Design Overview / Project Gallery

Go.com Homepage Builder user-interface Web application

client: Go.com

role: user interface designer

challenge: Design a simple application for users to create and maintain Web pages hosted by Go.com.

features:

• backward compatability with existing Web community
• cross browser compatability (including WebTV)
• usabilty testing

Go.com was created by the merger of several companies with the intention of integrating vast amounts of content, powerful content management technology and an active Web community. As a senior designer responsible for the Web based community application, one of the goals was to allow existing users to maintain what they had created, while providing new access to the content and technology that made Go.com unique.

The interface for the "Homepage Builder" needed to be simple enough for those new to the Web, and advanced enough for experienced users to bother with it. The process required working closely with the engineers to develop a working prototype with functionality mocked-up using JavaScript.

The design went through rigorous usability testing in a facility with one-way mirrors, video cameras, and prescribed tasks. The results were eye-opening, but the most valuable feedback came from the Web community itself, which was very quick and vocal with its likes and dislikes about our designs.