Media Room

Coverage

L.A. Tests Beta Version of Website, Plans to Relaunch Government Technology Magazine – January 2012	Article mentions HFI as consultant for City of Los Angeles website redesign.
Three Strategies for Industrial-Strength Customer Centricity Article in n>genuity – January 2012	Dr. Eric Schaffer discusses ideas for a competitive digital strategy in the credit/debit card industry
Framework for Designing for Multiple Devices UX Magazine – November 2011	Article by HFI's Sachendra Yadav. Designing for multiple devices involves much more that simply resizing content to display on different screens.
Understanding Global Customers Retail Online Integration – July 2011	Apala Lahiri Chavan talks user experience design for emerging markets.
Site Psychology Internet Retailer – February 2011	Dr. Susan Weinschenk talks about the psychology of visual cues in website design.
More SEO Myths About Website Usability Search Engine Land – October 2010	Dr. Jeff Horvath is quoted in this article by Shari Thurow on usability issues to consider when designing for search engine optimization.
How to Create User Experiences That Impact the Bottom Line eMC – October 2010	HFI's April McGee outlines the tangible benefits of investing in user experience.
Engineering Seduction Website Magazine – October 2010	Dr. Eric Schaffer talks about persuasion design and how to take advantage of the "seducible moment".
Usability firm offers certifications for enterprise design V3.co.uk – 14 Jul 2010	Human Factors International to certify an assured level of usability for software and applications.
Engagement, Entertainment, or Get The Task Done: Cognitive, visual... UX Magazine – June, 2010	Article by Dr. Susan Weinschenk on persusasive design.
Speed Tests between Adobe Captivate 4 and Adobe Captivate 5 [VIDEO] Adobe Blogs – May, 2010	Adobe's product management team commissioned Human Factors International, Inc., to conduct a comparative test to quantify productivity gains in standard tasks with two versions of Adobe Captivate, version 4 and version 5.
Interview by Dmitriy Volkov of Apala Chavan UPA Europe – October, 2009	In this interview, Apala Chavan (HFI's VP Asia) discusses user experience for Asia's emerging markets.
Usability of Electronic Medical Records Journal of Usability Studies – February, 2009	This article by HFI Project Directors John Smelcer, Hal Miller-Jacobs, and Lyle Kantrovich, shares insights and experiences in the design of successful EMR systems.
Turning analytics into insight Marketing Week – January, 2009	Nigel Grace, Managing Director of HFI Europe, is quoted in this article.
Beyond Usability: Designing Web Sites for Persuasion, Emotion, and Trust UX Matters – January, 2009	HFI CEO Eric Schaffer wrote this article on the next wave in Web site design – designing for persuasion, emotion, and trust.
The Washing Machine That Ate My Sari – Mistakes in Cross-Cultural Design interactions – January/February, 2009	This article by Apala Chavan, Sarit Arora, Beena Prabhu, and Douglas Gorney is the cover feature of the Jan/Feb issue of Interactions magazine.
Making mobiles usable The Ergonomist – December, 2008	HFI Executive Director Scott Weiss's article on usability challenges and solutions for mobile screen design. (Article published by kind permission of The Ergonomist)
The Usability Challenge Express Intelligent Enterprise – December, 2008	Though usability engineering isn't a direct responsibility of the CIO, a good CIO can actually help institutionalize the idea in an enterprise. Article features CEO Eric Schaffer, and Executive Director Hitesh Agrawal.
User experience is the basis of effective web design NMA Usability Directory – November, 2008	Managing Director Nigel Grace talks about optimising online engagement. (Article published by kind permission of NMA Usability Directory)
Thinking Through UIs Wireless Week – December, 2008	HFI's Scott Weiss, Executive Director, EMEA, Human Factors International is quoted in this article on mobile usability.
Cutting Edge Opinions Marketing Technology Magazine – October, 2008	Managing Director Nigel Grace talks about PET design™ and the use of persuasion, emotion, and trust to build customer engagement. (Article published by kind permission of Marketing Technology Magazine)
Usability is no longer enough when it comes to creating successful websites ConnectIT News – September 28, 2008	ConnectIT News writer Vanessa Ho interviews HFI's CEO Eric Schaffer on PET design. Eric explains why usability alone is no longer enough and how successful sites must design for persuasion, emotion, and trust.
The Dilemma of the Shared Mobile Phone — Culture Strain and Product Design in Emerging Economies interactions – July/August, 2008	HFI's Apala Chavan and Douglas Gorney author this article on the cultural considerations of introducing technologies into other countries. (Article published with permission of interactions. July/August 2008, Volume 15:4, pp. 34-39 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1374489.1374497)
Finding out what makes customers click IT Week – July 30, 2008	In this IT Week article HFI's Mona Patel discusses the role psychology can play in Web site design
Optimising websites for mobile web access and usability Technology Weekly – July 28, 2008	HFI's Scott Weiss, Executive Director, EMEA, Human Factors International discusses the disparity between the growth of mobile Web access and lack of mobile usability in Web site design.
Achieve ecommerce success by understanding the five dimensions of user experience Internet World – July 7, 2008	Article by Nigel Grace, Managing Director of HFI Europe, on considering user experience in terms of effort, usability, power, brand, persuasion, and brand.
Mr Mobile Usability on the iPhone, Blackberry and beyond SMS Text News – May 7, 2008	This is a 12-minute video interview with Scott Weiss, Executive Director of HFI-Europe. He talks about future trends in mobile usability.
CHI '08: Usability and Cultural Complexity Usability News – April 19, 2008	Joanna Bawa of UsabilityNews interviewed Elisa del Galdo at CHI in Florence for this article about international and cross-cultural testing and research. How does it all work, and where is it taking us?
What SEO/SEM Professionals Should Know About Website Usability Search Engine Land – April 10, 2008	Shari Thurow, author of Search Engine Visibility, interviews HFI's Susan Weinschenk and other usability professionals for this article.
Human Touch New Design – March 17, 2008	This article in New Design Magazine looks at the user centered design career of Scott Weiss, Executive Director of Human Factors Europe. (Article reproduced by kind permission of New Design Magazine.)
Technology: world wise web design Best Practice – February 14, 2008	Article written by Jerome Nadel, Chief Experience Officer of Human Factors International. "The right website can help drive new customers to your business, but only if you apply the new rules of web design." (Article published in Best Practice, an Accountancy Age publication, on 14 February 2008.)
A "Usable" Career EducationTimes.com – February 5, 2008	Shashank Deshpande, Chief of Technical Staff for HFI-India, is quoted in this article on the growth of usability in India
Web 2.0: people not products The British Computer Society – January, 2008	Whatever a site's conversion goal, it's now about people rather than products or services, argues Mona Patel, Executive Director of Human Factors International. (Article reproduced by kind permission of BCS. Copyright retained by BCS. No reproduction without permission.)
KM PAST AND FUTURE: Web 2.0 kicks it up a notch .KM World – December 28, 2007	Chief Experience Officer Jerome Nadel is quoted in this article on the effect of Web 2.0 on the world of knowledge management. The writer points out that "effective user experience design is a linchpin for KM".
Usability gets personal .Net Magazine – December 11, 2007	Article by Nigel Grace, HFI's Managing Director for Europe. "Web 2.0 signals a radical shift in best practices for user experience, presenting exciting challenges for today's web designers and usability professionals." (Article reproduced by kind permission of .net Magazine. Copyright Future Publishing. No reproduction without permission.)
Designing a user friendly product Times of India – November 19, 2007	Sarit Arora, Group Lead, HFI-India, is quoted in this article about usability by Times of India writer Dhanya Krishnakumar.
Social networking: network gain Accountancy Age – September 29, 2007	In this article Nigel Grace, HFI's Managing Director for Europe, discusses how companies should be using today's collaborative technologies to improve business performance. (Article published in Accountancy Age on 29 September 2007.)
An 'A' Student Computerworld – June 18, 2007	This is a compelling story of Commonwealth Financial Network's Keri Donahue and how she took HFI's user-centered design courses and got her Certified Usability Analyst designation to help her move from HR to Web usability.
The human face of product development Eureka: Innovative Engineering Design – June 12, 2007	Tom Shelley interviews HFI's Apala Chavan on the latest thinking in how to ensure that products truly fulfil customer needs and aspirations – and succeed in the marketplace.
Facelift: Users redesign Indiatimes.com Indiatimes.com – May 7, 2007	This article discusses the redesign of Indiatimes.com under the guidance of HFI. In the words of Apala Chavan, HFI's VP of Asia: "Being credited for overhauling the web properties for one of the most important media houses in india is no laughing matter!" CEO Eric Shaffer is quoted in the article.
Keep Your Web Customers Coming Back Cisco Innovators – March, 2007	Eric Adams of Cisco Innovators interviews HFI's Susan Weinschenk, Chief of Technical Staff for this article on the importance of persuasion, emotion, and trust in designing Web sites to drive conversion.
Must Usability Die? Usability News – August 17, 2006	This article by HFI's Elisa del Galdo and Jason Williams of our London office, addresses some criticism of the usability field. It encourages practitioners to be better trained and those who hire them to demand the highest quality from the profession.
How easy is it to use your website? MoneyWeb – August 14, 2006	This reporter for this South African article interviewed Nigel Grace, Managing Director of HFI Europe. They discussed the role of user-centered design in the creation of successful online banking sites.
Cleaning up for the housekeeper or why it makes sense to do both Expert Review and Usability Testing The UPA Voice – November, 2004	Kath Straub, HFI's Chief Scientist, contrasts the unique aspects of expert reviews and usability testing. The usability goals they address are different. Know when to use which one, and when to use both.
How Ergonomics Almost Stopped the California Recall Ergonomics Today/Ergoweb – October 7, 2003	HFI's Kath Straub and Susan Weinschenk are quoted in this article that looks at some of the usability issues that affect the reliability of voting machines.
Keep out the Clutter Businessworld – June 30, 2003	Shelley Singh of Businessworld discusses multi-utility cellphones and the need for user-friendly Web sites. She quotes HFI's CEO Eric Schaffer and HFI India's Managing Director Apala Lahiri Chavan. (Please note that the correct URL for Citibank, India, mentioned at the end of the article, is www.online.citibank.co.in)
Another View: Do Web sites put agencies’ best faces forward? Government Computer News – March, 2003	Hal Miller-Jacobs, Managing Director at HFI's Boston office, talks about the growing dependence on government Web sites by citizens looking for information, and the critical need for usability engineering.
Usability Is Next to Profitability BusinessWeek Online – December, 2002	BusinessWeek Online's Jane Black interviewed HFI's Eric Schaffer for this article on software's next stage – usability. She points out the changing landscape in software development as more and more companies take user expectations seriously.
Avoid the mouse trap The Delaware News Journal – November, 2002	Dale Dallabrida of the News Journal writes about the pitfalls of relying too heavily on the mouse to navigate through applications and Web sites. HFI's John Sorflaten is quoted in this article.
Giving the Human Touch to Software StickyMinds.com – 2002	Yogita Sahoo of Mindfire Solutions discusses the importance of knowing users’ expectations in order to deliver better usability. She acknowledges HFI's Eric Schaffer and Mahesh Menon for their help with the article.
Making do Federal Computer Week – October, 2002	Brian Johnson of Federal Computer Week talks about the challanges government agencies face when trying to make their Web sites both accessible and usable. HFI's Eric Schaffer is quoted in this article.
User-Friendly Web Sites Keep Agencies in Touch With Citizens Federal Times – August, 2002	Dr. Bob Bailey, Chief Scientist for HFI, discusses the importance of usability in government Web sites. The Web has become a crucial tool to disseminate information to citizens, but poorly done Web sites can drive a wedge between government and the people.
Giving micro-finance the IT edge Express Computer – July, 2002	India's number one IT business weekly discusses Hisaab, a micro-finance software product aimed at low literacy users. HFI India has been working on the interface to make it easy to use for those with little computer and reading experience.
Helping Businesses Evaluate Their Internet Presence NY Times – June, 2002	Karen Bannan interviews HFI's CEO, Eric Schaffer, and others about the importance of usability testing in terms of brand acceptance.
Easy Reader: an old technology may be the answer to content delivery woes edesign – January, 2002	This article by Ariana Donalds discusses RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation), a possible solution for delivering content on small hand-held screens. Eric Schaffer talks about FlashReader, a version of RSVP developed by HFI.
Where am I? Know thy user Get organized or get lost Online Learning Magazine – October 2001 to January, 2002	Three articles by Patti Shank of Online Learning Magazine. She discusses usability principles that she learned at HFI's seminar The Science and Art of Effective Web Design.
Tests Require Constant Feedback eWeek Magazine – January, 2002	Matt Hicks of eWeek Magazine interviewed HFI's Director of Training, Phil Goddard, in this piece on usability testing. Phil points out the need for different kinds of testing at various stages of the development cycle to create a successful Web site.mmm
How to make sure the customer comes first InfoWorld – October, 2001	In this article Mark Leon of InfoWorld discusses the relationship between development and usability. Hal Miller-Jacobs and Meena Venkateswaran of HFI are quoted. HFI's work with Staples.com is also presented.
A Singular Focus PC Magazine – September, 2001	Sarah L. Roberts-Witt of PC Magazine discusses the recent usability initiative of Staples.com. The article quotes HFI's CEO Eric Schaffer. This article also appeared on StickyMinds.com and under the title "Staples.com: Yeah, it's usable" on ZDNet.
Site Design as Business Decision PC Magazine – August, 2001	Sarah L. Roberts-Witt of PC Magazine discusses the recent usability initiative of CancerNet. The article credits HFI for helping with the site redesign and quotes HFI's CEO Eric Schaffer.
Making Your Site More Usable Office.com – March, 2001	James R. Dukart of Office.com interviews HFI's CEO Eric Schaffer about the hottest usability issues affecting e-commerce.
Imagine: You Complete Your Site and Then Discover.... You Forgot Accessibility Everyone.net newsletter – February, 2001	Bernard Sherman and Terence de Giere of HFI discuss how to handle an emerging requirement for Web design – accessibility. The US Government has mandated that all government sites must be accessible for disabled users by June 21, 2001. How will this affect your development programs?
Quickness and Usability Keys to Successful Web Sites Bank Systems and Technology Magazine – February, 2001	In this article Eric Schaffer, CEO of HFI, discusses the importance of usability in the world of online banking. "The essential questions are always: Can users learn the structures easily? Are there key functions missing? Which functions can be left out? Where are users getting stuck or confused? Do the component parts work well together?"
Karate Kid Meets the eLearning Business Machine LineZine's Learning in the New Economy – January 19, 2001	John Sorflaten of HFI wrote this article. He discusses the intelligent approach to elearning. "Good interface design is cheap when you consider not only the training it saves, but also the productivity increases it brings. Needless to say, even elearning applications can benefit from good interface design."
Company Utilizing Ergonomics to Design Award-Winning Web Sites ergoweb.com – January 2, 2001	Joan Guetschow of ErgoWeb outlines the seven awards won recently by HFI clients Dell.com, Staples.com, CancerNet, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Ergoweb.com is described as "the authoritative source for top breaking ergonomics news."
Logical Clicks are Better than Fewer Clicks Computer Sweden – November 23, 2000	Erik Geijer writes an opinion piece on the importance of a clear site structure. He recommends HFI's UI Design Update newsletter for those who want the truth about design principles. The article is in Swedish: an English translation can be found here.
Latest hot trend tests usability of Web sites Advertising Age – October 3, 2000	Patricia Riedman of Advertising Age discusses the dangers of rushing to release an e-commerce site without doing usability testing. Features discussions with Harley Manning of Forrester Research, Donn Seidholz, CEO of Net in Focus, and Jay More, President of HFI.
Human Factors Aims to Fix the Feel of the Web Investor's Business Daily – October 2, 2000	Julie Mitchell of Investor's Busines Daily discusses human factors engineering with HFI CEO Eric Schaffer in their Internet and Technology section.
The Human Factor – Engineers focus on site usability Computer Reseller News – August 28, 2000	Reporter Amy Rogers interviews HFI President Jay More for an article in CRN's column on Upstarts and Start-Ups. Jay discusses the scientific approach that HFI takes to improving Web sites.
Five Steps to Unlocking a Web Site's Potential – pdf file – (134K) IT Professional – July/August, 2000	Ed Israelski, former HFI Chief of Technical Staff, Eastern Region, presents a systematic approach to the application of human factors principles to ensure customer satisfaction. (© 2000 IEEE. This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by IEEE. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by IEEE's copyright.)
Usability Testing – Use It or Lose It NewMedia.com – May 31, 2000	Writer Celia Skipton talks with HFI Project Director Cathy Gaddy and Senior Specialist Ross Moser on the value of usability testing.
A Better Way For Web Design Information Week – May 1, 2000	Eric Schaffer, CEO of HFI, gives his opinion on user-centered design in an opinion piece for Information Week.
Web Accessibility for the Disabled Washington Technology – May 1, 2000	HFI Project Director John Sorflaten, Account Executive Ed Frease, and Technical Specialist Terence de Giere are quoted in this article that discusses recent laws on Web accessibility for the disabled.
Often, the bells and whistles backfire Monitor on Psychology – April, 2000	Catherine Gaddy, Ph.D. discusses how human factors psychologists are intervening to make Web sites more user-friendly. This is a publication of the American Psychological Association.
National Cancer Institute revamps Web site CNN – November, 1999	Hal Miller-Jacobs of HFI guided the usability engineering effort for the redesign of CancerNet, the Web site of the National Cancer Insititute. This is an article on the new design that appeared on CNN.com and in Federal Computer Week.
Art.com Paints a Clearer Picture for Shoppers CIO Web Business Magazine – October 1, 1999	Art.com adds new user-centered features to its site after some help from Human Factors International with usability testing.
The Emperor's New Web Site Intranet Design Magazine	HFI directors Eric Schaffer and John Sorflaten show that crafting an effective Web site takes more than HTML & animated GIFs. This humorous essay will help you avoid four usability pitfalls – or keep your contractor from making them.