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What is Web Site-ings?
Web Site-ings is designed to deliver practical advice to technology, business, and new media executives responsible for their Web sites' effectiveness. Each week we'll point to 3 smart executions of basic Web principles (using Gartner's Web Evaluation Tool). We provide clear, actionable recommendations about best practices in site design, site functionality, and creating customer value.

Usability Principle: 3.2l
Decision support functionality
smartmoney.com
Date: 22 February 2002

Why it works:

The 401K planner at smartmoney.com combines vital information about 401Ks and helpful interactive worksheets all in one place. Smartmoney.com covers all the pertinent topics to help people make better-informed decisions about their 401K plan, from the five things you must know to seven ways to lobby your employer for a better 401K plan. Determining a 401K investment strategy takes time, involves varying degree of learning and consideration, and occurs both online and offline.

Smartmoney.com understands this process and provides useful accommodations such as letting you save your data within the interactive 401K worksheets. This demonstrates a crucial point: in order to provide value, interactive features must do more than just work, they must make sense and appropriately fit the process and tasks people are trying to accomplish ? both online and off.

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Usability Principle: 3.1e
Clear and concise wording
quicken.com
Date: 22 February 2002

Why it works:

Figuring out a retirement strategy and doing the math can seem daunting. Quicken.com simplifies the process by organizing its online retirement calculators according to key questions in clear and simple terms that everyone without an accounting degree can understand. For example, Quicken.com calculators are presented according to questions like "How much will your 401K be worth in the future?" and "How will inflation and taxes affect your investments?"

Clear and concise wording and terms that make sense to the people who use a Web site (not just the people who built it) are crucial.

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Usability Principle: 2.3a
Registration/membership required?
Yahoo! Finance
Date: 22 February 2002

Why it works:

Few things are more important to protect and keep secure than your personal financial data. Yahoo! Finance takes all of the necessary precautions and above-average security measures. To use the online financial tools, Yahoo! Finance requires Yahoo! Membership — plus registration for a security key since the tools are part of a secured section of Yahoo! Registration often seems inconvenient, if not a turn-off for most users, but Yahoo! keeps the process simple and does not require more than what's necessary to ensure security.

Likewise, whenever registration or membership is required (and it should be whenever personal information is concerned), keep the process simple and only require information that is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, your offering will seem inconvenient and of lesser value.

Find out more about Gartner Usability Services

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