2. What is Usability?
Usability is the measure of the quality
of a user's experience when
interacting with a product or system —
whether a Web site, a software
application, mobile technology, or any
user-operated device.
3. What is Usability?
Usability is a combination of factors
that affect the user's experience with
the product or system, including:
◦ Ease of learning
◦ Efficiency of use
◦ Memorability
◦ Error frequency and severity
◦ Subjective satisfaction
4. Why is usability important?
Low usability results in:
◦ Frustrated users
◦ Visitors leaving
◦ Reduction in repeat visits
◦ Higher support costs
◦ Decreased productivity
6. What is Usability Testing?
◦ A way to evaluate the interface with
real users.
◦ Can be done in a lab or in their
environment.
◦ Can be performed on paper prototypes
as well as implemented systems.
7. Types of Usability Problems
Product doesn‟t match job or task
Poor organization/layout
Unexpected occurrence of events
Product not self-evident
Requires recall rather than recognition
Inconsistent screens, messages,
terminology
8. Types of Usability Problems
Design is inefficient
Cluttered or unattractive design
No feedback or poor feedback about
status or errors
No exit or undo
Help or documentation is not helpful
9. Usability Attributes
Attributes should be measurable
Example Attributes include
◦ Time to complete a task
◦ % of task completed
◦ Number or % of errors made
◦ % of users who like the design
◦ No of times user asks for help/gets lost
10. Planning
◦ Define the purpose of the Web site
◦ Identify target users
◦ Get to know your users
◦ Define the users‟ tasks
◦ Determine scope, usage and change
characteristics of the information
◦ Define the “personality” of your site
◦ Put together your Web site team
11. Usability Considerations
Usability includes considerations such
as:
Who are the users, what do they
know, what can they learn?
What do users want or need to do?
What is the users' general
background?
What is the users' context for
working?
What must be left to the machine?
12. Other Considerations
Can users easily accomplish intended
tasks at their desired speed?
How much training do users need?
What documentation or other
supporting materials are available to
help the user?
Can users find solutions in these
materials?
13. Other Considerations
What and how many errors do users
make when they interact with the
product?
Can the user recover from errors?
What do users have to do to recover
from errors?
14. Other Considerations
Does the product help users recover
from errors? For example, does software
present comprehensible, informative,
non-threatening error messages?
Does the product meet the special needs
of disabled users? (Is it accessible?)
Are there substantial differences
between the cognitive approaches of
various users that affect the design, or
does a one-size-fits-all approach work?
15. Usability Checklist
Can visitors read the text, or is a
background color or texture interfering
with the readability?
Does the layout of the screen
encourage visitors to move their eye
focus in a logical, orderly fashion, or
are visitors visually lost?
16. Usability Checklist
Is the site designed with a particular
target audience in mind, or is it trying to
be all things to all people (and therefore
nothing to nobody)?
Does the order visitors move through a
page, or set of pages, match the way
they want to do their work, or do visitors
get lost trying to find information or fill out
a form?
17. Usability Checklist
Do you know the purpose of the site,
or has the site grown appendages that
don't hang together?
Have you chosen the best content
type (text, graphics, audio...) for the
material and the hardware and
software environment of your target
audience, or is your content presented
inappropriately?
18. Usability Checklist
Images & animations: Use the alt
attribute to describe the function of
each visual.
Image maps: Use the client-side map
and text for hotspots.
Multimedia: Provide captioning and
transcripts of audio, and descriptions
of video.
19. Usability Checklist
Hypertext links: Use text that makes
sense when read out of context. For
example, avoid "click here."
Page organization: Use headings,
lists, and consistent structure. Use
CSS for layout and style where
possible.
Graphs & charts: Summarize or use
the longdesc attribute.
20. Usability Checklist
Scripts, applets, & plug-ins - Provide
alternative content in case active
features are inaccessible or
unsupported.
Frames - Use the noframes element
and meaningful titles.
Tables - Make line-by-line reading
sensible. Summarize.
21. Links
Use Consistent Clickability
◦ Colored text (blue)
◦ Underlined text
◦ Graphic + text
Write meaningful labels
◦ Users should be able to sense the link‟s destination
from its label.
◦ Link labels should match the names of their
destination pages.
◦ Link labels should be clearly different from each
other.
◦ Links embedded in text should be highly descriptive
(9-10 words) and make sense when read out of
context. Users ignore surrounding text.
22. Scrolling
Eliminate horizontal scrolling
Avoid scroll stoppers
Use appropriate page lengths:
◦ Short pages for „homepage‟, navigation,
scanning
◦ Longer pages for reading continuous content
◦ Stay within 4 screenfuls
Use a clickable list of contents on long
pages
23. Images
Use images that add value
Use thumbnails to preview large
images
Place large images „below the fold‟
Label images to help users
understand them.
24. Summary
Have a goal or purpose for your site.
Spend time in planning and design.
Don‟t do things because you can, do
them because they add value.
Continually evaluate and update your
site.
25. Conclusion
◦ Plan to apply at least one of these
techniques to your current and/or next
project.
◦ Identifying users and their tasks is most
important
