November 2022

Stirring up A Revolution Non-violently

Revolutions, throughout history have been the catalysts for change. Every time the world has seen oppression, tyranny, or even unfair rules – social, political or dictatorial – people have come together, started a social movement and fought for real change. 

While revolutions have been bloody, devastating and inhumane, there are many examples of non-violent revolutions, such as Gandhi’s non-violent fight for independence from British rule, the overthrowing of Slobodan Milošević’s dictatorship, or even political activist Srdja Popovic’s non-violent strategies, speckled through history that prove that change can be brought about peacefully.

Blueprint for Revolution (2015) by Srdja Popovic and Matthew Miller outlines certain non-violent methods for a successful revolution and change.

Pick A Winning Battle

One of the most effective strategy for a successful battle is to pick small, winnable battles. Moreover,  revolutions need a following. In infancy, any revolution is unknown to the public. It, therefore, needs a name before it can build that following.

Consider Gandhi’s call for non-violent movement. It began in 1930 as a month-long march to the sea, opposing the salt tax placed by the British Empire in colonial India. Dubbed the Salt March, Gandhi had about 12,000 people joining him towards the end. Caught off-guard, the British had to drop the imposed tax. Gandhi’s non-violent march got his movement momentum and fame. It helped him win bigger revolutions later.

In another example, Harvey Milk was the first openly gay American politician to be elected to public office. While at the outset of his career, he believed that giving inspirational speeches about things that mattered to him would garner followers. However, when this didn’t work as well, he decided to change his strategy. He campaigned about something that the people in San Francisco cared about too – dog poop that desecrated the city’s parks. His campaign was widely successful and in 1977, he got elected to the local government.

Using Inspiring Visions Of The Future

Inspiring people is easier said than done. People need to be able to envision the future they are fighting for. 

When communist Yugoslavia fell, Slobodan Milošević, rose to power installing an authoritarian rule in Serbia. Starting a propagandist campaign against all of Serbia’s neighbours, he banned foreign music. Thus the revolution Otpor! was born. It focussed on openness to the world, and the ability to enjoy other cultures as they had earlier. The group helped overthrow Slobodan Milošević in 2000.

Similarly, in the Maldives, a South Asian island, was preparing for its first democratic election after thirty years in 2008. The party opposing the dictatorship of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was looking for a vision to get voters together.

A member of the party, Imran Zahir, took a trip around the island to get an idea of the vision that would motivate people. He saw that many of the islands were populated with elderly people, who had no jobs and were completely dependent. He realised that they needed financial independence and healthcare. He then mounted a campaign that called for a public welfare system with pensions and healthcare. The opposing party won the election when they presented the public with this vision and a free serving of rice pudding!

Overthrowing Dictatorship

A theory called the ‘pillars of power’ was introduced in 1973 by political science professor Gene Sharp. His theory stated that every regime stands firm due to a handful of supports called the ‘pillars of power’, and if even one of them has sufficient pressure applied to it, the regime will topple.

This theory can be applied to any institution. For example, a small African tribal village could consider the tribal elders as the pillars of power.  Political parties will have favoured leaders or friendly news sources, whereas corporations would stand firm supported by the power of shareholders, or the media that influence stock pricing via reporting.

Dictatorships however are different. Dictatorships have a single important pillar of power – the economy. Finance is needed by the dictator for everything ranging from spreading propaganda to creating armies. If the source of finance is cut off, a dictator is unable to defend the regime and thus vulnerable.

Any movement that wishes to overthrow a dictator should hence, look for the dictator’s financial support and neutralize it. For instance, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad leaned on foreign investments for money. If these foreign firms were to close operations in the country, Assad’s regime would be vulnerable.

In fact, a few nonviolent activist groups did try to expose these businesses and their ties with the regime, hoping that the negative press would affect their profits and the firms would consider stopping their business in Syria. However, the effort was thwarted by the civil war that broke out.

The Power Of Humour

Humour and comedy are powerful tools that activists can help build resistance. When cleverly deployed, humour can counteract the fear of the people by ridiculing the regime.

The Otpor! Activists pulled a famous stunt by painting Milošević’s face on an oil barrel and a baseball bat in the middle of the street with “Smash his face for a dinar” written on a display beside it. As people lined up to take a swing, the police arrived.

Though the members of the group had vanished, the police had 2 choices – arrest the public waiting to take a swing at the barrel, or arrest the barrel itself! Funnily enough, they chose the latter and the very next day, Belgrade had pictures of 2 policemen arresting an oil barrel plastered around every street. They took the fear right out of Milošević’s policemen.

Humour works well as it is difficult for a regime to respond to it.

In October 1987, the Polish opposition group Solidarity decided to join the celebrations the communist Polish government had planned to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Solidarity decided to hold a rally by displaying their ‘love’ of communism. People adorning red clothes appeared on streets with banners painted with bombastic communist language.

While the authorities were upset, they couldn’t arrest people for celebrating communism.

Why Oppressive Measures Backfire

History has shown that when authoritarian regimes force subjects to comply by intimidation, punishments, or shows of brute force, it can backfire.

The Saffron Revolution in Burma started after the Burmese military regime committed a brutal act of repression against 400 Burmese monks on 19^th September 2007. Considered the highest moral authority in the country, no one thought that the army would open fire at them. They killed a dozen monks, and arrested and sentenced countless others in court.

Though the Burmese military was known for their violence, this act crossed the line. The people of the country then started the Saffron Revolution in protest. This protest too, was violently suppressed, but it did pave the way for open elections 8 years later.

Similarly, when Milošević was at his peak, a small Serbian town called Subotica was ruled by a sadistic officer called Ivan. Ivan was huge, built like a wrestler, and was famous for beating any Otpor! member he found. One day, the activists put up posters of Ivan all around the town which read, “This man is a bully! Call this man and ask him why he is beating our kids.” The outcome?

The people in town, including Ivan’s closest, started avoiding Ivan, his wife and his children. They were essentially outcasted by the people of the town. Eventually, the beatings stopped, and Ivan’s terrorizing was thwarted by a few homemade posters.

The Effectiveness Of Non-violent Movements

Revolutions, by virtue of history, bring up images of bloodbaths and violence. However, history also shows that non-violent revolutions are far more effective than violent ones at eliciting positive change.

A 2011 study by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan, considered 323 revolutions between 1900 and 2006. The study showed that non-violent revolutions during these years had double the chances of success than violent ones. Moreover, not only were peaceful revolutions more likely to bring about the creation of vibrant democracies, they had a 40% higher chance that the democracies would prevail five years after the peaceful resistance.

The statistics dropped to just 5% for violent revolutions.

Non-violent revolutions are open to all, men, women, children and the elderly, while in violent revolutions only healthy, strong and fit people can participate. Furthermore, non-violence is more desirable as it inspires action amongst the people, whereas violence, armed rebels and thugs hardly evoke feelings of trust. People are also more likely to join ordinary people fighting for their rights peacefully, than an armed militant group.

Conclusion

Non-violent revolutions derive strong power from mass support, far more than violent revolutions do. In order to bring about a real positive change in the world, one can protest without violence. All one needs is creativity, a compelling vision of the future, and peaceful means that will appeal to the masses.

The Basics Of Website Designing

In the age of the Internet, delivering a great customer experience online is of prime importance. Without a well-designed website, achieving a good customer experience is impossible.

If one perceives the online world as an unfamiliar department store, without a clear and concise map to guide one through the store, one would essentially be lost! Moreover, not finding what one needs fast enough can make a customer even leave the store without a purchase. 

A website works in a similar manner. A well-designed website enables a user to view or surf with ease, finding what the user needs, and perhaps if the website is interesting enough even browsing and exploring it further. A well-designed website is, in fact, a necessity for successful online sales. If a website is cluttered, poorly organized, or not user-friendly, losing a customer is as fast as a click of a button.

Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited (2014) by Steve Krug is a guide that explores user behaviour online, charts out basic principles of how a website can be well-designed to deliver a great experience, and also has a guide that shows how a website can be tested at each stage.

Default Internet Behaviour

Truthfully, a person who actually reads the user manual before using a gadget is a rare species! The majority simply open the packaging, starts figuring out the working of the gadget themselves, and go with what works best for them. The user manual is mostly, packed back in the box, or simply thrown away!

Similarly, the majority have no inkling of the mechanics of the Internet, yet, they have no problem navigating the online world. Most people search for a website URL directly, rather than use the browser’s URL bar. Such a strategy of common decision-making is called satisficing, a more typical approach, rather than rationally searching for information, identifying a solution, comparing and then choosing.

Furthermore, if a web surfer simply clicks the back button if they click on an incorrect link by mistake. It’s not only easier but also more fun, to figure out things independently.

These ‘default’ internet behaviours have trained users to look for the first, fastest and simplest solution that catches their attention. And when they succeed they feel confident, comfortable and smart.

Catching A User’s Attention

People surf websites with a mission in mind. They look for the things they need and want to get done with it as soon as possible. Almost everyone skips the promotional corporate jargon on websites. No one wants to waste time on long texts. While online, people scan rather than read.

Hence, the ability to catch the attention of the user if the primary focus of a website. The key elements of good website content are headlines, short paragraphs and highlighted keywords. Moreover, in order to enable users to decide which areas to focus on, these elements should be organised using a visual hierarchy. According to eye-tracking studies, people make quick decisions choosing where to look and ignoring irrelevant information such as advertising blocks.

The same principle is used by newspapers. Headlines, text and images are placed carefully to enable the reader to look first at what is most important. Websites too should make the important obvious so that users can immediately find and click on them.

Keeping in mind default internet behaviour where users don’t mind clicking as long as the process is mindless and gets them a clear result, websites should have pathways that are easy to navigate and understand. Most importantly, websites should avoid annoying practices like hiding important information behind multiple clicks – such as shipping costs.

Building a website isn’t like making a product brochure to attract an interested user, as believed. It is more like making a billboard to catch the attention of cars zooming past at 60 miles an hour!

Consistent, Clear And Simple Navigation

Easy navigation lies at the core of creating a successful website. Unlike unfamiliar stores, users cannot stroll down aisles in search of what they need. Online, if people don’t find what they want, leaving the website is just a click away.

Scaling a website is another challenge. A user cannot ascertain the number of pages a website has, and hence it is vital that a website design is easily navigable. Ideally, every page of a website should include a ‘sections’ bar that clearly indicates what the website contains. Additionally, to make it easier for a user to move around, every page should have at least 4 additional navigation items. These include – 

• Search Bar – A search bar helps a user to quickly search the website for what they are looking for, without understanding its organization of it.
• A ‘You are here’ Indicator – This small indicator, like the red dot in shopping malls helps a user understand how to navigate easily.
• Link The Company Logo – Linking the company logo to the home page and making it available on each webpage enables users to ‘jump’ home faster.
• Utilities – A utility section contains vital titbits that help one to easily use the website. This component includes a log-in space, a site map, an FAQ section, etc.

These navigational elements make it more comfortable to use the website effectively. A feeling of comfort, furthermore, builds trust.

Understanding Website Navigational Conventions

In addition to having easily accessible navigational components, these components should be self-evident. Thus to design a website that enables this, one should have an understanding of conventions.

While online, anything different from the usual, conventional style and design can be annoying. People have certain expectations when they visit a website. For instance, horizontally placed words along the top of a webpage commonly represent the main sections of the page.

It is often seen that web designers, in the pursuit of innovation, try to abandon conventions. They forget that conventions represent the best and most effective practices developed after years of fine-tuning. For example, internet users are familiar with the concept of tabs and immediately know how to use and navigate them. Hence, tab dividers are great navigational tools.

That said, innovation is important too, and creativity surely has its positives. Designers have to, however, simply keep in mind to make the innovation easily usable and prioritize user experience. In website designing, conventions, clarity, and consistency are best friends.

The First Impression – The Home Page

Most often, a link from Facebook or Twitter leads a user right in the middle of a website. It is commonly observed that users next click on the homepage button to ascertain where they have landed, or whether the content on the website is trustworthy or not. The home page is the first impression of a company, and hence a crucial component.  

Since it is known that items linked from the home page of a website get more clicks, every stakeholder will have an opinion and an idea as to what should be included in it. Nodding to every opinion could lead to a cluttered home page.

The first priority of a home page is to create an accurate first impression. According to a web design study, the first impression of a website sticks with a user even after the user has navigated through other pages of the website.

This happens because when one encounters something new, one’s imagination goes into overdrive, creating a picture in the user’s mind about how this new thing works and trying to fit the new information into one’s preconceived notions. Hence if a home page is confusing, a user could misinterpret information, leading to more confusion and thus, disinterest.

In order to avoid confusion, a tagline or a short sentence that clearly communicates the goal of the website, placed near the logo is effective. This tagline should be personable and lively and convey the value of the site. For example, the news site The Daily Beast uses the tagline “Read this, skip that”.

Test, Test, Test Again

How does one test if a website fulfils the goals of easy comprehension and navigation?

Commonly, people turn to relatives and friends, or their own judgement to assess the objectives. However, while objectivity will be impossible with one’s own judgements as the features and usability will be obvious, friends and relatives tend to have wildly subjective opinions. Developers tend to prefer innovative features and designers like websites that offer a pleasant visual experience with subtle touches and lots of white space. And both assume that the world shares their views.

The truth is that almost everyone is like that. Most think that their opinions are correct, and there are very few people who view things from others’ points of view! Unfortunately, there are no ‘wrongs’ or ‘rights’ in website designing, and getting the opinions of a select few never helps.

The only thing that does work is testing – again and again. The best way to understand if a website is working as intended is to watch people use it and try to navigate it. With testing, the connotations of ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ are taken away and the focus moves to what works and what doesn’t. it additionally, shows and proves that every web user is different.

Getting Testers

Testing websites, however necessary, isn’t an exciting task for most people or developers – unless they are going to get paid for their time. Moreover, one needn’t be too restrictive in terms of the background of testers, as a website should be easily understandable and navigable for everyone.

Once a group of testers is selected, the facilitator should observe the group while they use the website and take notes. A facilitator’s goal is to keep the user group comfortable and focused.

Starting with the home page, a facilitator should get the testers to talk about what is visible by asking questions such as, ‘What are looking at?’ and ‘What do you think?’ These questions help to understand whether the tester is getting the main idea of the website or not. However, a facilitator should avoid influencing testers. If any tester asks for help, the facilitator can ask, ‘What would you do if you were alone?’

Facilitators have to get the test subjects to try every feature of the website – right from creating an account to logging in or buying or returning an item. If a test subject fails at any given task, the facilitator should observe the subject trying to resolve the issue, and let the subject keep clicking around till the subject either gets frustrated and gives up, or the facilitator cannot learn anything more.

Getting team members, managers, or even other stakeholders to observe the testing study is important, as they too will be able to understand the point of testing. Often when executives watch a tester fail, they understand the importance of usability.

The Pros Of Testing

Many believe that testing websites is time-consuming, expensive and requires expertise.  However, testing simply enables one to understand whether a website works or not, is easily navigable or not and informs one’s decision-making.

Keeping that in mind, one needs to only test up to 3 regular web users, and have team members observe, and take notes on what problems the users face. According to the author, testing generally brings up more problems than what can be reasonably resolved, and hence, prioritizing between issues is important. Issues that a tester can quickly fix are not a priority.

Starting the testing process earlier in the web designing process is more effective, as the earlier problems are identified, the easier they are to change and implement. A beta site is far more easily adjustable than a live one.

Furthermore, one can even begin testing before a website is developed – by watching a testing group navigate a competitor’s site. The insights from competitor testing help while developing one’s own website, help with decision-making and save time and resources too.

Developing For The Smartphone

Apple revolutionized mobile web browsing. With practically everyone accessing websites on the smartphone platform, the downloadability of a website on the platform is important.

Today, users on smartphones read less and move faster. They are more likely to give up and exit a website if they encounter a hiccup. Hence a website has to load faster on a smartphone and be adjusted to be readable on smaller screens. Smaller screens translate to lesser space, which translates to more compromises. Hence a website should ensure that in-demand spaces are easily found. While information can require more taps, navigating to get to it should be easy. 

Furthermore, users on smartphones should be able to access a website’s full menu of features. There’s no telling whether the user is surfing on the go, or is on the couch looking for information! This indicates that websites should have zoomability features, as well as a link to access the complete website.

Considering mobile computing is touted as the future, creating an amazing user experience is of the essence and is key!

Conclusion

The usability of a website is its most important feature. It puts a user front and centre, making it easy for users to find the information they are looking for. Navigability and simplicity are vital, whether the platform used is a smartphone or a laptop.

Most importantly, in order to ensure that a website is delivering a great user experience, testing it at every step is most important!