A brief introduction to usability, what it is, and how to implement it - specifically targeted at users on a shoestring budget. A good guide to help get you started.

1. The Who, What,
Why, When and
How of Usability
www.boost.co.nz

2. What is usability?
- According to Wikipedia, usability is the ease of use
and learnability of a human-made object
- This means the ease of use of your website: Finding
content, finding links, using the site, navigation
structures...
“If the user can’t find it, it doesn’t exist”

3. What is usability?
Can be summed up as 5 key points:
‣ Learnability: How easily can users accomplish basic
tasks on first use
‣ Efficiency: How quickly they can complete tasks after
learning the interface
‣ Memorability: How easily they can remember how to
use it between uses
‣ Errors: How many errors do they make, what kind, how
serious...
‣ Satisfaction: How pretty is the design, how enjoyable is
the experience...

4. What is usability?
Put yourself in your users shoes:
-Can you accomplish important tasks
-Does the site do what the user needs
-Is the site functional
-What happens when things go wrong
Think about the sites you use every day:
-What is the experience like
-Why do you keep using them
-What gets in your way during this experience
“Pay attention to what users do, not what they say”

5. Why is usability important?
Usability is a condition for survival.
The web is survival of the fittest:
-Myspace vs Facebook
-iPhone/iPod vs others
-Google vs Yahoo!, Bing...
-Chrome vs Firefox vs IE?...
If users:
Can’t find information --> leave
Get lost on your site --> leave
Information is hard to understand --> leave

6. Why is usability important?
‣ There is no website manual. People either find
the information quickly or leave your site.
‣ The web is full of alternatives, what makes you
stand out from the competition?
‣ You can save time from user training, increase
satisfaction, better spread your message...
‣ Everyone experiences the web in a different
way: http://bit.ly/browservid

7. How can we improve usability?
Lots of free or cheap, simple techniques:
‣ Hallways tests
‣ Card sorting exercises
‣ Feedback from users
‣ Observe how people interact with your site
‣ Through analytics data
‣ Online testing tools
IntuitionHQ.com
“We don’t see things they are, we see them as we are”

8. How can we improve usability?
‣ Even getting feedback from friends can improve
your usability
‣ Any feedback is better than no feedback
‣ You can test in all sorts of interesting ways
‣ The web is full of people who love giving their
opinions - relevant forums, newsletters etc.

9. How can we improve usability?
The key is to get out and do it.
Don’t be afraid of negative feedback because that is
what helps you improve
Be prepared to listen and observe. Be prepared to
make changes. Be prepared to learn.
Think about success criteria for your site
“A bad website is like a grumpy salesperson”

10. How can we improve usability?
Examples:
‣ Twitter
‣ Facebook
‣ Digg
‣ NZ Herald
‣ Your sites?

11. When to focus on usability?
Any time is a good time to focus on usability:
‣ Before starting a new design, test the old one
‣ Test your competitors designs to see alternatives
‣ Regularly observe your users to see how their
behavior changes over time
‣ Make paper prototypes, wireframes and sketches
for quick feedback
‣ Use multiple iterations from first sketch to finished
design
‣ Compare your site with usability guidelines

12. When to focus on usability?
Keep tweaking your design; it’s easier to continually
make small changes than to make huge ones (or a
huge number) later down the track
Keep observing your users: post tests or questions
on your site, with your newsletters, on your twitter
feed etc.
Remember, there is no such thing as bad feedback.
All feedback can help you improve

13. Who can we test?
Simply, anyone who has an interest in you, your site or
your community:
‣ Current users of your sites
‣ Stakeholders in your site (you, your colleagues...)
‣ Friends and family
‣ Relevant internet forums
‣ Make use of your own Facebook page, Twitter feed...
‣ Go out on the street with paper mockups, an iPad,
laptop etc. and observe how people interact

14. Key points
‣ Any testing is better than none
‣ There are testing methods for any budget and any
timeframe
‣ It’s always a good time to do more testing
‣ The internet is full of useful information on usability;
use it: UXBooth.com, Useit.com, UXMag.com...
‣ I’m always happy to answer any quesitons
“Build it and they will come; build it well and they will
come back”

15. Questions?
Questions? Problems? Comments?

16. Thanks!
Email: jake@boost.co.nz
Twitter: @IntuitionHQ