We explore what makes a great website and how to avoid entering the website hall of shame. In particular, we discuss the importance of usability, findability, and meeting user needs.

Websites fail when they priorities internal messaging over user needs.

Users’ top priorities are finding products, reliable delivery, and customer support not brand stories.

Trying to meet all possible goals for all users leads to bloated, unusable websites.

A successful site requires a clear purpose and focus on the key goals of priority users.

“Websites shouldn’t be a push source for organisational messaging they must be user-first.”

“Your opinion isn’t important; focus on what customers actually want to know.”

“Do you have the product I need? Will it arrive quickly and in good condition?”

“You cannot meet all the goals of all users on one website.”

Summary

In this reflective episode of the Web Usability podcast, Lucy Collins shares her insights and experiences from the past year as she navigates her role as a leader in a family business. She discusses the evolution of her leadership style, the importance of accessibility and usability in creating an equitable online world, and the challenges of balancing work with family life. As she looks ahead to 2026, Lucy emphasises the need for empathy and understanding in the digital space, aiming to make the web a better place for everyone.

Takeaways

• Reflecting on the past year is essential for growth.
• Leadership styles can evolve over time.
• Family businesses have unique challenges and advantages.
• Accessibility and usability should be integrated in design.
• Empathy is crucial in leadership and user experience.
• Work-life balance is a continuous challenge for working parents.
• Setting boundaries is important for personal well-being.
• Inclusive design benefits everyone, not just those with disabilities.
• Technology can bridge the digital divide if used correctly.
• The vision for an equitable online world is ambitious but necessary.

Sound Bites

• "Finding my style of leadership."
• "You know what is best for you."
• "We're ending 2025 on a high."

Chapters

00:00 Reflecting on a Year of Growth

05:41 Evolving Leadership and Business Vision

11:20 Integrating Accessibility and Usability

16:59 Balancing Work and Family Life

Summary

In this minsode of the Web Usability podcast, Lucy Collins talks with Simeon Quarrie, CEO of Vivida, about the frustrations of traditional workplace learning and how bite-sized, nano content can make training more engaging. Simeon shares how Vivida is applying these ideas to cybersecurity learning.

Takeaways

• Traditional e-learning feels overwhelming and formulaic
• Learners often “game” courses just to finish
• Bite-sized, nano content sparks curiosity and engagement organisations need to rethink how they draw people into training

Sound Bites

• I was angry because all of a sudden, this whole load of text appeared on the screen.”
• I did what everyone does… click, click, click, go to the question.”
• “We have to recognise the way that people are currently consuming content.”