Web Usability Metrics - How your business can benefit

How effective is your current Web site? Is your target market completely satisfied with the information they are receiving from your Web site? Not sure? Maybe it’s time you step into the age of Web usability.

Web usability isn’t a new thing. In fact, it has been around almost as long as Web sites have. However, the importance of Web usability first became apparent to the masses during the Browser Wars of the late 90s, mainly between Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. These were the times of unstable browsers, shaky Web-standards, frequent crashes and countless security holes. This was also the time of the great Dotcom boom where everyone wanted a Web presence with flashy bells and whistles. High-tech ‘solutions’ nobody really needed were what users supposedly wanted. For obvious reasons, customer satisfaction was at an all-time low. Enter Web usability.

Nowadays, it seems that function is told to take a backseat to form. Designers are continually reinventing the wheel, even when the wheel is in perfect working order. The standards for design and customer capabilities is about as stable as a house of cards on a paint shaker (insert new analogy at any time). What some designer thinks is cutting-edge or a personal masterpiece will most likely not effectively convey the appropriate message to the proposed user due to the physical and technological limitations of the user or the improper use of navigation.

The fact is that web developers and graphic designers alike do not necessarily speak the same language as the rest of the populous. We speak in code and pixels. Take this into consideration. A client comes to me looking for my company to create a Web site for a health insurance company. His demographic is men/women 45-65 years of age with low to moderate Internet exposure. Now can I properly develop a Web site that will be used by that demographic without properly testing the site with members of said demographic? It simply isn’t possible. This can be said about any business. Without proper testing by a professional Usability Specialist, you can never be sure your Web site is effectively reaching your intended market.

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. Usability can be measured in terms of navigation, color, presentation and accessibility. A usability test can be a cost-effective way to ensure your Web presence is not being wasted and your target audience is effectively reached.

"It takes only five users to uncover 80 percent of high-level usability problems"
- Jakob Nielsen, Designing Web Usability

Another useful metric is a Quality Assurance test. The test is simple in nature, but provides a wealth of useful insight on the psyche of the target market and the overall effectiveness of the design.

Before any design is created, the following should be identified:
- The objectives/goals of the client
- The message the client wishes to communicate
- The current target market of the client
- The various media outlets available to deliver the message
- The projected target market of the client
- The budget of the client

After this research is conducted, the creative department should then develop rough drafts of the design. This is also when the quality assurance test-subjects are identified. Individuals matching the demographics of the target audience are selected. Studies show a test group of six people to the best number as any more results in repeat results.

For more information regarding the benefits of usability testing, go to:

http://www.twelve14studios.com