Welcome to the May 2008 issue of ZooNews, from professional Web site design company Zoonini Web Services.

I've spent much of this month on a wide variety of Web sites stuck in what I've dubbed "interface hell." Literally hours this May alone have been endured trying in vain to do some fairly simple things, made needlessly frustrating by poor usability (more on this term in GeekSpeak below). For example:

• when trying to book tickets for a specific concert on an orchestra's site, I naturally used their concert-search feature. Not only was I not able find the one I was looking for, the search results were cluttered with 2006 shows that have long since come and gone! I resorted to going to general ticket purveyor Admission.com, where the concert was much more easily found.

• when endeavouring to place an ad using a local newspaper's online garage-sale classified system, I was pleased to see they offered a discounted 2-day ad package. Then, not so pleased as there was no way to enter the two dates of the sale – the system only accepted a single date! I resorted to phoning them the next business day, when they apologized for the lack of logic and promised to pass the information along to those who handle such things.

• when trying to renew a subscription to a magazine online, the option for renewing was nowhere to be found, even though the site kept promising that I would be able to renew in a snap. Now I'll have to take time out of my work day to call them during business hours.

• when attempting to post my first Craig's List classified ad, it would not appear in the listings, no matter what I did, even though it appeared to go through fine when submitted. Asking for help in the message board designed for that purpose was also an absolute confusing nightmare. All I could wonder is, if someone like me – who considers herself fairly tech-savvy and pretty comfortable with many kinds of online interfaces – is finding this a frustrating, overly complicated experience, what must it be like for the average Jill or Joe?

Aside from the aggravation in not being able to complete seemingly simple tasks online – especially since the sites in question are supposedly there expressly to help you accomplish these tasks – experiences like these actually eat away at company profits. Instead of having their automated systems handle such menial tasks, in two of the cases above, I've had to use a customer service representative's (and my own!) time to complete what should have been a straightforward online transaction.

Given all this, I'm left wondering why so many sites don't make it easy for their users by working in a logical and user-friendly fashion. Many companies have obviously spent a lot of cash to build an interactive or e-commerce-enabled site, yet the basics of their system are confusing, frustrating, and surely drive away potential customers.

It's not all bad news, though. This month I also bought my first CD from CD Baby – a smooth, easy, dare I say it, entirely pleasant experience. One of the things that struck me was that I was not forced to create an account in order to buy something – choosing a password was optional, and only offered as a choice once the transaction was complete. I also spent a rather agreeable minute posting an ad on Kijiji – another free online classifieds service. What a breeze: it worked the way it was supposed to, was intuitive, clear and simple. The ad appeared instantly, and looked as expected. Lessons to be learned here!

Usability is the industry term that covers what we've been discussing above. Though I talked about usability back in November 2006's ZooNews I thought it was well worth mentioning again. I still like the Wikipedia definition, which describes usability as "the elegance and clarity with which the interaction with a computer program or a web site is designed." In other words, if a site frustrates people because it's unintuitive and doesn't work the way it seemingly should, it's cursed with "bad usability." If, on the other hand, users are able to find what they're looking for quickly and able to complete transactions smoothly, it's blessed with "good usability."

Got a technology term you'd like demystified in ZooNews? Send it to questions@zoonini.com.

Mere weeks after launching our site remake for Camp Nominingue, a camp for boys operating in Quebec's Laurentians since 1925, we are pleased to see it already achieving outstanding Google rankings. It currently holds the #1 spot for 'boys camp Laurentians,' 'boys camp Quebec' and 'boys camp Montreal,' and has even reached #2 for 'camp Laurentians'! The new site boasts a multitude of improvements: easy-to-read, optimized Web copy from our partner A.C. Riley Communications, a streamlined navigation structure making information easier to find, and beefed-up content, not to mention a colourful new design full of fabulous photos showcasing all aspects of camp life, including the stunning Laurentians scenery.

Finally, in the category of "folks who are obviously not cut out for working in sales," I have to share my favourite recent Craig's List ad spotted in the endlessly-amusing Montreal > Free Stuff section:

Subject: Free Ugly Couch
Message: Free. Must pick up. Please note that I live on the 3rd floor with no elevator.
(accompanied by a photo proving the poster is really not kidding when they describe said couch as ugly)

Well if you put it like that, how can I possibly resist? ;-)

On the other hand, here's someone who knows how to accentuate the positive:

Subject: Lenny Kravitz (rue Ste-Famille)
Message: Life-size cut-out of Lenny Kravitz = instant popularity. It is taped together in a few places, but is still totally rad. Must find a home by May 3.

À la prochaine,

kp
aka Kathryn Presner