For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

eBusiness Customer Service And Support Benchmark

Aligning Availability And Accessibility With Customer Needs And Desires

by Zachary McGeary, March 27, 2009

Consumers continue to embrace online customer service and support. According to a November 2008 survey, 48% more consumers claimed that a company Web site was more useful than a physical store for their servicing needs. Yet availability and accessibility . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Designing For Seniors: Beyond 12-Point Fonts

Guidelines For Making Sites Useful, Usable, And Enjoyable For Older Adults

by Elizabeth Boehm, January 21, 2009

Seniors will be an increasingly important group of Web users as Baby Boomers swell their ranks over the next decade. Does the influx of users in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s necessitate a whole new approach to design? No. Seniors need the same fundamental . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Case Study: How Credit Suisse Made Customer Experience Matter

by Craig Menzies, May 27, 2008

In 2004, Credit Suisse was struggling with poor customer satisfaction results and a lack of clear differentiation from its competitors. Enter a fledgling customer experience group started by three committed and passionate customer experience believers . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Designing Interactions For An Aging Population

Are Old People Getting Wired, Or Are Young People Just Getting Old?

by Elizabeth Boehm, July 31, 2007

The oldest members of the baby boom generation hit 60 this year, signaling the first edge of an unprecedented tidal wave that will swell the ranks of senior technology users. But today's seniors are not the financial foot-draggers and technology luddites . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Prepare To Be Challenged On Web Accessibility Compliance

by Michael Rasmussen, February 27, 2007

Compliance efforts associated with online information most often aim to restrict user access — but recent litigation involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may soon have companies scrambling to increase accessibility. In the latest of several . . .

Kiosk Industry Flails For Usability

Lack Of User Focus Has Sent Kiosk Builders Off Course

by Kerry Bodine, May 3, 2005

Conversations with the crowd at KioskCom.com 2005 made one fact very clear about the state of kiosk evolution: Developers — not designers — are firmly in charge. The result? Firms' kiosk efforts are threatened by poor design processes, flawed usability . . .

Candidate Sites Aren't Easy For Physically Impaired

Forrester Applies Its Web Site Review Methodology To Bush's And Kerry's Sites

by Bruce D. Temkin, July 27, 2004

Forrester evaluated how well the Bush and Kerry Web sites provide access to physically impaired users. While both sites failed our test because key navigational elements require overly precise mouse movements, the Bush site makes it easier for users to . . .

Presidential Candidate Web Site Review

by Bruce D. Temkin, July 27, 2004

Bush's Site Fails The Accessibility Test

Forrester Applies Its Web Site Review Methodology To Bush's And Kerry's Sites

by Bruce D. Temkin, July 22, 2004

Forrester evaluated how well the presidential candidates' Web sites provide access to visually-impaired and hearing-impaired users. The Bush site failed against our criterion; while the Kerry site passed. But both sites could do a better job of making . . .

Use Disability Experts To Test Accessibility

by Moira Dorsey, May 25, 2004

Firms that are serious about providing truly usable — not just accessible — solutions for the disabled should have expert evaluations conducted by users with disabilities. Service vendors TecAccess and Criterion 508 employ people with a full spectrum . . .

Japanese Sites Are Mixed On Accessibility

Ahead On Support For Blind Users, But Much Work To Be Done For Others

by Ron Rogowski, March 26, 2004

Aging populations and an increased drive to self-service combine to make people more reliant on electronic content as a means of performing everyday tasks. While most sites still do not employ basic accessibility techniques, our Web Site Review data shows . . .

Web Sites Are Fast, But Inaccessible

by Bruce D. Temkin, Nicole Belanger, March 26, 2004

Forrester took a look at our most recent set of Web site evaluations. While just about every site passed our criteria for page load speed, only one-quarter of the sites provided access for the visually and hearing-impaired. And poor search remains high . . .

Accessibility Tops The List Of Site Failures

by Harley Manning, John P. Dalton, Moira Dorsey, Nicole Belanger, December 19, 2003

Leading sites don't offer accessible alternatives for the blind and visually impaired. Millions of affected users plus the low cost of fixes add up to missed opportunity for companies and their agencies.

Making Europe's Finance Sites Accessible

by Charlotte Hamilton Clark, Remus Brett, November 13, 2003

UK banks are waking up to Web accessibility guidelines that demand easier access for site users with impairments. European banks should follow with structured navigation, alt tags, and key-stroke recognition to help all online banking users fulfill site . . .

The Impact of Accessibility Legislation on Application Selection

by Carl Zetie, October 8, 2003

Buyers of software should not specify ¿ADA compliance,¿ ¿DDA compliance,¿ or other legislation in their RFPs as such compliance is too ill-defined and is likely to lead to disagreement about whether the required compliance has been met.

Design Accessible Alternatives Into Your Site

by Moira Dorsey, Harley Manning, Michelle Amato, September 22, 2003

This is the fourth brief in the "Best Practices For Designing Site Navigation" series. Navigation focuses on getting users to what they want. In order to use a site, visually impaired and hearing impaired users need accessible alternatives for all non-text . . .

Sites (Still) Miss Basic Accessibility Targets

by Ron Rogowski, June 26, 2003

Sites should adopt basic accessibility techniques whether or not they are legally required to do so. This is a low-cost change that can be viewed as an insurance policy against legal complaints as well as a way to increase a site's overall usability.

Web Site Accessibility Guidelines

by Steve Telleen, June 25, 2003

Accessibility is more than technical compliance to guidelines. It requires awareness and commitment by the Web site stakeholders to the goal of accessibility.

Web Site Owners Must Take Note of Disabilities Discrimination Legislation or Risk Being Prosecuted

February 12, 2003

Unfortunately, we are still at the stage where many organizations continue to ignore or are unaware of the fact that they may actually have legal obligations to ensure that their Web sites are usable by people with disabilities.

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

B2E Must Be Accessible by All Employees

by Paul D. Hamerman, September 24, 2002

B2E applications must be accessible by the entire workforce to provide the maximum return on investment and meet employee needs for information access and self-service transactions.

Bobby Buy Bolsters Watchfire's Accessibility Pitch

by Randy Souza, Harley Manning, August 12, 2002

Web accessibility got a boost last week when Watchfire bought the Bobby software product from the nonprofit Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). The deal is good news for Watchfire and for accessibility-minded companies.

Web Site Accessibility Is Essential for Everyone

by Luis Moya, July 10, 2002

Companies should set standards for Web site accessibility and use automated solutions to assist with compliance with accessibility standards. To ensure accessibility, Web site usability testing should always consider people with disabilities.

Convince Web Design Team to Remove Flash Intro

by Yang Liu, February 12, 2002

Convincing your Web design team to remove a Flash introduction, without overstepping boundaries and hurting "artistic" ego is difficult, especially if you are not working in a direct supervisory role. Here are some resources to make a convincing case.

Amazon Advances Accessibility

by Randy Souza, Harley Manning, December 13, 2001

Last week, Amazon.com launched a version of its site that is tailored to visually impaired shoppers who use screen reader software. To lock out rivals, Amazon should make all of its products and tools accessible.

Design Accessible Sites Now

by Randy Souza, Harley Manning, Moira Dorsey, December 13, 2001

Companies must plan site design projects keeping people with disabilities in mind. Doing so is cost-effective - especially if accessibility is part of the planning, development, and maintenance process.