Usability
testing matters
Web
site usability testing will bring up usability problems
that you never would have though of yourself. Even heuristic
evaluations, based on a web usability list of guidelines
and best practices, should be complemented with actual usability
user testing in order to discover most usability problems
with a website design.
Why
usability testing?
Usability
is all about effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction:
can web users complete a certain task completely, effortlessly
and to their complete satisfaction? A better user experience
will turn more visitors into loyal customers. Your website
strategies may be aimed at attracting more visitors through
e.g. search
engine optimization, but what good do more visitors
do if they don't buy anything?
A
very popular and cost-effective way to improve Internet effectiveness
is a heuristic website evaluation.
A usability expert uses a web usability list of guidelines
and best practices to gauge a website's effectiveness and
recommend improvements. A usability expert is highly knowledgeable
in effective website strategies, but you will gain priceless
insight into user behavior when you watch actual users succeed,
or fail, while they try to complete a task on your website.
How
to test a design for usability?
We
will ask you to complete a questionnaire and based on this
needs analysis we will create user task scenarios. With
this usability test plan we will ask actual users to perform
these tasks, while we carefully observe their attempts.
We may ask the participants to "think out loud",
and will interview the users after the usability testing
sessions.
The
usability test sessions will be filmed so you yourself can
see the challenges that your website poses for your target
audience - you may use this visual evidence to convince
senior management that a website redesign is eminent.
Is
a usability user test expensive?
The
test doesn't have to be too large; according to usability
guru Jakob Nielsen you only need 5 users - after that the
results won't improve proportionally. This is Jakob
Nielsen's article on this subject: the link will open
in a new window.
The
cost of the test depends on how easy it is to find test
candidates, how many scenarios you want to have tested,
and how much preparation goes into the preparation of the
web usability user test. Maybe you want to go through a
process of user
profiling or task analysis prior to embarking on usability
testing.
Web
site usability consultants
Let
U-C WEBS be your web site usability consultant. We are not
merely comparing websites to rigid usability guidelines;
we always gauge a website's effectiveness against the organization's
strategic marketing and communications goals. For true website
optimization we also offer search
engine marketing services, online copywriting, affordable
webdesign and an Internet
tracking tool - indispensable if you really want to
improve your website. This consultant for many Internet
services knows about effective website strategies - from
effective website positioning to website content strategies.
Order
your website usability evaluations today.
Still
have questions? Visit our Frequently
Asked Questions section, or contact
us.
Other
web usability services include:
