Usability Services
Most web users have experienced sites that suffer from usability problems. Often they are minor annoyances, such as poorly labelled links. Sometimes they are more serious and can make finding what you want near impossible, or result in 'fatal errors' that cause the browser to crash.
A usable site is an effective site. The site architecture, navigation, content and functionality have been designed to meet the needs of all users, as well as the perceptions of the web designer and the commissioning organization.
Expert Usability Assessment
Technical design faults make many websites hard to find and frustrating to use. Sites may also contain elements that violate basic usability principles.
An Expert Usability Assessment of a website will identify serious technical problems that may be present and indicate how the user-focus of the site can be enhanced.
A site assessment by Web Usability will review:
- Browser compatibility and site speed.
- Site navigation consistency and effectiveness.
- Page layout and content presentation.
An Expert Usability Assessment is a quick and cost-effective way of identifying potential problems. It can be applied at different stages in the development lifecycle of a site to provide evaluation and recommendations for timely implementation.
Heuristic Usability Evaluation
A task-based Heuristic Evaluation will provide a more comprehensive indication of the user-focus of a website.
The process involves a small group of participants using a site for a series of specified tasks typical of those performed by site visitors. The difficulties and problems they encounter are analysed with reference to predetermined usability guidelines, or heuristics.
A Heuristic Usability Evaluation by Web Usability also includes the Expert Assessment described above. It determines the relative seriousness and likely impact of the identified problems and recommends a prioritised plan for addressing them.