This is a nice article about usability, but what it also brings to light are some content management and authoring ideas. It also reminds us that testing is not so difficult, when you consider the alternatives of trial and error at $120 per hour.

The point that I really want to highlight is the web2.0 interactive community advice.  This dovetails nicely with my earlier reference to the Wired article on the long tail, and niche topics.

Interactive community requires a certain critical mass to make it work, the community.  We’ve all seen it happen so many times before: set up a party, but no guests come to play (other than the spam slammers).

So, is it better to piggy back on the established sites with posts, groups or widgets, or to build your own community resources?

Its a long tail question - is your content attractive enough to claim its place on the long tail and attract its own audience, or is it best posted as a side attraction on an established community where you can go after ‘passing traffic’.

Much the same as a retailer considers a shop in a mall to garner passing traffic, or a streetside location because they know customers will come to them as a destination.

To get a handle on the interest in your topic, try a little social interactive marketing activity across multiple relevant community sites, blogs and forums to sample how much interest there is in your message, and don’t forget that landing page on your site to measure your results.

And remember, it doesn’t matter where or how you build your audience, its about your audience, and the message you get across. Its an evolving process and you’ll have to work it if you want good results.

Blink Interactive: Essays - Usability Highlights: 2008 and Beyond

Tags: Strategy //