Usability Testing will ensure that your website or application has been thoroughly tested to iron out any potential problems a web user may come across when they visit your website or application. It also makes sure your website or application conforms to industry standards and legislation. In terms of both your potential online return on investment and baseline profit, usability testing is crucial if you want your website or application to be profitable.
Why focus on usability testing?
Focusing on website usability leads to satisfaction on the part of the user, which can potentially be converted into increased sales and repeat visitors.
Where to Start?
- Define measurements and plan tests for your website
- Identify the target conformance level for each site– set objectives to increase overall usability and structure of the website, creating a road map for future targets and requirements.
- Decide on what area/areas to be tested.
- Identify the objectives of the tests e.g. analysis of the navigation, improving user flow, format of information, etc.
- Create test plans.
- Define what users want to accomplish from the websites.
Examine each website page against the usability standards, based on the usability testing principles and codes of Internet practice. This will involve examining the interfaces and inspecting the details of individual elements. As well as documenting the usability issue, testers should prioritise the severity of any findings.
What to Test for..
- How information is accessed;
- How the home page / website performs;
- How well the homepage / website conveys the company message
- How the company conveys itself in terms of the language used;
- What methods are used within to gather user feedback;
- How the user is guided through the website;
- Whether controls have been put in place to ensure that the user does not make mistakes;
- How in control do users feel
- How accessible the website is
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