Wow! Changes...

Well I was expecting some questions. If you have the most convoluted system out there, and its up for a while people will figure out how to use it.

The thing with MySMTnet is that many people don't necessarily understand it. We had thought with the last design that by forcing it as the homepage people would see the configuration options. This was incorrect. All it really did was create more confusion.

To alleviate this confusion we had to create the seperation between a homepage and the MySMTnet page. Doing so would no doubt create yet more confusion, we understood that, but in the end it will become more clear and the meaning of the actual component will hopefully be there.

When you finally change that system and make it more streamlined it might actually cause confusion because the users had figured out the old way. They could either then try and figure the new system out or ask for help.

I posted this to prompt people to ask for help.

Its difficult to untrain habits. Easier to learn from the start. A new user coming in might have an easier time than an existing user.

I had done a lot of research on website usability and design prior to this change. Jakob Nielson really is an incredible resource for this type of thing. After reading what he has to say and then attempting to apply those ideas to this site we came up with the menu model. Our site had far too many navigational links and it was difficult to distinguish between them. This is a step, perhaps not the best step (I don't know if I've ever seen a site that didn't have a few problems to it) but definitely a step forward.

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I feel that I should jump in here and say a couple of words in Brian's defense (although he does a good job of that himself). Ken, you're right if you need to explain how a web site works - or any application, for that matter - then you don't have a very good design. I believe that Brian was explaining the differences between the current design and previous designs for the benefit of those who have become used to the older one. Having been in the miserable position of having to correct mistakes and also explain why a previous application design was a mistake I know how it hurts to be criticized, in an offhand way, when you are actually trying to do some good.

So enough babble, Brian is to be commended for following Jakob Nielsen's advice. Hurrah.

Brian Stockley

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