They say usability is like oxygen - you never notice it until it’s missing.

What it Is. What it Does.

In web design, usability refers to the relative ease of use of the site. Is the interface intuitive to someone unfamiliar with the company, product, or terminology? Can information be found quickly with a minimum number of clicks?

Usability testing is a qualitative method of identifying design-wise what works and what doesn’t through typical user behavior. Whether your site is live or in development, implementing strategies derived from usability test data can positively affect the success of your site, and ultimately your brand.

Who to Test

You’ll get the best results by testing subjects with and without knowledge of your company or industry, and with a range of web experience, from neophyte to tech-savvy. That’s not to say your test group needs to be huge. Usability expert Jakob Nielsen says that testing five users will uncover 85 percent of a site’s usability issues.

Mining for Data

Usability testing can take many forms. A common and successful method employs tracking mouse movement and videotaping test subjects as they complete a variety of tasks from locating the site itself when provided only the company name, to navigating through the site to find specific information.

Mind the Data

The data is then analyzed with video and mouse movements displayed split screen. It becomes easy to identify areas that are counterintuitive through mouse movement, facial expression, body language, or even verbal clues such as “I’m lost.�?

If your site is particularly complex or information-rich, after the initial issues are fixed consider doing a second round of testing. Often additional areas for improvement are identified once the initial stumbling blocks are removed.

Get Results

After observing unorthodox, yet common search habits in testing, we made minor changes to one non-profit’s site that increased traffic by a factor of 100.

Usability testing also revealed the need to reposition elements within the interface. The simple move increased hit rates ten-fold to an area vital to their site’s target goals and objectives.

Everyone processes information differently, and the goal for any site is a simple, common sense interface that’s easy to use and understand. Usability testing identifies whether you have met that goal and enables you to make changes to better meet your customers’ needs—always a benefit.

For more information on how to achieve measurable results with your marketing dollars see Great 2007 Marketing Idea No. 1: Paper and Purls.