Usability: what does it mean?
Usability measures the quality of a user's experience when interacting with a product or system; whether it be a Web site, a video recorder or a fridge.
If you care about productivity and return visitors, you care about usability.
Measuring usability
Ease of learning
How fast can a visitor learn your website to accomplish basic tasks?
Efficiency of use
How fast can an experienced visitor accomplish tasks on your websites?
Memorability
Can a repeat visitor remember enough to use your website effectively the next time or do they have to learn everything again?
Error frequency and severity
How often do visitors make errors while using your website, how serious are they, and how do they recover?
Subjective satisfaction
How much does the visitor enjoy your website?
The importance of usability
User Interface Engineering show that people cannot find the information they seek on Web sites about 60% of the time. Leading to wasted time, reduced productivity, increased frustration, and loss of repeat visits and money.
Studies by Forrester Research estimate several costs of bad site design. The two most striking are:
- Losing approximately 50% of the potential sales from a site as people can't find what they need.
- Losing repeat visits from 40% of the users who do not return to a site when their first visit resulted in a negative experience.
How usable is your website?
Perhaps you'll be interested in our new usability lab.
