If good website USABILITY

 makes customers HAPPY

don't let bad USABILITY

drive customers MAD! 

The user experience is everything for visitors to websites.

If it's good, a user will return frequently and tell their friends. If it's poor, they'll never come back and have nothing good to say about it.

Winning users is expensive. Losing them is a crime.

So, it makes sense to ensure your site is as easy to use as is humanly possible.

To achieve this a site has to be subjected to professional usability research.

This gives the answers to the 10 questions we're asked most often by clients considering usability research to improve user satisfaction.

Why should I be interested in usability?

All the evidence shows that sites that are easier to use perform better in terms of: selling more, holding users for longer, prompting more frequent visits and reinforcing the reputation of the site owner.

When a hefty investment has been made in creating a site, where is the sense in not measuring how well it meets the needs of the people who use it?

Is all usability research the same?

Very definitely not. To ensure your site is professionally assessed in a way that produces meaningful results the work must be based on the principles of HCI (human-computer interaction). HCI has been used for decades by software and hardware developers to make digital products intuitive to use. This knowledge is invaluable when applied to website design and improvement.

How much does it cost?

Like all things it depends on the size of the task and how quickly it is needed. What is important is the return on investment. Typically, this is very high, allowing a site owner to recoup expenditure rapidly. Also, the earlier usability work is done in the design process, the cheaper it is in the long run.

How quickly can the research be done?

As quickly as 24 hours if necessary. Similarly, usability work can be done in tandem with design work if needed to achieve a deadline. Where extreme time pressures do not apply, 'expert evaluations' take one to three weeks. A large user-based study including comparisons with competitor sites takes between three and six weeks. Importantly, we shape our research recommendation to meet the client's timescale, objectives and budget.

How is a site's usability assessed?

There are two principal methods: firstly, using a panel of expert HCI consultants to assess a site; secondly, by running one to one testing sessions with specially selected users, from which data is captured for subsequent analysis. Either way, the work is based on, what are called, 'heuristics' or human-factor guidelines which all digital interfaces should be measured against. These have been developed scientifically by HCI researchers and form a solid basis for metric analysis.

How are usability recommendations presented and will I need a computer science degree to understand them?

Not at all. Usability professionals go to great lengths to present recommendations in plain language which clearly explains what has to be done to improve the user experience of a site. Having said that, because the work originates from a scientific base, detailed technological explanations are also provided to help designers and technologists make the changes. Additionally, recommendations are prioritised to show which improvements should be done first to make the greatest difference to usability.

Can usability testing be combined with other research techniques to learn more about my site, users or the market?

Absolutely, and larger scale studies do exactly this. For example, user testing can be incorporated into focus groups to assess user attitudes and opinions to a market or product as well as site specifics. Similarly, on and off-line quantitative research methods fit comfortably with usability research to build greater understanding of online behaviour. Brand research can also be integrated to measure the impact a site is having on brand values.

Is usability more relevant for B2C than B2B?

No. It's relevant wherever humans interact with a digital interface in either controlled areas, like intranets, or a discretionary environment, such as the internet. This ranges from websites to iTV, mobile devices and even the design of ticket machines.

When is the best time to test usability?

The simple answer is as early as possible in the design and development cycle. The earlier 'human-factors' are built in, the less it costs in the long run and the less likely it is that a site will alienate users due to poor usability. Alternatively, it's never too late to correct mistakes and enhance the user experience with post launch research or testing prior to a re-launch.

How long will it take before I see the benefits?

In some cases it can be within hours of a test starting. If we spot a usability 'catastrophe' which is seriously undermining site performance by making life difficult for users we'll let you know immediately. Usually, the benefits can be seen within weeks of improvements being made in terms of either higher sales, more satisfied users, a sharper competitive edge or greater usage of the site. Not to mention the smiles on your users' faces!

We firmly believe pre and post metric studies should be conducted to validate all usability work. There is a growing body of evidence providing quantitative proof that sites with better usability:

sell more

hold visitors for longer

encourage more frequent visits by users

reinforce brand or corporate reputation

In addition to our core usability services we have extensive expertise in related areas:

Accessibility testing

User needs research

User-centred design

Information architecture

Web analytics

Brand research

Cultural analysis

Why make life difficult for users of your website when you can make it easy?

View or download a PDF version of these FAQs (800KB).

^ Top ^