Web site usability

Web site usability is of fundamental importance to UK businesses that wish to make the most out of the web. If web sites are not designed with the user in mind:

• your website can look fine on one screen but be unusable on another (without you knowing)
• even though the content is there, the user cannot find what they want
• content may be slow to download
• content can be out of date
• forms can frequently fail to deliver a final sale.

If your web pages are confusing and do not make an instant favourable impression then it is all too easy on the web for the potential customer to go elsewhere. Even if your business is not web based, existing customers may never return to you if your web site does not support them properly and meet their after-sales expectations.

It should be apparent from the above that, as a separate issue to usability you should consider......

IS YOUR WEB SITE OF USE?

All too frequently, the content that customers really want may not be there. More and more customers look to the web for information and support - if this is provided in an effective way then your business is enhanced.

Too many websites try to frustrate customers' attempts to contact businesses. Sometimes there is a form but often the customer is given no confidence that when the 'send' button is clicked anything is likely to happen. All too frequently nothing does.

The value of a website to the company and its customers can be greatly enhanced through making it more usable - and of more use. A short usability review can identify the key steps that can add great value.

An usability review is different to an 'usability audit' or 'usability testing'. It assesses how your website relates to your customers needs and what practical steps can be taken to improve performance. My experience and background means that the focus of my review is on your business and its particular needs and not on usability theory as dictated by a textbook checklist.

Occasionally, perhaps for a highly visited site, in addition to recommending practical steps to improve the position, my review may recommend further audit or testing work. That will depend wholly on your circumstances and since I do not carry out such work myself you can expect an unbiased opinion.

A meaningful review can take two days or one month depending upon your business. I will report to you in the form that you prefer and my hands on knowledge of web design means that I can suggest practical solutions.