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Usability Lab |
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If you develop web sites, you need to test its usability. It’s just that simple. If not, you’re setting your client up for failure. The fact is that unless you’re a mind-reader, it’s impossible to be sure you are providing exactly what the intended user needs unless you ask them, study them and learn from them. That is where usability testing comes into play. Web developers and graphic designers do not generally think like the rest of the world. We speak in code and pixels. In order to effectively reach and communicate the ideas of our client, we must view our creations through the eyes of the target market. Satisfying the end-user should always be the top priority. It’s difficult to make a profit without customers. This may seem like common sense to most, but there are still companies out there who don’t bother to take the experience of their customers into consideration. For this reason alone, we design our web sites (and all our designs for that matter) with the “function over form” principles in mind. Research shows that people cannot find the information they seek on Web sites about 60% of the time. This can lead to wasted time, reduced productivity, increased frustration, and loss of repeat visits and money. "It takes only five users to uncover 80 percent of high-level usability problems" - Jakob Nielsen, Designing Web Usability The primary goal of any usability test is to provide feedback during the design/development process in order to ensure that the web site will actually be effectively used and easy to navigate while also providing valuable information to the users. The evaluation is broken down into the following categories: Ease/Effectiveness of Navigation Do the users find what they need easily? Is there a clear pattern to the navigation that fits easily into the mental model of the users? Are the links labeled with terms that make sense to the users? Usefulness of Content What information do the users want/need? Is the content organized on each page in such a way that it is easy for the users to quickly find it? Does the copy effectively communicate to the user? Is it appropriate to use jargon? Effectiveness of Presentation Does the design, fonts and colors scheme distract or add to the user’s experience? How do the users feel about the design/site layout? Is the Company being represented in the right way? Accessibility Were the users able to accomplish the key task they needed/wanted to accomplish. If not, why? If yes, how did the process make them feel (satisfied, neutral, frustrated, etc.)? |
