Every web designer, worth their salt, understands the criterion for the usability of a web site. Actually, a web designer should be an expert in this area. The consistencies such as links, hierarchies situated in the correct spots, and logo positioning are instinctively known. How exactly does one know how to design the site for both the client and the user?
To answer these questions, the designer instinctively asks themselves internal questions early in the creative process. How attractive and appealing is the design, and interaction to the user? How easy is it for the user to figure out how to use the website, and will they remember the next time? Does the user make errors, and if so, why and how many?
Once the website is complete and launched, how can a designer be sure that they hit their mark? It would seem silly and time consuming to find users, make them use your site, and let you know how you did. Not to mention, you would probably have to pay them. The good news is, you don’t have to, because there are ways of testing your site’s usability, yourself. Here, we will discuss four nifty ways of testing the usability of your website, after it has launched.
Testing #1: Google Analytics
There is nothing more annoying to a user as clicking on something they think is a link, and they don’t get anywhere. For some reason, what generally attracts this clicking desire is pictures. One way to test to see if a user is clicking where there are no links would be to add a snipplet of javascrpt and use Google Analytics to track the elements of a page. If you discover that it is happening, you can take the opportunity to add a link.
Testing #2: Google’s Website Optimizer and/or Ad-words
This test goes on a little farther than the first one. It considers other elements of the design, in addition to links. Additionally, it helps you figure out what content of your web site is getting visitors to convert.
Google’s Optimizer can be used on its own, or together with Ad-words to gather data after it runs some test. You have to go slowly though and only give it small amounts to track at a time. It is best used for landing or e-commerce pages.
Testing #3: ClickTale
The heat map is the most adaptable and versatile of the four. It is like a video recorder watching every move your visitors mouse makes on your web site. It can tell you absolutely everything. From where they went first, how they navigated each page, from top to bottom or side to side. It is a sure fire way of testing both the usability and optimization.
Testing #4: Silverback
Setting up your own systems of testing your website, is probably a little on the expensive side. There is an application called Silverback that is similar to clickTale, but a little more advanced. In a nut shell, it will record screen activity and iSight video together with mouse clicks and audio. Videos of your web activity can be watched on Quicktime.
Now you have four nifty ways of testing the usability of your website.
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