Chris Rourke

I am a user experience consultant and Director of User Vision, a leading consultancy providing usability testing, user profiling, information architecture, eye tracking, accessibility and training services.
Prior to starting User Vision, I was a senior consultant for a leading human factors consultancy in London and have worked for clients throughout the UK, Europe and the US. I have applied usability / human factors to improve software, websites and products for a wide range of clients, both commercial and public sector including Dell Computers, Royal Bank of Scotland, Intelligent Finance, Scottish Widows, Emirates Airline, Pfizer, Hewlett Packard, NCR, Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), Scottish Enterprise, Aberdeen City Council, Leeds City Council, IKEA and more
See more: http://www.uservision.co.uk

The revolution will not be personalised…or will it?

Che Guevara Spraffl

Creating and curating a public persona through social media can be powerful, but would you tweet differently if you were anonymous?

A new social media tool lets you do that and could bring an interesting and controversial twist to social media.

by Chris Rourke 20 December 2012 10:46am 0 comments

The Four Seasons site is beautiful, but not for disabled users

The press release announcing Four Season’s new site states that it was "thoughtfully designed...to deliver an immersive and effortless experience tailored to every user".

But shouldn't that include disabled users?

The Four Seasons site review focusing on web usability highlighted some important shortcomings in terms of the booking process and other areas, and briefly mentioned some of the accessibility issues.

Here we take a closer look at some of these and the actions that should have been taken to truly make the site available and usable to every user.

by Chris Rourke 08 February 2012 14:20pm 3 comments

RNIB gets tough with bmibaby over accessibility

The RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) has decided to sue BMI Baby over its failure to deal with the poor accessibility of its website.

This is not the first time that accusations of poor web accessibility have been levelled at an airline, and it is no surprise that travel websites are an area of focus.

by Chris Rourke 31 January 2012 11:03am 2 comments

Could the Belgian agency 'pitch strike' happen in the UK or USA?

Belgian agencies recently 'went on strike' over overly time consuming pitch processes that threatened their commercial viability.

Would there be cause for that in the UK or US markets?

by Chris Rourke 03 March 2010 09:35am 6 comments

Little things mean a lot: Usability & the wonky tray table effect

Even relatively small usability problems can have a big effect on user experience and user confidence on your site, especially at crucial stages of the user journey.

by Chris Rourke 09 October 2009 10:28am 8 comments

Making your site recession proof through better usability

The recession is an extra obstacle to shopping online. To stop it from being insurmountable, you need to make sure you remove all the other barriers you can.

Last summer I asked if the downturn was leading to greater use of e-commerce? The answer then was 'yes'. The answer is still “yes”, only maybe more so now...

by Chris Rourke 14 September 2009 13:20pm 1 comment

The importance of visual affordance in hyperlink design

A slightly disturbing new trend seems to be happening in the world of interface design, requiring people to move their mouse around to tell what is a link and what is not.

When you start messing around with the basic building block of the web - the hyperlink – trouble is sure to follow.

by Chris Rourke 21 August 2009 12:05pm 19 comments

iPhone app review: Edinburgh Festivals Guide

Once a year Edinburgh’s population more than doubles with an influx of visitors arriving to take advantage of Edinburgh’s festival season.

A new iPhone app has many positive features to help punters through the maze of shows and venues, although some improvements can be made to support the user journey.

by Chris Rourke 17 August 2009 18:28pm 4 comments

Information visualisation and usability: Time is on your side

There is something beautiful about making complex information palatable, understandable and even attractive. As the the amount of data released into the world grows, this challenge of assimilating masses of information rapidly will also grow, and the skills of visual designers, information architects and statisticians should be appreciated.

by Chris Rourke 14 August 2009 10:17am 1 comment

Gaining equity in your site through improved user experience

One of the benefits of usability improvements is that they keep on delivering long after they are implemented, a compelling proposition for companies trying to make the most of their online traffic and conversions.

I regularly need to discuss the benefits of usability in the context of a specific company’s online business goals.

by Chris Rourke 06 July 2009 11:30am 1 comment