Usability & Usability Testing

Web Usability &

Usability TestingElaine Brennan

Web Usability?

First law of web usability:

‘Don’t make me think!’Steve Krug

Consistent identity• logo or site ID• name• tagline

Navigation

Types of pages• the homepage• pathway pages• information pages

The homepage• identify the site• set tone and personality• make clear what the site is about• help people start tasks immediately• direct them efficiently to what they want

Pathway pages• get people to what they’re looking for• like a table of contents• create a smooth path which doesn’t:

o make people thinko have to use the Back button

• most people choose the first plausible looking option: satisficing

Information pages• destination pages • where users scan and get their

information

Page layout• clear visual hierarchy• break pages into clearly defined areas• make it obvious what’s clickable• keep down the noise

Usability testing • Usability testing helps you find out how

well your website is working.

Doing a usability testYou carry out a usability test by:• watching and listening as one user at a time

o responds to your siteo tries to find specific informationo tries to accomplish specific tasks with the website

• recording the results• discussing results with your web team• making changes accordingly • testing again!

What Steve Krug knows:• If you want a great site, you’ve got to test.• Testing one user is 100 percent better than testing

none.• Testing one user early in the project is better than

testing 50 near the end.• The importance of recruiting representative users is

overrated.• The point of testing is not to prove or disprove

something. It’s to inform your judgement.• Testing is an iterative process.• Nothing beats a live audience reaction.

How many users to test?• Krug advises 3 or 4 will pick up nearly all

of the most significant problems

Who to recruit?• ‘it doesn’t much matter who you test’ as:

oWe’re all beginners under the skin.o It’s usually not a good idea to design a site

so that only our target audience can use it.o Experts are rarely insulted by something

that is clear enough for beginners.

Where and how to test?

Who, what, when?• Who should do the testing?• Who should observe?• What do you test, and when?

Types of live-site test• ‘Get it’ testing• Key task testing

Let’s usability test!• Let’s have a go at doing a quick set of

‘Get it’ tests