usability testing

Web site evaluation and testing therefore should always be regarded as an essential ingredient in ensuring a satisfying web experience for both site users and owners alike. The value of pre-launch testing and evaluation cannot be underestimated as a means of gaining an in-depth insight into how a web site will function in the real world.

Web developers and their clients are not necessarily the best judges of how usable a site will be, having been intimately involved in its development. Being close up and personal on a web site build that can stretch over several weeks tends to make those with a stake in its development too close to the project. No matter how detached we believe we can be, it is rarely that we can retreat sufficiently far to obtain an impartial and objective view.

Pre-launch checks

In these circumstances, it’s best to deploy the services of independent testers to thoroughly evaluate your site before it launches. The feedback they provide can prove invaluable. While this critique will inevitably entail some redesign work to the site, it’s much more preferable to do this prior to going live than after the launch.

In the case of one local web development company building a property for sale portal, the feedback they gleaned from testers added two weeks to the build. However, the outcome was a site that was very easy to navigate and which regularly receives plaudits from users on it ease of use.

The company says: “Getting independent testers in was definitely a smart move. While those involved in the build may see the structure and lay out as logical, it does not automatically follow that users will interact in the way you expect. Humans are fallible and invariably have an innate ability to respond in lots of unpredictable and surprising ways.

“From our point of view, the testing provided us with a lot of valuable information not only on how to tighten up the design, but with a number of other useful suggestions on how the site could be improved. We definitely had a greatly superior site to go live with.”

In the case of the property portal, a number of prospective site users, people actively engaged in buying and selling property, were recruited and asked to use the site from both perspectives. Half were buyers and the others sellers. While traversing the site, each of the users were asked to note down their observations and were then interviewed for their feedback.

The web development company analysed the feedback from each group for common themes or patterns and distilled this into a ‘to do’ list.

A broadly similar approach can be adopted for testing most sites. The main considerations should be who to recruit and the tasks they are asked to perform in order to get the optimal benefit from the exercise.

Research shows that software ergonomic experts will uncover between 80 and 90 per cent of problems with a web site’s interface.

Site breakers

A cheaper option, unless you happen to know one of these guys, is to take a look around your circle of friends, family and acquaintances for the ones who work online or are involved in the computer industry. Past experience of the author suggests that such people love nothing better than the challenge of ‘breaking’ someone’s site.

With their knowledge of web sites and their back end operation, they will try out all sorts of weird and wonderful manoeuvres to gleefully bring a site to a grinding halt. You can usually count on these testers finding somewhere between 50 and 30 per cent of usability snags.

Don’t, though, overlook the net novice as a source of enlightenment. The author’s mother is a good option. Unfortunately, she’s tied to an exclusive contract. Doubtless you will find one of your own at close proximity, a net novice that is.

The net novice is a rich seam of info on where a site falls down on intuition and transparent navigation. Silver surfers, in particular, are continuously growing in number and making up a greater proportion of the net population. With disposable income, the older web user is an important part of the online marketplace, so asking their opinion is good business sense. Generally speaking, they won’t have had anywhere like the same level of exposure to computers as the under 35s and approach the internet from a completely different set of reference points. Tapping into their mindset will help in building a picture of where site users get lost or will potentially run into trouble.

Customer input

A third set of people to include in a test session is regular customers – the traffic you ultimately wish to visit and use your site. Asking for their input is a positive move on a number of levels: A) it’s good PR, your customer will feel valued if they are asked for their opinion on such an important project, B) their input can be regarded as authoritative and will help to convey to the customer a sense of ownership in the project, and C) it helps to publicise your site to your best customers.

In terms of managing the testing to gain the best data, set specific tasks for your evaluators to carry out, particularly for net novices and customers. Merely asking testers to have ‘a play around with the site’ isn’t an efficient way to pull out any hidden and lurking pitfalls with your site. And it won’t be the most effective use of your testers’ time either.

channel tunnel

The tasks should concentrate on discovering shortcomings with usability, ease of navigation, obtaining information, and carrying out tasks such as completing an online transaction to test the design of the ‘purchasing tunnel’.

Observe the reactions of the testers as they perform each task. Discuss beforehand with each of them whether they would prefer to make their notes and observations as they go along, or have time at the end to write them up so as not interrupt their continuity.

Wherever possible go over their notes and tease out the issues while the test session is still fresh in their mind. On balance, you will get the most out of a test session by inviting the testers along to a single venue at which you and your web development company are present, rather than having them carry out the testing remotely.

From the viewpoints expressed by your testers a pattern will quickly appear. Some judgement will need to be applied though. A percentage of the data supplied by testers will fall under the headings of ‘wish list’ or ‘not technically feasible’ on budget or web hosting limitation grounds. The remainder, guaranteed, will be all good stuff and work that you will wish to address before launching your web presence.