Usability of content

Usability of web video & e-newsletters
Here are some basics of contemporary content usability as a new age of web content is well upon us. In the wake of the continued popularity of e-newsletters, and the full emergence of social media in the last few years, there are some different considerations beyond basics.

Video content and usability
Video content and usage continues to simply vector on the web. Today, video streaming, high definition delivery, rapid downloads and just about everything else users want in online video are commonplace and ubiquitous. In putting video content on websites, most usability cues are taken from Youtube.com, the web's premiere video portal, of course. If you are concerned about the usability of video content on your website, be mindful that video content can come in a variety of formats, not all of which are adept across browsers and platforms. HTML 5 promises to fix some cross browser and software issues when it comes to video content.

Users first. Another basic aspect of the usability of web content is to give your users control. For example, never open a video on page load. That is just such bad form but we still see that occasionally.

Use Youtube. Youtube (incidentally owned by Google) is still the dominant player on the web for the foreseeable future. In 2009, more than one quarter of all Internet video was watched on youtube.com. You should never post a video anywhere without also posting it to YouTube.

Usability of e-newsletters
E-newsletters present a wealth of unique content and usability issues. There are a variety of ways of conceiving e-Newsletter editorial. Some of the questions to consider are whether to:

• a. offer callouts to your website (a very traditional approach to articles in e-newsletters)
• b. create emails with content entirely self-contained (coupons and e-blasts tend to this structure but newsletters can also do this, especially e-newsletters with audiences of predominantly professional or "busy people")
• c. some combination of the two above.

Like web content, e-newsletters benefit from an approach that combines user needs with savvy understanding of how search engines work, as well as sites like Twitter, Digg and any other relevant "social media" websites.

While e-newsletters traditionally are heavy with images, a balnce of text and usability is critical, especially when you consider the many email programs that by default can disable the use of images.

Learn more:

• Usability content essentials
• Usability and Content
• Contact Interpix's usability consultants via our contact page.