User-centred websites: moving beyond the desktop

I attended NMK’s user-centred design course yesterday led by Jane Austin, which gave a very good overview on focusing on your users as the key element to be considered when designing and constructing a new website.

The day was practical and information and gave a whole host of useful tools, resources and links to get us going (see below for some key ones).

I?m currently working on a project to relaunch the RIN?s website and we are now working on making the site easier to navigate, as well as refreshing the design and offering more interactive content and features for our visitors.

The course was very useful in suggesting techniques and new technologies to find out how users navigate websites and how to work towards a content structure that is user-centred, rather than structured around the way your organisation works.

Jane’s main point for the day was to try to think about how to ‘move beyond the desktop’, as users are now expecting more than a site that just offers static information, and to cater for mobile and on the move users who are more technologically savvy, and expecting more new and engaging content.

The new RIN site hopes to get more users interested and engaged in the RIN’s work. We will aim to provide informative and useful content on the key issues arising in the arena of research information. We are keen to get your input and feedback, if you have any suggestions as to what you?d like to see on the new RIN site, or to be involved in our user-testing stages (painless, and possibly even fun, I promise!), please get in touch contact@rin.ac.uk

Useful links

• Boxes and arrows - information architecture resources site
• Blog Pulse - track your mentions in the blogosphere
• Websort - card sorting software to improve the organisation of your website
• HCI (human-computer interaction) resources