Usability of Web Photos

Photos are the unsung heroes of digital design. They have a huge impact on conversion, user trust, our perception of a brand and the usability of the digital products and services that we use every day.

In this short book James explains what the qualities of usable photos are and why they are so important. He shares photo-related stories from his own UX research and design projects and also a new framework to evaluate photo usability, as well as ideas on how you can modify your design process to help improve the usability of web photos.

Be prepared to start taking the selection of photos for your digital products far more seriously!

This book is for anyone who wants to learn more about the impact that photos are having within their digital product or service. Photographers will also find it useful, as it will help them to plan more effective and usable photos.

Topics include:

PART 1: What are usable photos and why are they so important?

An introduction to usable photos and some of the psychological reasons behind their importance.

PART 2: Photo usability stories from the coalface

James looks at some of the common usability problems with photos that crop up in digital redesign projects.

PART 3: How do you know if a photo is usable or not?

This section introduces and explains the new photo usability checklist, created by James specifically for this book, which you can use to evaluate the usability of photos in your own projects.

PART 4: The digital design process and web photo usability

James interviews a commercial photographer and a Senior Digital Designer who reveal the issues they face when producing and working with the photos we see online, and identify some of the problems they face in typical design projects that directly impact upon the photos that end up on the web.

PART 5: User-centred design techniques to improve photo usability

Highlights techniques you can apply during user-centred design projects that will help to improve the usability of photos and help to maximise the effectiveness of your digital products.