WHAT IS USABILITY?
Usability assesses how easy it is for a user to use the interface. It is measurable via web site usability testing with users. Testing can be done quickly and efficiently with small numbers of users to great benefit.
COMPONENTS OF USABILITY
• Learnability – How easy is it for users to complete tasks the first time they use the interface?
• Efficiency – How quickly can they perform tasks once they are familiar with the interface?
• Memorability – How easily can users re-establish proficiency when they return to the design after a period of not using it?
• Errors – How many, severe and how easily can they recover from the errors?
• Satisfaction – How satisfying/pleasant is it to use?
Usability and utility are equally important and together determine whether something is useful: It matters little that something is easy if it’s not what you want. It’s also no good if the system can hypothetically do what you want, but you can’t make it happen because the user interface is too difficult. To study a design’s utility, you can use the same user research methods that improve usability.
ANALYSIS OF DESIGN EFFECTIVENESS
- What is the purpose?
- Communication
- Typefaces
- Colours
- Images
- Navigation
- Grid Based Layouts
- Visual Design Patterns
- What is working well?
- What could be improved?
- How could it be more engaging, useful and memorable for visitors?
WHY USABILITY IS IMPORTANT?
If users find a website difficult to use, get lost on a website, information is hard to read, they leave! You shouldn’t need to provide a manual for a user to be able to use the site because there are plenty of other websites available.
WHEN TO WORK ON USABILITY
Usability plays a role in each stage of the design process.
The main steps are:
• Don’t put off user testing until you have a fully implemented design.
• Before starting the new design, test the old design to identify the good and bad parts
• Test your competitors’ designs
• Conduct a field study to see how users behave in their natural habitat.
• Create prototypes of new design and test them (gradually move from low-fidelity to high-fidelity
and test each iteration).
• Once you decide on and implement the final design, test it again. The only way to a high-quality user experience is to start user testing early in the design process and to keep testing every step of the way.
BENEFITS OF USABILITY
Users can benefit from usability, because:
• Satisfied, not frustrated
• Enjoy interacting with the interface
• Achieve end goals
• Cultivate confidence and trust in the app/site/company
HOW TO IMPROVE USABILITY
• The most basic and useful is user testing, which has 3 components:
• Find representative users (5 users will be enough)
• Ask the users to perform tasks
• Observe what the users do (Listening to what people say is misleading: you have to watch what they actually do)
• Identify problems