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Chapter-11

Usability as Common Courtesy

Why Your Web Site Should Be A Mensch

Summary

Chapter 11 introduces the concept that usability is essentially about treating users with respect and courtesy. Just as being courteous in person means being considerate of others’ needs and time, web usability means anticipating user needs, reducing friction, and not wasting their time.

The chapter emphasizes that good usability creates a reservoir of goodwill with users, while poor usability depletes it. Things that diminish goodwill include hiding information, making users jump through hoops, asking for unnecessary information, and being insincere.Building goodwill means making tasks easy, providing helpful features, recovering gracefully from errors, and showing genuine care for user needs.

key Points

Usability = Respect for Users

  • Treating users well on your site is like being courteous in person
  • Good usability shows respect for users’ time, effort, and intelligence
  • Every design decision either builds or depletes user goodwill
    “The reservoir of goodwill is limited, and if you treat users badly enough, it will run dry”

The Reservoir of Goodwill

  • Every user arrives with a reservoir of goodwill – your job is to not deplete it
  • Users start with patience and willingness to give your site a chance
  • Each frustration, obstacle, or annoyance drains the reservoir
  • When the reservoir runs dry, users leave and don’t come back
  • Some things deplete goodwill faster than others
    “Hiding information users need, making them register unnecessarily, or wasting their time”

Things That Diminish Goodwill

  • Hiding information that users need or want
    “Support contact info, pricing, shipping costs buried deep in the site”
  • Punishing users for not doing things your way
    “Example: Requiring specific formats without explaining or being flexible”
  • Asking for information you don’t really need
    “Long forms that request unnecessary personal details”
  • Shucking and jiving – being insincere or evasive
    “Marketing speak, fake scarcity, misleading information”
  • Putting sizzle in users’ way
    “Forcing users to wade through promotional content to reach what they came for”
  • Making users jump through hoops
    “Unnecessary steps, logins required too early, complex processes”

Things That Increase Goodwill

  • Small gestures of helpfulness can significantly boost user goodwill
  • Know the main things people want to do and make them obvious and easy
  • Tell users what they want to know upfront
    “Don’t make them hunt for basic information like pricing or availability”
  • Save users steps wherever possible
    “Auto-fill forms, remember preferences, provide shortcuts”
  • Put effort into getting things right
    “Careful copywriting, accurate information, tested functionality”
  • Know what questions users will have and answer them
  • Provide helpful features like print-friendly pages, email options
  • Recover gracefully from errors
    “Helpful error messages, easy ways to fix mistakes”
  • Apologize when things go wrong

Being Upfront and Honest

  • Show pricing, shipping costs, and total amounts early
    “Surprises at checkout destroy goodwill”
  • Make it easy to find contact information and support
  • Be transparent about policies, limitations, and restrictions
  • Don’t hide the unsubscribe link in emails
  • Be clear about what you’re asking users to do and why

Reducing Effort and Friction

  • Every unnecessary step or obstacle drains goodwill
  • Don’t require registration until absolutely necessary
  • Pre-fill forms with known information
  • Accept multiple input formats instead of being rigid
    “Phone numbers with or without dashes, zip codes with or without spaces”
  • Provide reasonable defaults that work for most users
  • Make it easy to correct mistakes without starting over

Helpful Error Messages

  • Error messages should be helpful, not blaming
    “We need your email address to send confirmation” vs “Error: Invalid input”
  • Explain what went wrong and how to fix it
  • Use human language, not technical jargon
  • When possible, prevent errors before they happen
    “Inline validation, clear formatting examples”

The Importance of Tone

  • Write like a human talking to another human
  • Avoid corporate speak and legal language in user-facing content
  • Be genuine and helpful, not cutesy or overly clever
  • Match your tone to the context and user’s emotional state
    “Lighthearted when browsing, serious and clear during checkout or error states”

Accessibility as Courtesy

  • Making your site accessible is a fundamental act of courtesy
  • Accessibility benefits everyone, not just users with disabilities
  • It’s about removing barriers for all users
  • Most accessibility fixes are straightforward if done from the start
  • Accessible sites are generally better sites for everyone

Key Takeaways

  • Usability is fundamentally about respect and courtesy toward users
  • Every user arrives with limited goodwill – don’t waste it
  • Things that diminish goodwill: hiding info, making users jump through hoops, asking for unnecessary data
  • Things that build goodwill: being helpful, saving steps, recovering gracefully from errors
  • Be upfront and honest – surprises and deception destroy trust
  • Write error messages that help, not blame
  • Accessibility is courtesy – it removes barriers for everyone
    “If you treat users with respect, they’ll give you the benefit of the doubt”
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