Introduction to Web Usability 

Tammy Guy, Founder, Tammy Guy Design

COMPLETED: Session One: Tuesday, July 17th from 6:00 - 7:30 pm
COMPLETED: Session Two: Tuesday, July 24th from 6:00 - 7:30 pm
COMPLETED: Session Three: Tuesday, July 31th from 6:00 - 7:30 pm
COMPLETED: Session Four: Tuesday, August 7th from 6:00 - 7:30 pm

This four-session course will teach students how to craft web pages that are clear and easy to navigate through combined study of usability guidelines and graphic design fundamentals. These are interactive seminars that include hands on exercises.

Session I (7/17): Form Design

A form is the way in which customers “talk” to companies online. Companies use forms to create communities, collect data on their users and most importantly, finalize purchases. In this session, students will learn how to plan and design their forms in a way that reduces abandonment rates by changing overwhelming processes into seamless experiences that are easy to follow and complete

Session II (7/24): Product Pages and Content Display

Online retail sales have been growing steadily across all sectors (computers, books, beauty, groceries, toys etc.). Although technology is becoming more advanced and attempting to mimic the shopping experience online, there are still fundamental differences in store versus online shopping. The main differences cannot be overcome completely, but well-designed pages can help minimize them. In this class, students will examine product presentation and label design to learn how to create webpages that ensure an enjoyable and easy shopping experience.

Session III (7/31): User-Centered Information Architecture
Effective information architecture enables people to step logically through a system, confident that they are getting closer to the information they require. Most people only notice information architecture when it is poorly planned and stops them from finding the information they need. If users can’t find your product, they can’t buy it! This seminar will go over how to create personas and build a site structure that is both effective and intuitive.

Session IV (8/7): Navigation Design
Navigation is a website’s “table of contents." Unlike traditional publications where readers can flip through and see how much material there is to read and in what order, one cannot get an immediate sense of a website’s size or complexity without starting to dive in and navigate, one page at a time. In this course, students will learn how to create a navigation system that is both effective and efficient in order to build a successful site.

Tammy Guy is the founder of a visual design and usability consulting firm focused on strategic brand planning, creative direction and diffusion of user experience problems by applying design theory and usability best practices in a rapidly changing Web environment. Tammy previously worked as the Creative Director at LivePerson, Inc. and was a Design Group Manager at the Hertz Corporation. In addition, Tammy has been a frequent guest speaker with the Nielsen Norman Group for the past few years, teaching a two-day workshop on visual design and usability. Tammy Guy holds a BS in Art with concentration on Computer Graphic Design from Northeastern University and a Masters of Package Design from Pratt Institute.

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