client login

Sign up to receive the EatonGolden Monthly Newsletter.

Sign me up!

952.858.8200
7808 Creekridge Circle
Suite 315
Minneapolis, MN 55439

Map + Directions

 

Privacy Policy

We specialize in user experience consulting for business-driven websites and applications.
Abstract image

Why Browsers Matter to Your Users + How to Build for the Future

Plenty of people couldn’t tell you the definition of a web browser – and we suspect most folks really don’t care, either.

Well, the EG team cares about browsers more than most people. And we think you should too.

Read full article

Work station

We are interactive specialists

We are a small team of experts who focus exclusively in interactive user experiences.

Learn more about who we are.

Man holding screen

We work on a variety of interfaces

We maximize the appeal and usability of websites, mobile apps, kiosks, control panels, and more. They all have jobs to do – and we make them work.

Learn more about what we do.

Usability observation room

User research is integral to our process

We believe watching users is the best way to validate designs and discover opportunities for improvement. Our on-site usability lab makes it easy and enjoyable to test early and often.

Take a tour of our usability lab.

Robot toy

Contact Us

Ready to learn more? Looking for us? You can fill out our contact form, view a map and directions to our office, or call us at 952.858.8200.

February 2012

Why Browsers Matter to Your Users + How to Build for the Future

By Tony Johnson, 2/1/12

What Is a Browser?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that plenty of people couldn't tell you the definition of a web browser — much less the difference between one browser and another. We suspect most folks really don't care, either.

Typical Internet users simply want to turn on their computer and get content from the web without thinking about how they get it. And, really, who can blame them? To many users, the browser that came pre-installed on their computer may as well be called "the Internet."

Well, the EG team cares about browsers more than most people. For our designers and web developers, browsers shape (and often limit) the experiences we are able to deliver to our users.

Read full article

 


February 2011

User Experience Design for Health-related Websites: 5 Do's and Don'ts

By Emily Eaton, 2/1/11

It's no secret: the Internet is a highly effective channel for health-related businesses and organizations to communicate with their key audiences. After 10 years of research with patients, physicians, and other healthcare professionals, we've seen things that work and things that really don't work when designing the User Experience (UX) of health-related websites.

Today's healthcare consumers are smarter than ever, and they tend to be confident and curious using the web to learn about their health. Ten years ago when I did usability research, the average consumer was in the early stages of learning how to find reliable information online (and learning how to judge if it was "reliable"). Today when I interview healthcare consumers, most people understand that the Internet won't replace the care of a healthcare professional – but it's a great place to start, and an effective tool for learning more about the health topics they are interested in.

Health professionals' attitudes toward the Internet are varied. Ten years ago, the physicians I interviewed for my research were often frustrated when patients did their own online research (a heart surgeon once told me, "The Internet can't tell my patients anything I couldn't tell them!"). Some of those attitudes still exist, but the majority of the newest generation of physicians recognize that the Internet can be a helpful tool for their patients, and can make doctor's jobs easier, when done right.

After many many interviews with patients, physicians, and other healthcare professionals over the years, we've identified a few key do's and don'ts:

  1. HEALTH INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS
    • DO provide detailed health information so a curious healthcare consumer can feel like he or she is really learning something new. Be sure to follow best practices in usability and web writing.
    • DON'T assume patients just want the dumbed-down version of information. These days, they can sense when content has been over-simplified. If they don't find the information they need on sites that are tailored to patients, they will seek out information targeted to professionals – which is likely to result in a less-than-ideal user experience.
  2. HEALTH INFORMATION FOR PHYSICIANS
    • DO provide detailed information, with a focus on data and efficacy. Content must follow best practices in web writing, and include visual content (charts and graphs) whenever possible. Anticipate that patients will also read information labeled "for doctors" (some patients will actually seek this out to get the "inside scoop," especially when researching a new treatment for a condition).
    • DON'T provide content for health professionals that could be perceived as "marketing." Physicians don't want to be sold to, and are easily turned off by content that seems to be promoting a new treatment or product.
  3. SOCIAL MEDIA AND COMMUNITIES
    • DO use social media tools, but use them sparingly and in conjunction with a thoughtful social media strategy. A surprising number of health-related sites have calls-to-action like, "follow us on Twitter!" and "Share this Article on Facebook!" Yet, most people who are researching their health are doing so for a personal reason, and they rarely want to advertise what they are researching. Instead, health-related sites should focus on adding value to users through community-oriented features and discussions – but there must be a way for users to browse and comment anonymously, or they are less likely to participate.
    • DON'T bombard users with social media calls-to-action that don't resonate with them. Even the most active Facebook user is probably not going to "friend" the latest medicine their doctor prescribed to them, or tweet a link to the treatment for snoring they just learned about.
  4. PAGE LAYOUT
    • DO follow best practices in page layout. When it comes to scanning pages and clicking links, people seeking healthcare information are like seekers of other types of information. They want scannable content with a clear visual hierarchy to help them navigate – bold sub-heads and bullet lists are especially helpful in creating a user-friendly page structure. Also, confirm that the pages print well, especially websites targeted to patients. If the site does its job, the patient will print out pages to show their doctor or family members.
    • DON'T use the right column for important information. Generally speaking, users ignore areas of the page that typically contain ads, such as the right column. Also, don't write health-related content pages with dead-ends. When patients are in research mode, they are more likely to read in a specific linear order than other types of users. To avoid dead-ends on content pages, seek opportunities to place links at the bottom of the body copy, such as "NEXT: Treatment Options for [Condition]."
  5. VISUAL ELEMENTS
    • DO design pages with an emphasis on informational visuals (such as anatomical illustrations), and use video and animation whenever possible. Keep in mind that patients remember just a fraction of what they are told in a doctor's office. Animation and video can go a long way in helping a patient understand a condition or treatment.
    • DON'T mix images and calls-to-action. Most people will completely overlook "ad-like" content – and it is hard to pair up a thumbnail image with a call-to-action without it looking like an ad. Also, don't fill the pages with photos of smiling "healthy" people. One or two are fine, but too much emphasis makes users suspicious.

Curious about a specific topic or industry? Contact us to let us know what you'd like us to write about in our future newsletters.

Sign up to receive the EatonGolden Monthly Newsletter.

January 2011

New year, new website!

By Emily Eaton, 1/1/11

Believe it or not, one of the hardest things for a User Experience Consulting firm to do is redesign our own website. The reasons are numerous: we are busy with client work, we have too many good ideas, our past website wasn't bad to start with, etc.

But from time to time, we recognize that we have to practice what we preach. We have to keep our site fresh. We have to make sure we're experimenting with technology, before we apply it to client projects.

So we set a goal to have a new website for the New Year. When we kicked off the project, we followed the process we take our clients through when we create a User Experience Strategy. One of the most important parts of this process was to define our ideal site, and be clear about what we wanted to accomplish:

  1. Update the visual interface: We redesigned our business cards and other offline materials in 2010. Even though the clean design of our previous website still worked with the new-and-improved EG brand, we knew it would be fun to bring more color and energy to the redesigned website.

  2. Optimize the site for search engines: Here’s where we suffered from the “Shoemaker’s Children” proverb. We have been doing great work optimizing our clients’ sites for search engines, but we realized we hadn’t been applying SEO best practices to our own site. SEO on our previous site was adequate, but not as good as the SEO of the sites we design for our clients. We wanted to fix that.

  3. Retain the strengths of the current site: One of the coolest things about our previous website was the use of animation without using Flash. We wanted to make sure that our new website was equally technically advanced – and didn’t require plug-ins.

  4. Design with mobile and devices in mind: Just like when working on our clients’ sites, we always have mobile in mind. And, since each EG staff member received an iPad as a holiday gift, we were particularly excited to design something that would be fun and interesting on a tablet. (Have you visited this site on an iPad yet? Be sure to check it out.)

As you can see, the resulting website is a colorful and informative expression of who we are and what we do. And we're always looking for feedback, so if you have any suggestions for our next redesign – or if you want us to help you with your own website – let us know.

Happy New Year, and welcome to our new website!

- Emily

Sign up to receive the EatonGolden Monthly Newsletter.

who we are

EatonGolden was founded by the husband and wife team of Emily Eaton and John Golden, both of whom have specialized in interactive communications since the mid-Nineties.

Our talented staff includes several industry pioneers, and no other firm in the Twin Cities has the same core services and the depth of experience in interactive. We bring our collective expertise and passion to every project.

EatonGolden Staff: Emily Eaton, John Golden, Mike McClure, Tony Johnson, Annette Gustafson, Zach Schloss, Gregg Harrison, Sarah Maki, Katherine Block

emily

Emily Eaton | Principal | Connect on LinkedIn

Emily Eaton has over 17 years of experience in communication design, specializing exclusively in interactive media since 1995. She is widely recognized as one of the area's leading interactive strategy and usability experts. Emily's professional experience includes user experience strategy, usability, project leadership and design direction for web sites, CD-ROMs, kiosks, intranet sites and extranet sites for many Fortune 500 companies.

john

John Golden | Principal | Connect on LinkedIn

John has been specializing in interactive media design since 1996. He is well known for his ability to transform complicated information into something that is easy to understand. At EatonGolden, John leads the Design + Development group. John and his team design and develop powerful tools and successful websites for many fortune 500 companies and large organizations.

mahtab

Mahtab Rezai | Chief Experience Officer | Connect on LinkedIn

Mahtab has spent over 17 years as a user experience designer, researcher, strategist, leader, and mentor. If you spend any time with her, you're likely to hear her say "What is the objective?" This means that you can be assured that there will be a solid understanding of your goals, a roadmap for how to achieve them, and a plan for measuring success. She has worked on user experiences for companies ranging from startups to the Fortune 50, and is currently on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA).

mike

Mike McClure

Director of Design + Development | Connect on LinkedIn

Mike has more than 15 years of experience in technical development of interactive communications, including web-based technology, CD-ROM development, and video production. Mike's client experience includes American Express, Boston Scientific, Medica, Target, Thrivent Financial, UnitedHealthcare, and 3M.

tony

Tony Johnson

Senior Front-end Developer | Connect on LinkedIn

Tony has been writing clean, portable front-end code that IT departments love for more than 11 years. Tony leads EatonGolden's innovation, mobile, and quality assurance efforts. His previous track record includes four years as an independent consultant, as well as stints overseeing interactive for Greater Twin Cities United Way and The Ocean Conservancy.

annette

Annette Gustafson

Senior Interface Designer | Connect on LinkedIn

Annette is a creative professional with over 10 years of experience specializing in visual interface design. Through those years, she has created online brand experiences for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small startups. Annette's design aesthetics and attention to detail can be seen through all stages of the process, from the initial conceptualization of the design to the final development.

zach

Zach Schloss

User Experience Specialist | Connect on LinkedIn

Zach graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) with a focus in user experience strategy and design. He brings a user-centered design background to the team and specializes in user experience strategy and information architecture. His client experience at EatonGolden includes Lifetouch, BI Worldwide, and a leading medical device company.

gregg

Gregg Harrison

Project Manager | Connect on LinkedIn

Gregg's philosophy on planning, developing, and implementing top quality interactive work stems from an intimate understanding of each phase of project development. At the core of his talent is a love for process. His client experience includes a major Minnesota medical device company, Best Buy, Time Magazine, Georgia-Pacific, ESPN, Lipton, Pepsi, and more.

katherine

Katherine Block

User Experience Specialist | Connect on LinkedIn

Katherine is a recent graduate of Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) where she focused on user experience strategy and interactive media. She brings versatility and enthusiasm to the EatonGolden team. She enjoys taking part in all phases of projects. Her client experience includes CaringBridge, Medica, PeopleNet, UnitedHealthcare, and many others.

what we do

We partner with clients to create successful websites and interactive communications. No matter how big or small the project, we are committed to delivering superior work – on time, and on budget.

user experience strategy

Successful user experiences don't happen by accident. Finding the common ground between user goals and business goals is the key to a site strategy that works. We determine what will bring users to your site - what they want and need. Then, we determine what you want from your users and how your website can make or save you money.

Typical deliverables include: User Experience Strategy brainstorm sessions, strategy documents, research plans, technical strategy documents, and feature roadmaps.

information architecture

A good website experience keeps users coming back, and that means good things for your business. We approach content from the outside in, not the inside out. We start from user experience strategy and content strategy to create efficient, intuitive paths to information and functions, so your users never feel lost or frustrated.

Typical deliverables include: site maps, interaction diagrams, and detailed wireframes for initial launch and future releases.

content strategy

The quality of content can greatly impact the effectiveness of a website. What does your website need to accomplish, and what information do your users want and need? Through content strategy, we ensure that your content is relevant and compelling, while meeting both user and business objectives.

Typical deliverables include: content audits/inventory, content matrixes, communication strategies, and other content planning documents.

usability testing + research

Take the virtual tour of our u-lab!

The more you know about your users, the better. Our in-house usability lab is high-tech, yet cost effective, and our usability experts are industry pioneers with over 14 years of experience in usability research and implementation. Our recommendations are actionable and work well with existing brands and designs.

Typical deliverables include: in-person + online usability testing, heuristic usability evaluations, competitive + benchmark analysis, phone interviews, and focus groups with target users.

visual interface design

When design is done right, it plays a vital role in usability. With designs that are attractive, intuitive, and loved by users, we determine how the pages will look and come to life in a web browser. Our design team finds the sweet spot between brand appropriateness, visual appeal, and usability.

Typical deliverables include: visual interface design development, interface design specifications, CMS-ready templates, and standards + guidelines documentation.

design prototyping

Determining how the pages will behave is an important part of user experience design. Our design process includes developing prototypes that simulate the intended technical environment. This allows our clients to see how the pages will work, and we can validate the user experience or make any needed improvements before technical development begins.

Typical deliverables include: functional HTML prototypes, functional feature comparisons, and clickable wireframe prototypes.

technical development

User experience design relies on the right technical solution. We bring user experience designs to life with technical solutions that are elegant, portable, and technology-neutral. Our technical team is well versed in the latest front-end techniques and has experience with most major content management systems. If there's no existing CMS, we help select and implement a system that works best for our client's goals.

Typical deliverables include: standards-based templates (semantic + well-documented), all production + source files, production manuals and specifications, custom content management system integration, and training.

how we do it

Every project is led by either "Eaton" or "Golden."

Emily and John take a hands-on approach to project leadership and deliverables. Every deliverable is the product of collaboration by Emily or John with their talented staff. That means every project gets an "A" team – there is no "B" team.


Small is the new big.

We believe that small project teams are more successful. Many large agency roles just add billable hours and cause confusion. Our small teams are efficient and agile. And our clients always have direct communication with the professionals doing the work.


Interactive is all we do.

We live and breathe interactive communications. You will benefit from working with a small team of experts who are specialized and passionate about their work. This is what we love to do.


We have the tools and environment to do it right.

We have our own state-of-the-art usability lab. With comfy couches, candy, and a gorgeous view, our in-house u-lab makes user research truly enjoyable.

Take the virtual tour of our u-lab!


We are partner-neutral.

We don't push any specific technical platform, tool, or partner. We don't own or get commission from any external service providers. Instead, we help our clients find the best tools and partners for their specific needs.

our clients

Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo

Our Clients logos


Those that can't be named

We often work on confidential projects that don't allow us to reveal our clients' names.

These clients include:

  • One of the world's largest food companies
  • One of the leading medical device companies
  • One of the largest financial institutions in the state
  • Several successful insurance companies

Directions to EatonGolden

  • Take 494 to the E. Bush Lake Road exit
  • Go Right on E. Bush Lake Road to 78th Street (the first stoplight)
  • Turn Left onto 78th Street and go approx. 2/3 of a mile
  • Watch for Creekridge Circle on your left (there is a left turn lane)
  • Turn left onto Creekridge Circle, then veer to the right to get to:

    7808 Creekridge Circle, Suite 315
    Minneapolis, MN 55439

Need specific directions from your location?

Get driving directions to this address from Google Maps.

Map to EatonGolden

Usability lab observation room
NEXT: Enough screens for all

Secret observation room

Our observation room comfortably seats six people at the counter and four in the lounge. You can observe participants in focus groups and usability studies while still keeping tabs on what the weather is like outside.

Contact us to learn more about our usability lab and consulting services.

Usability lab map
Usability lab observation room
NEXT: One-way glass

Enough screens for all

You can observe both the participant and the computer screen, picture-in-picture, using the monitors provided — or you can stay in touch with what’s going on back at your office using our complimentary high-speed Internet connection.

Contact us to learn more about our usability lab and consulting services.

Usability lab map
Usability lab observation room
NEXT: A spacious space

One-way glass

We've had years of experience feeling trapped in dark rooms, observing user research. We got sick of it. With our beautiful view, you won’t feel like you’ve been in a bat cave all day.

Contact us to learn more about our usability lab and consulting services.

Usability lab map
Usability lab observation room
NEXT: Comfy couch #1

A spacious space

There’s also plenty of room for getting up and stretching your legs while keeping tabs on the action. Admit it, not EVERY session you’ve observed is the most fascinating thing you’ve ever seen. Plus, moving around staves off the after-lunch sleepies.

Contact us to learn more about our usability lab and consulting services.

Usability lab map
Comfy couch
NEXT: Candy!

Comfy couch #1

If you don't feel like being near the action at the counter, you can sit on a comfy couch and watch it all on a big, flat-screen TV.

Contact us to learn more about our usability lab and consulting services.

Usability lab map
Usability lab candy
NEXT: Lovely trees

Candy!

In the long-standing tradition of research and sugar, our lab comes equipped with options for every taste bud and sweet tooth. If you don’t see what you like, let us know - we take requests. Plus we bring in hot cookies and cold milk in the afternoon!

Contact us to learn more about our usability lab and consulting services.

Usability lab map
Conference room with floor to ceiling windows
NEXT: Conference room

Lovely trees

Observers won’t be the only ones with a beautiful view of the outdoors. Our conference room provides a panoramic view of willow trees, a creek, and even the occasional deer and wild turkey.

Contact us to learn more about our usability lab and consulting services.

Usability lab map
Conference room with floor to ceiling windows
NEXT: Secret observation room

Conference room

Our conference room can easily accommodate focus groups, one-on-one sessions, or small group meetings. If we can design the research instrument, we can provide the space to conduct it in!

Contact us to learn more about our usability lab and consulting services.

Usability lab map