One of our clients Speedo handle this very well, by only asking 1st time shoppers if they would like to create a password and set-up their account on the order confirmation page.

The full article on Econsultancy entitled Reduce Checkout Abandonments and Increase Registrations has proved pretty popular, with a big number of comments and lots of advice and recommendations put forward, by both myself and some of the people commenting.

It has been a steep learning curve so far. Before starting, I was a purely procedural developer starting from scratch on every project, but I’ve learned how much content management frameworks such as Drupal can GREATLY increase productivity. I now find myself installing modules in seconds to add functionality to a site rather than spending hours attempting to reinvent the wheel and program things myself. However steep, this learning curve is the main reason I wanted this position at PRWD. I could tell from first reading the job description and meeting Paul that there will be a lot of opportunity for me to expand my skill set and further my development capabilities.

From studying Mathematics at university, I am used to solving the most complex of problems and I’m looking forward to applying these skills to develop smart, functional, but most importantly, usable web applications.

How I Came To Read REWORK

Many thanks must go to Dan Donald (links at the end) for recommending REWORK to me. It was only recently that we moved beyond having online only communication through my blog and Twitter to actually meeting up and talking all things work and social.

Overview

With a front page quote from Seth Godin of “Ignore this book at your peril”, after a speedy delivery from Amazon (following a not so enjoyable buying experience) I dived straight in to the book and immediately knew it was 10 quid well spent. Written by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the two founders of 37signals, REWORK (Change the way you work forever) delivers a wide range of tips and recommendations of how todays starters (they hate the word entrepreneurs, see p28) should ignore traditional wisdom about starting and/or running a business, and instead, do things differently.

And it works. Perfectly.

Split down into a wide range of topic areas, such as progress, productivity, competitors, evolution and promotion, if you read the book from start to finish you will experience a worthwhile journey of insights and methods which fit very well together.

Where REWORK excels is in providing so many different tips, techniques and words of wisdom which will relate to so many business owners, frustrated employees and everyone in between. My approach was to first read the book from start to finish first, taking as much in without getting too hung up any particular topic or tip.

So enthused at the sheer amount of situations, challenges and statements that I could relate to, I was soon going back through the book with my trusty highlighter and mini post-it notes, picking out all the key themes, quotes and tips which were most relevant to me in my micro business.

Target Audience

When you read page 9 it appears that 37signals are targetting pretty much everyone, although having worked in a blue chip corporate business for over 8 years and now running a micro-business, I would summarise the target audience as follows:

Anyone either looking to start working for themself and anyone who is already running a business (particularly those that are small enough to be able change its culture, employee relationships and business approach).

Readibility

With generous line spacing, a decent size font and a clever use of illustrations, REWORK is easy to read without feeling like you are getting in to bed with a deep novel. The way in which the chapters are each split in to 1 or 2 page sub-sections ensures that you never feel like you are wasting too much time reading about a topic which just simply don’t relate to you. Within 30 seconds you are moving on to the next section and seeing another illustration which provides more visual stimulation.

Some Of My Favourite Quotes

There are far too many to mention to any great length but here goes:

Whenever you can, swap “Let’s think about it” for “Let’s decide on it”. Commit to making decisions. Don’t wait for the perfect solution. Decide and move forward… You’re as likely to make a great call today as are tomorrow.

Embrace the idea of having less mass. Right now, you’re the smallest, the leanest and the fastest you’ll ever be.

Hire managers of one. Managers of one are people who can come up with their own goals and execute them. They don’t need heavy direction.

Rockstar environments develop out of trust, autonomy, and responsibility. They’re a result of giving people the privacy, workspace and tools that they deserve. Great environments show respect for the people who do the work and how they do it.

Send people home at 5. You want busy people. People who have a life outside of work. People who care about more than one thing. You shouldn’t expect the job to be someones entire life – at least not if you want to keep them around for a long time.

Summary

REWORK is a must read (IMO) for many people who work for themself or who also have people working for them. It doesn’t hold back on opionions and if there isn’t at least 10% of the books ideas which you can relate to and genuinely ‘change the work forever’ then I’ve got to admit, if I was looking for a job I don’t think working for you would get the best out of me!

How Much

It will cost you between £5 and £10 dependant on where you live and where you buy it from. If this hasn’t come across in the review already, I recommend the investment 100% and I would have spent more than this if it was more expensive.

Where To Buy

I recommend either Amazon US or UK or The Book Depository, and if you are interested in usability you might like to read my article ‘Amazon Relying on Brand Credibility Rather Than Good Usability‘ which looks at both these retailers.

A Few Useful Links

• the official REWORK website
• Signal versus Noise, 37Signals ‘quite’ popular blog
• http://basecamphq.com, their project management tool that we use daily
• Highrise, their online CRM which we use daily
• Dan Donald, who without his recommendation I would not have been writing this review

Your Review?

Our blog doesn’t get many comments usually, but I’d be made up if a few of you could provide your own mini review or comments of REWORK. I hope this review has helped make up the mind of a few people also to take the plunge!

• Developments at PRWD
• Our Clients Drapers & Speedo
• UX Designer Job

New developments at PRWD

Over the last month there have been a few developments at PRWD. Firstly, Rob decided it was time for him to move on, and he finished at the end of May to go Drupal contracting down in London. Rob is working on one of Europe’s largest Drupal developments, and there is more on Rob’s departure on our blog.

After what can only be described as a fruitless search for a suitable replacement for Rob, I was delighted to meet Lewis Marshall for the first time on the 3rd June.

Although Lewis isn’t (as yet) as commercially experienced as some of the other developers I met with, once I met him I was 100% assured that his natural talents and abilities will be of even more benefit to me and PRWD than if he would have had years and years of experience.

Lewis was also the only candidate out of the 8 that I saw during the recruitment process who actually referenced the job description and the position on offer in his CV – this initial bit of genuine interest in the role that Lewis provided proved to be a valuable marker in me establishing his suitability to work alongside me at PRWD.

View more on Lewis, including a lovely photo which he forced me to include in the post (or was that me trying to add more personality into the post, I’m not sure!).

Drapers and Speedo Come Calling

Over the past few weeks I’ve been delighted to have both Drapers and our existing client Speedo come to us requesting services and insights.

Keely Stocker, Online Editor at Drapers, asked whether I would mind contributing to an article she was writing entitled ‘Lead Them Into Temptation’. I duly obliged and you can read details of the printed article online.

Speedo came to us to request an expert e-commerce usability evaluation of their brand store, and this project is currently underway. I’m really looking forward to seeing my recommendations implemented in order to test and optimise their conversion rates.

User Experience Designer – Still Waiting For Mr/Mrs Right

We are still recruiting the a User Experience Designer, although based on the last 2 months search we could well still be looking for the right person in another 3 months. Full job details are here in case you know anyone that may be looking.

Until next month, enjoy the football and lets hope we get some decent BBQ weather!

PRWD

Drapers Online Editor Keely Stocker planned and wrote the article, and I was asked to provide input on the following:

• What should retailers be looking at when analysing conversion?
• What are the most important elements retailers should be looking at enhancing in order to improve conversion?
• What are the most common mistakes made when it comes to the conversion process?

I must admit I went to town on providing a wide range of tips and advice to Keely, without realising the size of the article, but at least I gave her enough to work with!

To view the full article you do need to be subscriber to Drapers, and you can subscribe online.

Finally thanks to my friend and fashion expert Leon-Bailey Green for recommending Keely asks me to provide my input into this article. I recommend taking a look at Leon’s online fashion agency too…

I am delighted to introduce Lewis Marshall into my business as my new developer and right hand man.

I took Lewis on after he was presented to me by a local recruitment consultant. Although Lewis isn’t (as yet) as commercially experienced as some of the other developers I met with, once I met Lewis I was 100% assured that his natural talents and abilities will be of even more benefit to me and PRWD than if he would have had years and years of experience.

Lewis was also the only candidate out of the 8 that I saw during the recruitment process who actually referenced the job description and the position on offer in his CV – this initial bit of genuine interest in the role that Lewis provided proved to be a valuable marker in me establishing his suitability to work alongside me at PRWD.

In terms of the stages of recruitment, prior to meeting Lewis I had been having 1st interviews lasting between 1 and 2 hours with developers, with a 2nd stage interview planned in with a few of them. Due to the importance of this role for me, with the new person playing an integral role not just in developing websites and applications but also in helping to drive my business forward, I was convinced that I would need to meet each person at least twice in order to make a considered decision.

This all changed when I met Lewis, as I ended up offering him the position towards the end of our first meeting (on saying this it did last over 4 hours in total, so you could say this was 2 meetings back-to-back). In addition we did go a few drinks as part of this initial meeting, which for both of us was an important indictor as to whether we could work alongside each other and generally just get on well together.

What remains for me to say now is that I’m really looking forward to working with Lewis in a wide range of areas, and personally I’m truly excited at providing Lewis with the opportunities for him to really start fulfilling his potential.

Along with thanking Rob in person for his significant contribution to the development and sales growth of my business during his time with me, I’d like to take this online opportunity to thank Rob for all his hard work.

Being a micro business working through a recession, with a proposition which as yet isn’t in too much demand, especially in the North West of England, has meant we certainly experienced a rollercoaster ride over the past 2 years. Thankfully, as our December 2009 newsletter demonstrated, last year was actually more successful than we dared to imagine at the time.

Amongst Rob’s many technical achievements, including BenchmarkingApp, our user-centered design Adobe AIR application and the Drupal website for our client ResPublica, the Conservative Party Think-tank run by David Cameron’s philispher king Phillip Blond, I was very proud to see Rob presenting at a variety of events to showcase his technical and commercial skills. Prior to joining me I think Rob would be one of the first to say that speaking in front of large audiences wasn’t somthing he was looking to start doing! One such presentation was at an Adobe AIR event, where Rob spoke about designing business systems with Adobe AIR.

I wish all the very best in his new Drupal consultant role and if you are looking for a Drupal expert in London then Rob is your man! I’m sure our paths will cross in the future too…

Onwards and Upwards

Having replaced Rob, we are looking forward to continuing with Rob’s fine work by developing more user-centered websites using both Drupal and Magento E-commerce.

• Jobs at PRWD
• Financial Sector Training
• Retail Sector Training
• All Sectors Usability Training
• Google Analytics Training
• SME Masterclass
• Usability Testing

Developer and Designer Required

We are still currently advertising for the following positions. Take a look to view details and please pass on if you know anyone who might be interested.

• PHP Developer
• User Experience Designer

Financial Sector – Usability and User Experience Training

This intensive course is aimed at financial companies and banking institutions who are looking to identify opportunties where they can improve the conversion rates of their websites. This can include account application processes, credit card application processes, loans, mortgages and savings accounts.

View full details of the training course and how to book

Retail Sector – Usability and E-commerce Best Practice Training

Usability for e-commerce sites is one of the largest contributors to customer conversion and retention rates. Can you afford not to be following best practice?

The course objective is to expose and explain a wide range of vital best practice techniques taken from SME and blue chip retailers which you can implement into your organizations’ own e-commerce platform in order to drive improvements of conversion rates.

Focusing on 3 key stages of the buying journey, Product Page, Shopping Basket and the Checkout Process, this training course will provide you with a wealth of knowledge and industry-leading insights that can be utilised to make iterative usability improvements to your e-commerce platform.

View full details of the training course and how to book

All Sectors – Usability and User Experience Training

Many website owners are identifying usability as a primary way for them to improve online revenue. In particular businesses are looking at ways to improve the ROI they get from their acquisition spend.

This training course aims to give a solid foundation to this wide-ranging subject through case studies taken from ecommerce and non-commercial websites as well as hands-on experience through workshops on the key principles of usability and user experience. This full day in-house training course is also delivered for Econsultancy.

View full details of the training course and how to book

All Sectors – Advanced Google Analytics Training

This training provides you and your team with the knowledge of how best to use Google Analytics on an on-going basis to gain the most valuable visitor insights and commercial value

View full details of the training course and how to book

SME Masterclass – Generating More Leads and More Sales from your Website

Paul delivers this masterclass aimed at SME’s looking at ways in which they can improve the performance of their websites and online marketing activities.

We have a Masterclass page onto our website which:

• Explains what the masterclass is about
• Provides a range of testimonials from people that have attended so far
• Provides some sample slides
• Provides details of what you will learn
• Provides examples of who should attend

View full details of the masterclass and how to book

E-commerce Usability Testing Case Study

We have recently published the case study of the usability testing project we carried out for online fashion retailer Isabella Oliver.

View full details of the usability testing case study.

The fact that I would repeat the usability tests in the future is testament to the invaluable findings from the tests and the level of expertise provided by PRWD.

Claire McNulty, Senior Marketing Manager

Background

Isabella Oliver was launched in 2003, and has since become home to two essential women’s wear collections; Isabella Oliver Maternity and Isabella Oliver 365.

The brand was founded by Baukjen de Swaan Arons, Vanessa Knox-Brien and Geoff van Sonsbeeck; three passionate individuals whom aspired to create a clothing brand that women would love to wear.

Isabella Oliver trialled usability testing in the past without much success, so they were looking for a usability testing project which would identify significant improvements on how they deliver their e-commerce proposition and overall user experience.

Objectives

PRWD were asked to plan, deliver and present a usability testing project with a small sample of women who match their target audience. The test sessions were to be observed so the Isabella Oliver project team could gain the most valuable customer insights.

Approach

PRWD carried out a range of activities to deliver the results required: -

• Identifying users who best fit the target demographics
• Determining key tasks and journeys which users will be asked to experience
• Encouraging users to think out loud for the most valuable insights
• Ensuring project team can observe each test session
• Allowing additional questions to be asked at the end of each session
• Capturing both audio and visual feedback from each session
• Asking each user to complete a satisfaction survey at the end of their session
• Delivering a final presentation and detailed report of the findings and recommendations

Scenarios, Journeys and Questions

There were three key scenarios that were developed which would provide key user insights, and each scenario presented a range of opportunities to ask timely questions:

1) Initial customer experience – what does this retailer do, what are your first impressions, what are you thoughts on the range and quality on offer
2) The purchase journey – what ways do you typically browse a fashion website, what are important factors in making a decision, where is delivery and returns information
3) Advice and inspiration – how important are rating and reviews, where would you look to be inspired, how important is style advice and recommendations

For each user additional questions from the Isabella Oliver team observing the usability tests were also captured and asked at the end, which provided further unique customer insights.

Deliverables and Results

Prior to the final report and recommendations being presented, the Isabella Oliver team had already made improvements to the website by simply having observed users during the test sessions.

Following the test sessions PRWD delivered a presentation to the team supported by a comprehensive usability testing report, identifying a wide range of high prioriy recommendations to improve the usability and user experience of the e-commerce website.

Isabella Oliver are continuing to improve their website based on the recommendations.

Testimonials

PRWD delivered a particularly insightful review of the Isabella Oliver website, whilst being a pleasure to work with. Overall they were professional, thorough and responsive to Isabella Oliver’s requests.

Zoe Pearson, Marketing Manager

The fact that I would repeat the usability tests in the future is testament to the invaluable findings from the tests and the level of expertise provided by PRWD.

Claire McNulty, Senior Marketing Manager

Further Information

You can download a pdf of the e-commerce usability testing case study for Isabella Oliver, and if you would like more information on our usability services please give us a call on 0161 918 6729.

PRWD have delivered exactly what was required of the project and done so in an extremely efficient way.

The information gained from respondents, both qualitative and quantitative, helped to reinforce the need for change and gave a clear direction for travel.

David Boardman, Communications Director

Objectives

Provide usability consultancy and user research to identify improvements to Hyde Housing’s intranet system, Hydewide.

This was the first such research carried out on the usability of Hydewide, and would form a major part of the future development strategy for the intranet.

PRWD were asked to conduct a range of qualitative and quantitive research into the usability of Hydewide, in order to produce a report detailing potential usability improvements.

Background

Hyde Housing Group is one of the UK’s largest housing associations, managing over 43,000 properties, principally located across the South of England. Hyde employs over 1,600 staff, based at their Head Office in London and at branch offices in a wide variety of locations. Hyde also coordinates with local and national government agencies.

Hyde’s intranet system, Hydewide, provides vitally important information to staff members and helps to keep staff across the group in touch with each other and with the latest developments. Prior to PRWD’s involvement, the intranet had grown organically with no user testing or usability analysis.

What We Did

PRWD carried out extensive user research, using the following methods: -

• Interviews and user testing, with employees from across the group
• In-depth questionnaire sent out to all employees
• Expert evaluation of Hydewide, carried out by Paul Rouke

The interviews involved visiting several locations, including London, Peterborough, Southampton and Brighton. The staff members interviewed held a range of different positions within the group and had different perspectives on the usability of Hydewide as it related to their role. The interviews involved building trust and confidence, ensuring that all interviewees offered their thoughts. Where possible, interviews also included ‘guerilla’ user testing, where users carried out simple tasks using Hydewide in order to identify problems.

The questionnaire was designed in collaboration with Hyde’s Communications Department and the internal Communications Champions, staff members who have special responsibility for supporting change and improvement within the group.

The expert evaluation was based on a comparison of Hydewide to industry-standard best practices, identifying weaknesses in the concept, design or implementation of the intranet.

Finally, all these findings were collated into a detailed report and presentation for Hyde’s executive management team.

Results and Next Steps

The questionnaire received a response rate in excess of 20%, and along with the enthusiastic response of staff members in interviews, provided valuable feedback from Hydewide users. Many of the findings from user feedback were supported by the expert evaluation, which identified many similar improvements and others beyond.

The final recommendations were divided into three categories, based on the extent of work required to implement them – quick wins, improvements and new developments. This provided immediate actions to be taken, some of which were implemented immediately.

The report now forms part of the plan for future development of Hydewide, and the process of staff involvement has ensured that staff throughout the business are fully behind the planned changes.

Client Testimonials

PRWD have delivered exactly what was required of the project and done so in an extremely efficient way.

The information gained from respondents, both qualitative and quantitative, helped to reinforce the need for change and gave a clear direction for travel.

The reporting enabled us to highlight quick wins together with a vision for longer term improvements.
The feedback from the people who were involved in the analysis was extremely positive. They all felt that Paul and Rob were approachable and really understood their needs.
The resulting report was presented to the senior managers and the recommendations approved.

It was a pleasure working with PRWD and I would highly recommend them to add value and deliver real results.

David Boardman, Communications Director

It was especially useful to get feedback from the interviews as colleagues seemed to be more
candid with PRWD so hopefully gave a real insight and so will appreciate changes made even more.

PRWD’s professionalism and knowledge has made this project a pleasure to undertake and I am confident that the resulting information will prove invaluable to the development of our intranet.

Ruth Appiah, Communications Manager

Further Information

You can download a pdf of the usability case study for the Hyde Group, and if you would like more information on our usability services please give us a call on 0161 918 6729.