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Assessing Web site usability. (Web Site Management).

Article Excerpt
A priority for those who build and manage large Web sites is ensuring the site is usable by its intended audience. Even though usability is the significant priority for site development, few take the time to formally test usability or engage potential users early enough in the development stages of a project. In many cases, engaging actual users to formally test usability is the first item to be removed from a project plan when the timeline goes too long or the last item thought of when expanding Web sites to integrate additional functionality. Admittedly, I've done this myself when a deliverable date looms. I've scaled back user testing in order to meet the deadline. Cost considerations can also derail plans to test usability. Unfortunately, site developers sometimes believe they can accurately develop a product without the input of actual users.

Launching without the benefit of testing by actual users is a risk to the brand equity of the site. A Web site that does not effectively serve the needs of its intended audience will result in decreased traffic and has little chance of cultivating repeat visitors. In cases in which a user's experience is especially frustrating, the backlash could extend beyond the virtual visit to the company's brick-and-mortar equivalent. Plus, your own Web development efforts are put at risk since development time that repeatedly misses its mark does not generally sit favorably with management.

As Web sites move from static to interactive to transactional, in which more tasks are required by users to meet their goals, such as making a purchase, the more important usability testing becomes. Moving visitors from passive to active participants of a Web site requires that feedback is solicited before, during, and after the site is launched. This requires asking actual users about their experience in order to understand their needs. Anything less bases design and development on guesswork.

USABILITY DEFINED

Usability means that users are able to perform with ease the tasks associated with using or navigating your Web site. What's defined as "usable" and the criteria considered in testing are different for each Web site. It's determined by the purpose of the site and the audience it serves. For instance, a financial company...