Web User Experience Blog

GeoTrust has launched a brand new product called the Web Site Anti-Malware Scan, which scans and alerts users to potential malware on their systems. This is in addition to its existing SSL Seal for confirming a website's identity.

Seal designs are tricky in many ways. First of all, there is limited space into which many elements need to fit. It's also important to find the right balance between a vivid, noticeable seal, and a subtle, attractive design. The goal is that site visitors see the seal and gain confidence in the safety it provides, but that the seal should not be too visually strong or over-powering on a site where it competes with the site's main content.

The requirements for Anti-Malware Seal were to fit all the elements into a space of 115 by 55 pixels - i.e. the GeoTrust logo, a visual representation of the product, a short description, and a date stamp. Fitting and balancing the GeoTrust logo with the other elements in the seal proved to be challenging as the logo has a very strong visual presence and the limited real estate was difficult to work within. Finding the best image of the product was not easy either. I made many variations of malware bugs, street signs, chemical hazard icons, etc. but none seemed to work. When we finally came up with the idea of using the text "MALWARE" in combination with a street sign meaning "NO", we made a break-through. The representation was clear and effective.

Finally, creating a running light-effect on the "SCANNED" text ONLY added an element of visibility and sophistication while providing the final finishing touch for a seal of approval.

Posted by Izabella Csaszar at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Designing a user interface which is solid yet flexible has definite advantages. From time-to-time your interface can and will be put to the test - whether it's something that has to go-live immediately, an update to its branding, a request to accommodate something that doesn't quite fit your model, incorporating a new feature or functionality that's cool but tricky, making something work globally, and the list goes on.

There are many challenges your interface is likely to encounter in its existence and needs to be able to accommodate. Clearly, doing a full-on redesign every time you need to make a change is neither practical nor possible. The interface needs to be adaptable. And, striking the right balance between the usability of the interface and accomplishing your latest UI mission-impossible is critical to the user experience of your interface.

In the course of its lifetime, your interface is likely to be stretched to its limits, it's original rules abused and broken and new ones created, and additions made to it which can seem like extra appendages. It happens to the best of interfaces. The idea, however, is to ensure your interface can stand the test of time. As while you can't plan for what you don't know, you can design your interface to be flexible, adaptable, and scalable - to accommodate the unknown. For example, don't fill every inch of real estate with content, leave room for an extra tab, think hierarchy, and design with CSS in mind. But most of all, have fun with it :)!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 6:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last week, we refreshed the GeoTrust homepage to improve the clarity of the content for enterprise SSL. Previously, the enterprise content was being displayed repetitively through multiple pathways. However, this did not provide any additional value. Under the main banner, the content was being displayed in a content box and graphic directly beneath it.

Now, we have condensed the duplicated content into a promotional graphic to reduce the time to the enterprise SSL page. The graphic is front and center, so you will be able to quickly learn more about the enterprise SSL program. During the content revamp, we have also replaced the partners content box with a new graphic about the reseller program.

Additionally, we have revamped the content in the quick links and the existing customers boxes on the right side of the homepage. Content in the old existing customers box was already being displayed in the buy SSL Certificates box, so we removed these repetitive links. The former 'quick links' box has been renamed and now houses the links for existing customers.

The footer now displays the "Glog" (GeoTrust Blog) icon next to the other social media channels.

Let us know what you think in the comments below...

Posted by Rich Lam at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The below is the earliest known screenshot captured of what the first-ever website looked like.

This early creation still represents the basic tenets of good design and usability. For instance, it is highly readable and provides great contrast with a very basic white background and black text. There is no gratuitous imagery. It utilizes the times roman font-face at a legible font-size. There are blue, underlined links clearly defined which we have all come to recognize as clickable. The page is written concisely with information-carrying words hyperlinked - notice there are no "click here's". And, I bet it scales to any resolution, is cross-browser compatible, and is mobile-browser friendly :).

Twenty years later from when this web page first went live, it is still a winner in terms of ease of use and usability.

(Image sources: info.cern.ch and BusinessInsider)

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Firefox 5 web browser is now available. This latest version of the Mozilla browser offers some interesting features which are useful for designers and developers alike and ultimately beneficial to end-users.

Firefox 5 (FF5) provides support for new CSS3 styling features like CSS animations, allowing more capability for leveraging style sheet elements. FF5 also now has an upgraded graphics engine which renders text and graphics faster and sharper and automatically color-corrects images to display exactly as the image data intended. There is also support for open font formats like WOFF, TrueType, and OpenType which means that any font type - regardless of if it is installed on users' computers - will render true to type. This eliminates any limitations around using web-ready only fonts for Firefox users. Additionally, FF5 is providing HTML5 support for video which enables the use of the high-quality video compression WebM format for playing high-def HTML5 video.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We just launched a redesign of the Code Signing Certificates landing page. Our key objectives were to bring the products above the fold, reduce page-to-page clicks where necessary, and surface the requirements for each signing product. We had heard from our customers that we needed to increase awareness of the purchasing requirements and process.

We increased the width of the content area by virtue of eliminating the right channel. We added an interactive banner at the top of the page and integrated the code signing intro video which was previously relegated to the right rail. The banner communicates the value proposition of choosing Symantec over other Code Signing providers. Additionally, we implemented our custom corporate font using the @font-face CSS property which was being tested internally.

Code signing products now display horizontally in a single row, which allows users to view the various code signing certificates available from Symantec. We have also surfaced the system requirements and enrollment process information which was previously buried in the product details page. Now, users will clearly see what is required for each product type before going through the purchasing process. Each product tab will have this information accessible next to its features overview.

Further down on the page, we've integrated value-add info such as customer case studies in an auto-rotating carousel, links to supporting info, awards won, and calls to action for new and existing customers.

Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Posted by Rich Lam at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Overview:
The VeriSign Seal is an important offering for the company as well as a symbol of trust for many online. As we started to offer more ways customers could get the seal, it introduced some confusion. Customers can either buy the seal by itself or buy an SSL Certificate which includes the seal.

Problem:
The VeriSign Seal page has two main goals - one, to help customers understand the two options for getting the seal and what the differences are; and two, to help them install the seal. The modifications we made the the existing page did not seem to be addressing this clearly enough. The first call to action on the page was to install the seal which seemed to suggest you could simply install the seal without purchasing it. And, the second call to action was to buy SSL Certificates which seemed to be divergent from the subject of the page as it didn't provide enough context as to why it located there.

Solution:
As a result, this section of the page was redesigned to clearly address the goals of the page and needs of users. Following the concept of a new versus returning user, we split out the content between new customers looking to buy a seal versus existing customers who had already bought a seal and simply needed to install it. This transactional box provides the two options for buying a trust seal and an explanation of the main differences between the options. The content is positioned as answers to questions "Need a VeriSign Seal?" and "Ready to Install Your Seal?". The seal installation language and label on the call to action button were simplified to more user-friendly language. Instead of things like 'create script' and 'get the seal installation script', we've opted for "Ready to Install Your Seal?" and "Install Seal".

The column headers of the table which provide a deep dive of the options for buying a seal, now provide more context. Instead of jumping directly into SSL Certificates, it now provides information as to how buying an SSL Certificate helps you get a Trust Seal - i.e. "VeriSign SSL Certificate Includes VeriSign Trust Seal" and instead of just "VeriSign Trust Seal", it now reads "VeriSign Trust Seal Only" making clear that this option gets you the Seal only and no SSL encryption.

See the changes: VeriSign Seal!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

About a week ago, we added new interactivity to the third banner on the GeoTrust homepage. Upon clicking on the projector graphic, visitors are presented with a modal overlay featuring an embedded video on how more Alexa top 1 million domains are using GeoTrust. It's an infotaining and engaging video. Enjoy!

Posted by Rich Lam at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Balancing between providing too much and too little information upfront, can seem like a bit of a high-wire act at times. Do you link to another page for more information or provide it by default at the risk of overwhelming users?

To inform our decision-making process in an instance where we encountered this, we conducted an A/B test to assess users' behaviors real-time. We had heard from our users that they wanted system information but were unsure how best to provide it. So, we tested two versions of the same page - one page had the system requirements information appear by default on the page (Experience A) and the other page had a hyperlink to a page with the system requirements (Experience B). In both experiences, this information was positioned in the same spot where it was contextually relevant to the 'buy' call to action. The system requirements is helpful information for users to successfully complete their purchases.

Fifty percent of the traffic to this page were served up Experience A and the other fifty percent saw Experience B. Once statistical significance on the test sample size was achieved, the results proved instructive and actionable. It showed that users preferred having the system requirements information appear by default versus clicking a link to navigate to a page with that information. The conversion rate was higher on the experience with the information displayed by default proving that convenience and ease of access was what users wanted.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

More purposeful and meaningful searches!

We just launched a user experience enhancement on the search utility on the VeriSign website. While by default the search feature still looks the same, it now functions a little differently.

If you click the search icon without inputting a search term, it no longer takes you to the search results page with results for the default search field copy "Search". Instead when you click the search icon, the cursor on-focuses into the Search text field clearing the default instructional copy "Search" and displays the blinking insertion point prompting you to input a search query. The experience is slightly different on some browsers where when you click the search icon without inputting a keyword, the default copy "Search" is highlighted. The highlight achieves the same desired effect of serving as a visual cue to input a term into the search text field.

By curbing the act of generating a search results page without inputting a search query, we are essentially preventing potential confusion and helping users to achieve better success in their search effort.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Serving up the @font-face property is still fairly rare on corporate sites, yet this treatment has been gaining popularity across the Web over the past year. Using @font-face replaces the need for creating graphics or flash to display a non-standard Web browser font.

Incorporating the custom font onto the VeriSign Authentication website is an opportunity to improve the user experience without taking away from the visual experience for users.

In this experiment, we converted the fonts into multiple web-friendly formats (e.g. WOFF, EOT, TTF, SVG) for cross-browser and mobile support. The next step was to apply our various font weights (regular, light, medium, and bold) to see them at different sizes. The result was that they looked great at larger font sizes but were not as sharp at smaller sizes. As in the screenshots below, the anti-aliasing of Web fonts will display differently for Windows and Mac users.

Posted by Rich Lam at 2:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

There is a lot of debate sometimes on whether to create a non-JavaScript (JS) version of a web page to support users without JS.

This can seem like a no-brainer initially as it would seem that everyone has JS enabled. The percentage of users online with JS disabled is a mere 2-3% depending on where you look. JS functionality is also supported on the mobile platform which is growing steadily. And besides, how unexciting would it be to traverse the web sans JS - imagine all the cool functionality you would miss!

All that aside though, site owners can sometimes only gleen analytics on users with JS enabled to improve the user experience. But, the reality is that some users just don't like JS for privacy reasons or they don't have JS support because they have an older or non-JS browser, etc.

However, much of it comes down to knowing your users. How many of them have JS disabled or are on non-JS supported browsers? The percentage might be higher or lower than the worldwide web average and the actual number of users may or may not be significant. Also, it depends on what locales the site serves as the number of users disabling JS varies even within the US and globally.

It is interesting to note that JS usage has been trending upwards. As well, the latest version of web markup, HTML 5, is supposedly able to achieve even more powerful capabilities and user experiences when paired with JS.

If at the end of a cost-benefit analysis it's decided not to create a non-JS version, what is the opportunity cost associated with this and is it significant? It's clearly ideal to plan for this from the outset and incorporate support for non-JS folks, but I don't think anyone would argue with focusing on creating the best possible experience for the majority of your users and working your way towards any edge cases.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We enjoy hearing from our users. We monitor user feedback daily which we receive via the handy "Feedback" link on our websites. We look forward to it and find it invaluable. Some of the feedback comes in foreign languages, some of it is spirited, and some indecipherable. But both the positive and negative feedback help us understand where we need to improve - which we take very seriously.

User feedback has helped us catch errors, understand how users use the sites and what they are looking for, improve user experiences, and address concerns. A good example of the latter is a comment we received just yesterday where a user's anti-virus software (and hopefully, it was Norton's) thought it had detected malware on a third-party widget on our sites. The comment was in German so after a quick Google Translate, it loosely translated to:

What we found was that it was only a false alarm thankfully. But other users probably had the same experience and had similar concerns; so, we very much appreciate this user bringing it to our attention. It gives us an opportunity to address the issue and continually improve the user experience.

So, thank you for your feedback and keep them coming. We ARE listening!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We recently simplified the search results page on VeriSign.com and some EMEA sites (Spain, Germany, Switzerland, U.K., and France). Now, results display without the "cached" link and page size. On further examination of these elements, they were not offering much value-add information to users when viewing the search results.

Future improvements are underway which will add more usefulness to the search results page and enhanced usability.

Posted by Rich Lam at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The latest version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 (IE) browser launched one week ago. Since, its debut, we have been seeing an adoption rate of 5.3% of users on VeriSign.com already on IE 9. And, compared to the previous week, there has been an approximately 3% drop in users to the site on IE 6 . While the percentage of IE 6 users on VeriSign.com is relatively small, the absolute number of users is still notable. Microsoft's IE 6 countdown site is a clear acknowledgment that this 10-year old version of the browser is steadily declining in usage. As of February, 2011, only 12.0% of the world was using Internet Explorer 6, which was 9 percentage points less than the previous year. IE 9, like Firefox, provides support for HTML 5 which eliminates the need for proprietary plug-ins and APIs for multimedia and graphical content. This is a huge user experience win.

Mozilla is also slated to roll out the latest version of it's Firefox 4 browser tomorrow, March 22.

VeriSign.com Homepage in IE9:

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 7:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Search is a popular feature on many sites. This is not surprising given the onslaught of search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and others. As a result, users have learned to search to find information they are seeking and this is no less the case on websites where search remains a common means of navigation.

While our site search has improved over the years, we have heard from our users on areas for improvement and are taking steps to achieve this.

We currently have a query suggestion capability where query terms are auto-suggested in a drop-down menu when a user starts typing into the search box and provides suggestions that complete the user's search query.

Additionally, we have recently added a popularity filtering feature. This is where links that were popular in similar searches are automatically up-leveled. The search engine uses the most popular search results of users to determine the top results that list for a query.

These changes enhance our search user experience to make it easy, useful, and intuitive.

Stay tuned for more improvements in our site search capabilities.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's a new "About Us" page on the site. This landing page was redesigned to reflect the changes we've recently undergone.

This section is very standard in that it provides information on who we are and what we do, provides in-links into the latest and greatest news about the company, awards we've received, our social media spaces to stay connected, and our global websites to serve you locally.

The page is designed to be clean, clear, and scannable. There are a few key messages which needed to be effectively communicated - about VeriSign Authentication, the acquisition, and the divestiture. By grouping similar information together, balancing the information hierarchy, and applying visual treatment, we were able to lay out the content in an easily consumable manner.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's a brand new year and a time for new beginnings. And with that, we are debuting a brand new homepage for VeriSign.com and putting forth a brand new face to the world.

As the company, brand, and user experience evolve, so is the homepage in response to these changes!

Design - More Visual and Intuitive
With the redesigned homepage, the end goal is to get the page working even harder in meeting the needs of our users. Through the use of thoughtful design and content, we have made changes to further improve the usability and usefulness of the homepage.

While the page is still structurally the same, it's the elements in the page and their layout which have changed. The overall design is a little punchier than the previous iteration, there a little more injection of color, and the page elements are clearly defined and more accessible.

Navigation - Reduced Number of Clicks
The major changes lie in the top navigation bar, the main banner, and the area under the banner. The top navigation bar now houses mega menus with text links categorized based on role and task, as well as promotional tiles to highlight specific areas of interest. We've also integrated a number of functional elements such as a partner login utility, the ability to search for support help, and a search function to check the status of your purchase orders. By maximizing the menu real estate, we were able to improve the usability and usefulness of the menu system by surfacing more relevant content and functionality, and reduce the number of clicks to the same information.

The main banner changes include improved functionality and messaging. Each of the four banners now auto-rotates through the individual messages as well as allows for manual rotation. The banner is also now programmed without the need for any external viewing plugins.

The screen real estate under the main banner is overall more user-friendly. It is more accessible, more compelling with larger and more impactful imagery, and less copy heavy.

Other changes include a brand new logo identity in light of the acquisition of the VeriSign Authentication business by Symantec, and the clearer positioning of the Trust Seal at the top right of the page header.

Content - Saying More With Less
Overall, the volume of content is lighter. While we are bubbling up more to the surface, there is less copy delivered in smaller, more scannable, and digestible chunks.

Check it out and let us know your feedback: www.VeriSign.com.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A brand new design of the Trust Seal landing page was launched yesterday! The new page is designed to be more inviting, informative, and actionable and ultimately improve the user experience. While the previous version of the page was clean and clear as part of the initial launch of the product, the next generation page is markedly evolved. The new layout is more dynamic, the color palette more vibrant, and the content more engaging!

More dynamic and engaging page! The main feature of the page is a social selling banner. This rotating banner at the top of the page features testimonials from actual customers explaining how the Trust Seal has helped their businesses. It provides instant proof points to visitors from their peers as to the value proposition of the Trust Seal thereby, allowing them to learn about the product, evaluate it, and make a buying decision.

The progress bar beneath the banner visually reinforces how the Trust Seal can help visitors accelerate their businesses. Iconography, color, and enlarged text add emphasis and visual interest to the message.

The video provides another medium for visitors to learn about the product in an engaging manner by listening to and watching a quick tour of the product.

Social media links to learn, share, and keep in touch with the Trust Seal Team and the community of users are also made easily accessible at the bottom right of the page.

Minimal copy for maximum impact! We've maintained - as with the previous iteration of this page - as little copy as possible. The aim was to maintain the integrity of this page as a gateway page into the more detailed explanatory pages and to communicate the main salient pieces of information without overwhelming visitors.

Check it out!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We've made some changes to the GeoTrust Website!

Cooler imagery + Multimedia + New messaging = New brand personality!

GeoTrust has always been an inexpensive, convenient, and reputable brand. And to further reinforce this, we've updated the site.

You'll now enjoy new content, new imagery, new lower pricing $$$, and more educational information such as in the resources section.

The imagery now reflects new photography integrated with hand-drawn elements. This new imagery strategy supports the content tone and personality. As well, the style is more real and puts a human face to the brand making it more personal and informal in nature.

The homepage now features an animated multi-message banner which effectively communicates multiple key takeaways at a glance while efficiently utilizes page real estate. Video featuring real people has also been incorporated to tell the GeoTrust story in an infotaining manner making the overall experience user-friendly and easy.

Navigate the new changes and let us know what you think!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 1:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In an effort to enhance your video viewing experience on our websites, we recently deployed a content delivery network (CDN) technology. The CDN is live on several sites including VeriSign.com and we are aiming to roll it out to the remaining sites. The results, thus far, have indicated a significant drop in video download time by half on average. This is a great benefit to the customer experience on our websites. Happy viewing!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In looking at the accordion on the right hand-side of our VeriSign homepage, we find that it performs relatively well. But we felt that "I need to" was more actionable than a more benign "Information for" label and perhaps we should switch the order of the two because the links which were displayed by default would get more clicks. So, we set out to test that theory.

We ran an A/B test and found that usefulness trumped accessibility. Despite the expectation that the panel of links which was exposed by default would get more clicks than links in collapsed panels, that was not the case. When the "Information for" panel was second and its links were therefore hidden by default, users still clicked on the links in that panel more than the exposed "I need to" links. So, despite the position of "Information for" - whether it was first or second - it was clear that users found the information in that panel more useful and were willing to seek it out even if it were hidden.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is a video which explains the basics of the VeriSign Trust Seal and how to manage your seal.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In an effort to optimize the effectiveness of the VeriSign.com homepage banner, we recently did some testing to maximize response rates. The homepage banner is a multi-message banner with four 'buttons' each representing four individual messages.

The Goal
The goal was to test which sequence of buttons was the most compelling and therefore, garnered the most clicks. We were not testing the copy, layout, imagery, or color palette as part of this test; this was previously done in usability testing.

The Test
Along with the control, we deployed different versions of the banner with the order of the first button being displayed varying. What we found was that the button positioned first (from left to right) always got the most number of clicks - likely by virtue of being the first and easiest and quickest to access, and the other three buttons got varying numbers of clicks.

The Results
The real-time results were interesting as they usually are. Of all the permutations, when the "Protect Yourself Online" button was displayed as the first button in the sequence, it not only got the most number of click-throughs but this is the offer that got the second most number of clicks in the test cells - in essence, producing the most improvement. As a result, we have launched this version of the banner which you can see live today on the homepage.

What this demonstrates is that sequence does matter! And in this case, the number one position is what matters. To get something noticed and clicked on, putting it as number one where users are reading from left to right, was the magic order - no real surprise here. The other conclusion, of course, is that users like some messaging/offers better than others. While users consistently clicked more on the first button displayed, they clicked more on the winning message - Protect Yourself Online!

(Note: In case you click and don't see it, we are running a different test.)

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For ease of access, we have added a 'Buy' button to the very top of the Trust Seal landing page. This helps to ensure that it is easily visible and accessible to users and that it doesn't get missed further down the page where a user might be required to scroll to see it. This also serves to facilitate quick and easy access for the returning user who has already done their research and knows what they want. So, rather than force them to wade through the content again, the action button is at the top and forefront of the page.

The page subtitle has also been updated to reflect a more meaningful and relevant message for customers at a glance i.e. who the product is for and how much - "Perfect for Small Businesses at $299 a year".

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We've been working on better differentiating on our site standard hyperlinks from link tips which render a popup callout bubble. What's your vote?

QUESTION 1:

Option 1: Do you prefer the 'help' cursor onmouseover for link tips?

Option 2: Or the 'text' cursor onmouseover for link tips?

QUESTION 2:

Option 1: Do you prefer the solid underlining for link tips as well as standard links?

Option 2: Or dashed underlining for link tips?

Leave us a comment with your vote!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

With the expanding options online for top-level domains, we have added to and refreshed the gTLD services section of the site.

Using a tabset layout to showcase the various new gTLD options and provide information for applicants, all the content is aggregated into a singular view with tabbed panes making it easy to follow. And anchoring most panes, is a graphic to the top left to reinforce the tab content and draw the eye in the desired direction. We have been finding that splitting the content area into dual columns where appropriate, is beneficial from the standpoint that it not only decreases the length of the page but it also follows more of that magazine layout which has become a little more popular online. Additionally, through the use of boxes to break up the content, hierarchical text treatments, and the subtle use of color, the content is parsed out for ease of scanning and consumption while still maintaining the integrity of the subject matter.

Visit site: VeriSign New gTLD Services

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We are happy to announce the launch of the redesign of the RapidSSL.com Website today. This launch marks the culmination of overhauls to the branding, information architecture, content, and look and feel. Like its namesake, the goal of the redesign is to make the site rapid - simple, quick, and easy for users to get in and out. Users will be able to quickly determine what their options are and get what they need. The site itself is flat by design to facilitate this quick and easy access - with success measured by users spending the least amount of time on the site yet still achieving their goals.

The new brand identity for RapidSSL is bold and distinct and includes, among other elements, a new color palette, logo, imagery, and typeface. In the case of RapidSSL, brown is the new black! It is the dominant and primary color of choice followed by bursts of yellow and orange. The color palette application is blocks of flat, uncomplicated color. The imagery strategy reflects the simplicity and speed themes with the use of streamlined iconography and no photography, simple dual-toned and pill-shaped buttons, and basic boxes with a combination of cinched and radial-edged corners. Throughout the site, all cinched corners are pointed in the same direction to the right as a play off of the speed metaphor. It is also worth noting that the official typography is 'Interstate' which is used for highway signage and is reflected in the RapidSSL logotype and buttons.

Coupled with a wide-screen layout, clear navigation system, and large air-y text, our goal with this redesign is to help better facilitate and service your SSL needs.

Check out the site and let us know what you think: www.RapidSSL.com.

AFTER:

BEFORE:

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 9:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We recently rolled out the redesign of the VeriSign Internet Defense Network section of the site.

A key goal of the redesign was to enable users to learn about the service and ultimately, sign up for it. In terms of the look and feel, we wanted to make the pages visually rich and engaging. As a result, you will see the use of large graphics, some injection of color, over-sized text, and multiple videos. This is a good mix to play up or down certain elements, make the content more interesting, and allow users to consume the content in multiple formats - i.e. reading and/or referencing the graphics, and watching the videos.

A cool utility we deployed for an enhanced user experience was the ability to zoom-in on graphics. Users are able to to click on certain images to view enlarged versions of the images in an inline popup. This way the flow of their experience is not disrupted by being taken off the page and outside of the context of the content they are viewing.

Check it out and let us know what you think: Internet Defense Network Redesign!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We've been incorporating increasingly more interactive media onto our site for your viewing pleasure. It is not only more engaging and interesting, but it can also be more personable and provides another means for consuming content versus relying solely on textual content.

Here is an example of a recent video we added to help users understand 'SSL in Plain English':

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

We recently completed the full site redesign of the Watch.TV website. In November, 2009, we launched Phase I which was essentially the homepage. It has since changed substantially as part of this redesign.

The goal of this round of the redesign was to reflect the visual spirit of .TV [Dot TV] by making it more engaging through the use of visual communication styles to provide visitors with multiple paths-to-product and minimal copy through which to traverse. With the use of video, imagery, and information design, the site is intended to tell the story of the value of a .TV domain name and help users easily navigate to actually get one.

The design is a little unique for us in that it is edgy with the use of black and vivid color-coded pages. There are a number of dynamic elements as well as multimedia and social media content streams. There is a subtler recurring theme of digital motion bars used as a design element in the local navigation and top page banners to further reinforce the nature of the product. In general, the pages are top-heavy graphically and content-wise with the end goal being to get users to what they need as quickly as possible so they can spend more time on their very own .TV website.

Check it out and let us know what you think: www.Watch.TV!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We launched our brand new VeriSign Labs Website a week ago. The site provides a view into VeriSign's innovation and technology research and the researchers behind it.

One of the design goals of this site redesign was to make it clean, clear, and professional without being overly intimidating or buttoned-down given the target audience which is comprised of mostly the tech community. It needed to be easily accessible and information-driven and without too many bells and whistles.

You'll notice the site utilizes a great deal of white space and rich graphical and photographic imagery such as on the Projects and People pages. There is also rich media video on the homepage which balances the reading-requisite portion of the page. The homepage captures certain key elements in that it explains what the site is about by way of the banner at the top of the page, it provides an overview of Labs to the left of the page, and it serves as a portal gateway into main sections like Projects, Collaboration, and People.

The navigation system achieves a design goal of being devoid of self-referential clickability. This basically means that when the user is on a page, the menu item for that page is not hyperlinked to prevent the user from clicking on it which would simply re-load the same page they are already on.

Check out the site and let us know what you think. Also, learn about some of the cutting-edge research being done at VeriSign Labs.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We recently did a redesign of the Identity and Authentication Services section of the Website. Not only are the taxonomy and content revamped, but the design look and feel has been improved. The landing page layout is less boxy, the value prop and key content are more clearly defined through the use of more CSS-driven text formatting and more visual icons, and the free trial is scaled down but still prominent and pops.

The four product landing pages follow a similar format with the anchor image top left to draw the eye, compliment the content, and break up the text; a promotional banner or item, and the individual product listing with a scannable overview blurb and link to the product specific information page. Rounding out the page content is the option to contact us for more information if needed and flanking the right side of the page is that option as well clearly labeled as 'Contact Us'. The right channel also houses other supporting information and related content.

The streamlined pages and content flow are intended to improve the discovery and consumption of the content. Let us know what you think.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With the launch of the VeriSign Trust^TM Seal last week, we introduced a new section to the Website dedicated to the Trust Seal. The Seal enables Websites to communicate that they are a trusted site to do business with and that does not compromise consumer safety.

The site pages utilize a balanced combination of multimedia video and rich graphics to visually communicate the content.

The Product Details page provides a tabset overview of the key information relating to the seal.

The Where to Put Your Seal page illustrates via screenshots specific recommendations on where to position the seal on your site.

And, in case you have questions as to which seal is right for you, there is an at-a-glance comparison table on the Compare VeriSign Seals page with key differentiators and inline explanations.

A persistent element across the pages which follows the content of each page is the "What would you like to do?" box. This provides users with easy and always-available access to options available to them.

So if you haven't already, check out the new VeriSign Trust^TM Seal and what it can do for your Website.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Videos on www.verisign.com have a new look and feel. Users will experience an improved delivery of videos that are optimized for their available bandwidth.

During playback when hovering over the video, users now have the ability to quickly share (e-mail, Digg, tweet, post on Facebook, StumbleUpon, and FriendFeed) or embed the videos onto their blogs and social media sites.

Check out this implementation on our new corporate video:

Contributed by Rich Lam.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We recently added some visual uplift to a few of our SSL pages to augment the textual copy. Given that different users consume content differently through a combination of text and/or graphics, we wanted to ensure we were designing for this. For instance, for those of you wondering How Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Works, we have put together a visual of the three ways SSL protects your Website and customers, along with diagrams of how encryption and authentication works.

The information page on E-Commerce, Trust, and SSL now has some additional graphics and a bold, can't-miss graphic of key stats.

(Sources: Synovate/GMI Research, September 2008; Javelin Strategy and Research, March 2009)

As well, the Server-Gated Cryptography (SGC): True 128-Bit SSL Encryption page has also benefited from a little visual reinforcement.

By iterating on the presentation of the content through a mix of text, graphics, and diagrams, our goal is to present the content in a more engaging, interesting, and easily consumable format. As a result, we hopefully get these pages working a little harder and better in informing and educating users.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 2:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We have rolled out a new header and footer on the VeriSign.com site.

We simplified and streamlined the options. For example, we combined the country site identifier and the worldwide site selector into one utility. Using an in-page popup, users can now navigate to another country site from the page they are on without going to a new page to select the country site they wish to visit.

The search utility has been consolidated into a single unit encompassing the 'Search' label, text field, and search button.

On- and off-states have been added to the top-level navigation. The pull-down menus on the navigation have been freshened up and the links and hovers made blue to denote them as more actionable.

The footer has been pared down and includes the standard footer links and the VeriSign Secured Seal to verify the authenticity of the site.

And, the 'feedback' () link in the header and footer with the rotating cross-hair icon allows users to easily provide their feedback as they navigate the site. Look forward to your feedback.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We have rolled out our new homepage redesign today! Select users will see the new page initially; some may see different versions of the new homepage as we are conducting tests. The final redesign will be switched over in the coming month when it will be available to everyone.

The goals of the redesign include improving the usability and usefulness of the homepage. Our hope is that it helps you to be more successful and productive as a gateway to accomplishing your tasks.

What hasn't changed on our homepage:

• Positioning of the contact us and worldwide sites links, and search utility.


• Top level navigation menu functions in the same way with dropdown menus.


• We didn't really remove anything although we improved the content.

Here are the main changes you can expect to find:

• Interactive banner: An informational section to learn more about Internet-related issues which affect you and your business and how VeriSign can help.


• SSL Certificates box: Quick and easier access to select and manage certificates.


• Featured items: Carousel slide show highlighting products, events, and more.


• Quick navigation: Accordion panels allowing you to self-select based on your role (Information for), task (I need to), or simply jump links into popular/key sections (Quick links).


• News bar: News ticker to get the latest VeriSign news.

Test drive it for yourself and let us know what you think: www.verisign.com.

Stay tuned for future posts on the new homepage!

REDESIGNED HOMEPAGE:

CURRENT HOMEPAGE:

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

As part of our effort to provide rich and varied content, we've been incorporating more video on our site. The goal is to ensure you are able to view video without having to leave the Web page you are on - whether it is launching a new browser window or launching an external media player. But the positioning/placement of the video directly impacts the scale of the video. For example, if we are placing a video in the main content well of a page, embedding the video achieves our end goal; but if we need to place a video in less forgiving real estate like the right channel of a page, it renders the video unviewable and utlimately, ineffective as the video interface becomes much too small deeming the picture undecipherable and textual content unreadable.

So, our solution around such spatially challenging cases has been to provide a graphical promotion of the video which onclick launches an overlay on the page with a larger version of the video embedded in the overlay so users can clearly view the video. This way, users are not taken away from the originating Web page. And, once they are done watching the video, they can close the overlay and return to their regular browsing.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We are looking at adding a more prominent feedback link to the VeriSign.com Website. We would like to get your thoughts on the behavior and positioning of this link. The link will potentially look like this: [+] Feedback.

What's your preference?

1) Rotating [+] icon versus not rotating?

2) Would you expect to see the link at the top, bottom, or right of the Webpage? See below screenshot.

3) Would you like the icon to scroll with you as you scroll up and down a Webpage OR stay put but always in view?

Let us know your thoughts. Thank you.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We want to hear from you! We make changes to VeriSign.com daily in an effort to improve the user experience of the Website. As you navigate the site, let us know if you experience difficulty finding information, accomplishing your task(s), or anything else. The site is here to serve you and we would love to hear from you on what we need to do to improve it for you.

Leave a comment, email me directly, or use our feedback link on the site.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 7:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We have officially launched the redesign of the Domain Name Services section of the VeriSign.com Website. Some of you got a preview and deemed it a "great improvement".

The redesign is leveraging our new page designs which we have been rolling out across the site. The local navigation, information architecture, and content have all been improved and updated. The user interface is utilizing richer graphics, color, and interactive elements on the pages.

For example, new search filters allow customers to find registrars and render that information dynamically:

Contextually relevant content is displayed inline using a show/hide functionality without the need to leave the page:

And, the landing page is now utilizing a cleaner, clearer, more organized, and visually rich layout:

Test drive it and let us know if you like it!

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Do you work for or own a company that has a current, live Website? We're conducting a usability study with people who work on and/or make decisions related to their site. We're looking for a very broad range of participants, from non-technical business owners and Web professionals to highly technical Web developers.

Usability studies are conducted in our corporate offices in Mountain View. We offer $100 for one hour of your time and feedback.

IMPORTANT: If you're currently unemployed, please answer the questions based on the last or most representative previous job(s) you had.

If you're interested, please click on the link below to answer a brief set of questions:

If you're a business-oriented, NON-technical professional, click here.

If you're a technical Web professional, click here.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We are very excited to announce the launch of the redesign of the Partners section of the VeriSign.com Website.

The redesign leverages our updated look and feel, richer graphics, and an improved information architecture and taxonomy of the site content. The intent is to provide a much cleaner, usable, and useful site. The content has been more clearly laid out, compartmentalized, and streamlined. We have utilized lots of white space, graphics to break up the textual content, tabsets, and tables. The end goal is to improve the usability and user experience of the site so that anyone interested in becoming a VeriSign partner can easily learn about out partner programs and enroll, and existing partners can access the partner portal.

AFTER:

Visit Partners Website

BEFORE:

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 3:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I am happy to tell you that our homepage evolution process continues in an effort to meet the needs of our increasingly sophisticated and varied users. We have been conducting usability tests on the redesign of our homepage. And as always, the tests were incredibly useful for uncovering a lot of helpful and interesting findings to inform and guide our design. The tests were also great for validating our direction on certain elements and smoking out issues.

We were all pretty stoked about the tests and the results and look forward to getting your feedback as well when the page goes live. Thank you to our test participants for their invaluable feedback.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 1:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Participate in a usability test and receive $100 for 1 hour of your time! In our ongoing effort to improve our user experience, we are looking for participants for a usability test upcoming shortly. The tests will be conducted in Mountain View.

We are looking for all types of people: people who do a broad range of business related work from beginners who are just starting out in the field through highly advanced business professionals (sign up); people who do a broad range of Web-related technical work from beginners who are just starting out in the field through highly advanced technical professionals (sign up); and people who do a broad range of activities online, from new users who have just started online activities through very advanced users (sign up).

If you are interested, just click the "sign up" link above that corresponds to your persona and complete the brief questionnaire. If you qualify, we will contact you. Thank you.

(Image source: http://www.experiencesolutions.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/usability-testing.jpg)

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Research indicates that the majority of users are unable to spot phishing Websites. In a study commissioned by VeriSign in the U.S., researchers asked users to identify fraudulent phishing sites from images of Websites placed side by side. A whopping 88 percent of users frequently missed the most obvious "tell tale" indicator which was the misspelling on the site which would have identified the phishing site.

How do you ensure that your online user experience is not affected by fraudulent sites? Here are VeriSign's top five tips to distinguish a real site from a phishing site:

1. https:// in the URL: The "s" in https:// means the site is encrypted,
so the information you enter is secured. While some phishing sites
do have a secured Web address, many do not. Therefore, site visitors
should be on the lookout for missing security on sites that should
have it.

2. The padlock icon: To be meaningful, this icon must appear in the
actual browser interface and not inside the content of the page itself.

3. Trust marks: Simple visual cues in the form of popular logos can show
that a Web site is authenticated and secured, and that a company is
reputable.

4. Check the Web address: Be suspicious of any site with an unknown domain
that contains the name of a well known site in the latter part of the
Web address.

5. Green address bar: Signifies that a site has undergone extensive
identity authentication so that you can be confident it is the site it
claims to be.

And, to test if you can tell tell the difference yourself, take the Phish or No Phish Challenge.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 3:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

As you navigate our VeriSign Website, you will notice that we are migrating away from our previous site design to a newer design. The previous site layout was narrower, left aligned, had a two-columnar page layout, and the local navigation was situated in the right channel.

In the redesign, we saw opportunities to open the site up, update the look and feel (LAF), and define the content areas more clearly. You'll notice from the new layout that we have increased the site width and centered it to better optimize the screen real estate. The header houses our logo, courtesy navigational links at the top right, search utility, and global navigation across the top in the VeriSign cranberry hue. The pages are a three-columnar format with clearly defined and traditional left navigation and right marketing channels. In the main content area, we have breadcrumb links for orientation, page titles, and a utlity navigation for bookmarking, emailing, and printing strategically positioned for contextual relevance.

We are also utilizing radial edged corners for a softer effect, gradients, and larger font sizes. We have updated the color palette to a softer and cooler look and incorporated more 3-D icons and imagery giving it a more Web 2.0-esque LAF. The finished effect is a cleaner, clearer, and more easily navigable design. Let us know how it works for you.

AFTER:

BEFORE:

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Imagine trying to purchase something on a Website and getting a message that the secure connection has failed and the site is using an invalid certificate. Would you think twice about proceeding or even abandon your purchase? Probably, yes. That is what happens when a site has an invalid SSL certificate. It may be that the cert has expired or just wasn't setup correctly.

And what does this do to the user experience on these sites? Well, not a lot of good. It doesn't instill much confidence in the user; not to mention, it can inhibit the user's ability to access your site altogether. It also presents a security threat as the user's information may be vulnerable and prone to hacking and phishing scams which can become a liability for the company. It can also result in downtime for the site. In the end, both the company and customer loses. So, to prevent this from happening to your site, keep those SSL certs current.

Posted by Reshma Kumar at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)