff members will instantaneously be able to find whatever they are looking for. Other items that will be included in the center for example guidelines for client proposals will be found there as well as the latest online design news. Keeping all the design team at Gravytrain Limited updated with the latest relevant developments in the internet marketing design industry.

When carrying out usability testing at Gravytrain Limited we stick to the following 8 guidelines if your test is to be a successfull and accurate enough to be beneficial.

1. Choosing your subjects
2. Before the usability testing
3. Beginning the usability testing
4. Choosing tasks
5. How to word tasks
6. Presenting tasks
7. How to behave during the usability testing
8. After the usability testing

Here at Gravytrain Limited we stick to these guidelines strictly in order to make sure that all of our websites are as usable as possible.

There has been some issues come up lately with Gravytrain's designers regarding the usability of Flash and Quicktime Active content in Internet Explorer.

 

In April 2006 Microsoft changed the way that IE displayed the content because of security issues. From then on the user would have to either click on the active content or press the enter or spacebar key to activate the active content and interact with it.

 

This did not bode well with the people at Gravytrain Limited as they felt that this activation process effected the usability of their websites that included Flash or Quicktime content. To get around this problem Gravytrain researched into it and went through Forums and Blogs all over the internet until they found a very simple piece of JavaScript that would run something called an 'Object Swap'.

 

An 'Object Swap' would load the web page up with all its content and then swap all of the embedded objects in the page with themselves. This method somehow bypassed the activation process allowing users to interact with the active content without having to click or press a key first.

 

Keep up to date with all the latest Usability issues at this official Gravytrain Limited Blog.

Gravytrain Limited takes usability very seriously as all the websites we design must be as easy to use as possible. To remind us off what Usability actually means, here at Gravytrain we have posted the meaning of usability on this blog:

Usability is a term used to denote the ease with which people can employ a particular tool or other human-made object in order to achieve a particular goal. Usability can also refer to the methods of measuring usability and the study of the principles behind an object's perceived efficiency or elegance.

In human-computer interaction and computer science, usability usually refers to the elegance and clarity with which the interaction with a computer program or a web site is designed.

Gravytrain limited have recently been testing the new tracking script from google. Those familiar  with analytics will know that google have been using urchin.js to track website behaviours. The new tracking code is now using ga.js. Gravytrain Limited is currently in the process of updating the tracking code for all Gravytrian's clients. If you have your own analytics account you have around a year to move over to the ga.js however Gravytrain Limited recomend the sooner bettter so it is done and out of the way.

One of the immediate benifits of the new code is graater tracking for ecommerce websites. More information for ecommerce websites can be found by the following link: http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=55528 . Ultimately the new code will allow you to have more information in a more readable way. If you want more control over you analytics google have put up a guide for you http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/docs/ .

Gravytrain Limited offer anlytics consulting and trainning. If you want to find out more about the ROI of your website please contact us

 

 

Gravytrain Limited aims to create all of its websites so that they are as easy as possible for visitors to use. Web usability is about making your website in such a way that your site users can find what they're looking for quickly and efficiently and this is one of Gravytrain's goals in every site that they build. A usable website can gain huge benefits on to your website and your business.

The main guidelines that Gravytrain sticks to when they are designing new websites are as follows:

• Your website has to be easy to navigate.
• Pages must download quickly (small files sizes).
• Information on the site should be easy to find.
• Users must not be restricted in any way when viewing and using your website.

Gravytrain has to make sure that all of its websites are usable and allow visitors to find what they are looking for as soon as possible.

Stay tuned to this official Gravytrain Limited blog for all the latest usability techniques and news straight from Gravytrain.

From everyone here at Gravytrain Limited, we would like to wish you a very happy new year.

Keep coming back to view the latest reports, from Graytrain Ltd, on how to increase the usability of your website.

Gravytrain will be updating this official Gravytrain Ltd blog throughout 2008 so come back soon to get updated with the latest usability techniques.

There  is a standard rule when learning to incorperate good design with usability that gravytrain always adheres to when building sites. This is called the 'Three click rule' where you make everything user could  want available within three clicks of the mouse.

Gravtrain Limited regards this as an essential rule. It is of vital importance that a user can find exactly what they're looking easily when visiting a site. Not implementing this rule can leave users frustrated and have a negative impact on your site and company. Which is why Gravytrain limited take this rule very seriously.

In most cases Gravytrain Limited make items available within one click. The trick is to prioritise the information/ items . For example when Gravytrain has a new job we spend time woking out the important parts of the services, products and information that the client offers. All this will then become available with one click. Other items of less relevance become available within 2-3 clicks. Remember you don't want less important items distracting from the main reason you want people to visit your site for.

I've read in various arguements that the 3 click rule is no use with large sites. 

"One problem is scalability. In very large or complex websites and web applications, the rule just doesn’t scale. If your website has several hundred or more pages, to expect users to be able to get to any one of those pages in 3 clicks means you may be overloading the global navigation structure."

Whilst I undetand this point. I feel the issue is easily solved by adding a sitemap to the navigation even a  site map with sub catergories would allow users to access all areas of the site within 3 clicks. Gravytrain Limited have been incorperating site maps with their websites for a long time now.

Another argument Gravytrain found recently is:

"As long as users are confident they’re heading in the right direction, then they are not likely to abandon the site if it takes a click or two more to get where they’re going"

In response I say... Okay, fair enough, but in the consumer age where everyone wants everything quicker, in a technological medium where companies are falling other eachother  provide services faster and faster to more and more inpatiebt users. If you are prepared to assume and hope your users are 'not likely' to abandon your site, well good luck.

At Gravytrain Limited we are aware of the high expectations of internet users and design our sites to guarantee as many people stay on the site as possible.  

Gravytrain Limited  would like to wish everyone merry christmas and a happy new year!

Looking back over the past year it has been a period of great growth and development for Gravytrain ltd. In terms of size Gravytrains staff has more than doubled in the last 12 months aswell as moving into new offices in hampton hil. In terms of development, Gravytrain Limited has raised the game in both design and usabillity. Providing many clients innovative designs that offer great user interaction.

The Gravytrain Limited portfolio in the last year displays the consistently high standard to which the gravytrain staff have continued to design to. Two examples of this can be seen by following the links below :

www.propertyquotedirect.co.uk ,  www.shoutloud.com  

All in all it has been a great year at Gravytrain Limited and we look forward to an even greater 2008!