Website Usability Analysis
A website that doesn't help visitors in finding what they are looking for ranks low in usability, while the one that make the whole process intuitive and puts user at ease ranks high on usability. The usability concept takes into consideration the comfort of visitors on first interaction, ease in accomplishing tasks, problems encountered and time taken to recover from them.
Benefits of Usability Testing
How many times have you been to a website and thought, “Why can’t I find what I am looking for?”, or, “I really wish I could order online from this website instead of having to call in.” These are common and often times frustrating issues we all experience when visiting a website. This is when usability testing comes into play and why it is so critical to your online success. We should ultimately be designing for the end user and not for ourselves as designers or for what the client thinks the user wants or needs. This is a mistake often made by many due to lack of research, budget, or time. UX design and usability testing have become increasingly important for the success of a website, application, or product.
There is a great deal that stands between the user and the actual conversion of that customer,so creating the most friendly user experience possible is a major factor in converting those users. If we want to lead the user in a specific direction, we need to make it easy for them to choose to go in that direction. One of the most important aspects of ensuring a great user experience is user testing, and it should not be overlooked. The design interface is another very important element when it comes to user experience because it provides the initial reaction the user has to the site. According to ConversionXL, “It takes about 50 milliseconds for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they like your site or not, and whether they’ll stay or leave.”
After the design is in place, it comes time for testing of the functionality and if the design works as intended. This testing should start at the beginning and not the end of the process, which is a mistake that is often made with user testing. This can lead to big bug fixes being found towards the end of the design and development process that could have been found earlier in the process. Implementing user testing early in the process can not only save your team time, but can ultimately save your company money and keeps your project within budget.
Common problems that can be avoided by Usability Testing:
Poor design layout
Potential user errors
Links that are broken
Site errors on the page
Inconsistent branding message
Grammar and spelling errors within the content
Testing is an ongoing process throughout the design and build of the entire site. The more usability testing you do, the better grasp you will have on how your users think and how you can give them what they want and need. You should also keep in mind you will need to test across multiple browsers and devices. The site may perform differently on an iPhone versus an Android tablet or look different on Google Chrome or it may perform better on Mozilla Firefox.
Five Benefits of Usability Testing:
Satisfaction scale of users with your website
Evaluate the performance to see if it meets your usability goals
Finding out if users are able to complete the tasks at hand successfully without any issues
Find changes that may need to be implemented to improve user performance and enjoyment
The amount of time it takes to complete specified tasks the site intends for you to complete will be revealed
Remember to ensure that the user testing scenarios consist of real-world user scenarios and that whomever is doing the testing is replicating how the product or website would actually be used. You also want to make sure that the user can go through the tasks without help because you want to see how a user would truly react in the product’s live environment.