As websites become more sophisticated, users are expected to get on board with new functionality and contemporary designs. And although cutting-edge websites can give a business a competitive edge, they can also come with a learning curve. To get users to make the leap, UI/UX professionals are often asked to come on board to ease the transition.  User experience – the UX in the UI/UX – requires a deep understanding of what potential website visitors want and need. According to usability.gov,...

When the Americans with Disabilities Act was set into motion, lawmakers were making a passionate push to ensure that those with disabilities were protected against discrimination and afforded equal access to public entities and accommodations. At that same time, the Internet was still a burgeoning idea. Its future reach and significance was unknown, meaning accessibility issues for those with was disabilities hadn’t been taken into consideration.  Today, however, the U.S. Department of Justice is working diligently to create new regulations that...

When a website is slow to load, consumers are quick to leave. And when consumers don’t stick around, revenues suffer. According to an often-cited study conducted by the Aberdeen Group, something as minimal as a 1-second delay can result in 11 percent fewer page views, a 16 percent decrease in customer satisfaction and a 7 percent drop in conversions. For most business owners, a 7 percent decrease in online sales is motivation enough to improve page performance. Unfortunately, however, sales aren’t...

Consumers are a demanding bunch. And apparently, they’re also a busy bunch. They don’t have time to twiddle their thumbs waiting for a website to load. So, when a website doesn’t render fast enough, they’ll take their business elsewhere. It’s as simple as that. Because of these time-strapped consumers, eCommerce website owners must make performance optimization a priority. Tuning a site to load quickly is a multi-faceted effort, however, seen in the fact that page load performance is often broken into...

Every element of a website can have a subconscious effect on visitors. Dotting every I and crossing every T becomes an understatement for UI/UX designers when something as seemingly insignificant as the placement of a dollar sign affects buying behavior. If a dollar sign can have a big influence on sales, imagine how important color choice can be. Because color can have such a weighty effect on purchasing habits, designers put a lot of stock into their choices, far beyond a...

Let’s face it. Although there are tons of surveys and research projects focused on issues prevalent to the eCommerce community, there aren’t a lot that drill down on website page performance. That lack of insight has led numerous individuals to continue to reference outdated studies, like the one conducted by Akamai in 2009. Five years ago, when Akamai reported that 47 percent of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less, the eCommerce environment was much different...

When business professionals travel overseas, there are plenty of new experiences awaiting their arrival. There are new foods to try, new languages to stumble over and cultural differences to be aware of. For U.S. professionals heading to Russia to conduct business, for example, punctuality to meetings is essential. But when the start time for a meeting has come and gone, don’t be too surprised if the Russian team hasn’t arrived. It’s not uncommon for them to show up several hours late...

Returns are so commonplace that some shoppers today don’t feel the need to try on clothing or test drive electronics. In fact, retailers have made the returns process so simple that many consumers consider returning multiple items as part of the decision-making process.   According to an article posted on DailyFinance.com, industry estimates put consumer returns each year at about $264 billion – about 9 percent of total sales. And although there are many reasons that could justify a return, many happen...

With the 2013 holiday shopping season almost in full swing, retail business leaders around the nation are relieved to hear that U.S. consumer spending rose more than expected in October. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that their minds will be at ease during the busiest shopping season of the year. As one would expect, their thoughts will be wrought with economic uncertainty, increased competition and the challenges surrounding omni-channel retailing – a multi-faceted (and often difficult) push toward creating a seamless...

“Cyberspace is woven into the fabric of our daily lives and the world is more interconnected today than ever before. We enjoy the benefits and convenience that cyberspace provides as we shop from home online, bank using our smart phones, and interact with friends from around the world through social networks.”   Those were the words used by the Department of Homeland Security when talking about its commitment to raise cyber-security awareness. And that commitment is especially apparent during the month...