Test the usability of your web site21 April 2005
Testing how people navigate your web site (for example, how they search for information) can help you improve its usability. You can see if people understand your menu headings (can they work out that your contact details are given in the 'About us' section?) or find out if your ordering and payment process is easy to navigate.
Here is a list of issues and areas you can easily check to test how usable your site is in practical terms.
- Ideally, you should test your web site on your target audience (ie your customers or potential customers).
- You need to come up with a task or series of tasks for your testers to carry out (for example, search for product x, and then try to buy it) while you watch what they are doing.
- Getting your testers to speak their thoughts out loud while they are carrying out your tasks will give you all sorts of information about how they search for things on your web site.
- Is the text easy to read? For example, break up large blocks of text with headings, bullet points and quotes, and make sure photographs, tables or diagrams are clearly labelled.
- Don't bury your content at the bottom of the page. If you have very long pages, put links at the top to the various section headings, and sprinkle 'back to top' buttons regularly throughout the content.
- Can you tell what is a hyperlink and what isn't? (Hyperlinks are usually underlined, or a different colour.)
- Are the images small enough in size to load quickly (especially on a dial-up connection)?
- Do all images and pictures have alt tags, so people can tell what is going on even if they have the images switched off?
- How does your web site appear to users with different browsers? There's a useful test to check the display at Anybrowser
You can find out more about usability testing at Jakob Nielsen's web site, useit.com
It's also worth considering how accessible your site is for users with disabilities that affect the way they view information online. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, businesses have a legal responsibility to make 'reasonable adjustments' to ensure that people with disabilities have access to their web sites.
- Is there enough contrast between the colour of the background and the text (so it can be read by visually impaired people)?
- Is the font size relative rather than absolute, so that visually impaired people can change the size if they wish in their browser?
- Are there alternative text equivalents for video, PDF files, Flash movies or audio so people using text readers, mobile phones or PDAs can access the information?
