Usability Question

[kevin_standlee]

If you are kproche or anyone else who has worked on the 2009 World Fantasy Con web site, you're ineligible for this question because you already know the answer.

If you wanted to find you whether you were a member of the 2009 WFC and you went to the convention's web site, where do you think you would find this information, if anywhere? If you can't

Comments

[crookedfeet]

I found the list very easily. I suspect the other stuff is from people who simply aren't used to that kind of convention. We get very weird emails about NADWCON memberships-people wanting to know how much the "higher tier" memberships are, and how much extra it will cost to take pictures of Sir Pterry. Obviously, these are people used to media cons, but I find it frustrating to deal with.

[buddykat]

Disclaimer - I did not read the hints before trying to find the info.

I clicked on the registration link at the top of the main page, and did not immediately see the membership list button. But after reading the text on the page, I did see the button for the list.

The only suggestion I would make is better contrast for the second set of buttons. I agree that putting links to everything on the front page is not feasible.

[gerisullivan]

My experience was the same as buddykat's.

[nolly]

Mine was also the same -- two clicks, but it took a moment to spot the second link.

[the_magician]

Kevin,

my experience also, though I started by reading the Quick Links on the right hand side, and scanning down the front page, then I spotted Registration at the top and read down the page, missing entirely the second level menu that had appeared at the top of the screen.

I found the link to the membership list in the text near the bottom of the page, but then on coming back up noticed the second level menu.

To make it more obvious, change the colour of Registration on the top level menu as feed back when you select it, and then have the second level menu start by displaying in that colour (if you can box around the two, like the tabs on Amazon, so much the better ... if you can make the second level menu appear when you mouse-over the first level menu, that would be good also)

Also didn't read hint

[cmdrsuzdal]

Um; Reg, then Membership List. Two clicks.

Now, I did skim down the page before scanning back up to notice the tab. Putting subtabs in a different color from the main tabs is never a bad idea, though.

Also, text is cheap. There's no harm in adding an extra link at the bottom of the registration page that says 'Already Registered?' and clicks through to the membership list or something.

Already Registered?

[kevin_standlee]

I've added that, and because there was already too much text on that page without subheadings, I've put subheadings on the page and broke it up by topic. I also put the links to the actual online registration page in several different places, in the hope that the several different ways people read this stuff will get covered. Moreover, I put a link to that online registration form very early on the page, so people who already know most of the material below -- the "regulars" if you like -- won't have to slog through it and can go straight to the registration page.

Re: Already Registered?

[cmdrsuzdal]

Looking good :)

[shsilver]

I went to Registration-->Membership list. It seemed logical to me.

[caindog]

I clicked "Registration" and found the "Membership List" link right away but, as with the comments above, a contrasting but pleasant background color for those buttons would make finding them significantly easier. Also, a tab for the main info (call it "How to Register" or somesuch) in the Registration section would make navigating that section a bit more intuitive, especially for people who have clicked "Membership List" or one of the other associated tabs.

[kevin_standlee]

Also, a tab for the main info ...
That's a little trickier, because the "main info" is kept at the top-tab level (under "Registration"). In the situation you have, where you've clicked down to the Membership List, the way to go back up to the How to Register information is to click on the Registration tab again, not to click one of the other second-level tabs. I've tried a version of what you suggest, with a "How to Register" tab that recaps the first-level page data's first paragraph and then links back to that first-level page.