Why Do I Need a Usability Site Audit?
If you have ever used a website and become frustrated with it, you know first hand why a usability site audit is necessary. And, because there are so many websites that are difficult to use, you may not be surprised to learn it was never tested to begin with. Every website has a short shelf life. During the 1990’s when website design was in the exploratory stages the common mantra was “build it and they will come”. They did because there was no other place to go and if you were lucky to be the first website, you could get away with imperfections. This is no longer the case. For the past 20 years web designers, programmers and marketers have…
Web and Software Developers: Step Away From the Keyboard and Watch UX
I propose a new job description called “Real Life User Experience Testing”, whose role is to assist software and website developers by luring them away from the white board and drop them into reality. I think about real life user experiences because I watch your software in use and wonder why you didn’t. Every company that plans, designs, builds and markets products associated with computers relies on tools and specific methodologies for testing performed in-house. From the day ideas are born and scribbled on white boards or napkins at the bar after a few beers, the journey begins. Investors are contacted, or at least fantasized about. Overtime is demanded by everybody. Test plans are written. User personas are developed. Salespeople write press releases. Business analysis,…
Google Mobile Friendly Does Not Mean User Friendly
Google’s announcement that websites must pass its mobile device test has everyone in a panic. However, in the effort to redesign websites to meet this new criteria, user experience is not improving. In fact, some companies are destroying the usability of their desktop layouts while trying to adapt to Responsive design specifications. And worse, basing mobile tests on what Google says passes its mobile readiness does not automatically translate to a better user experience on all mobile devices. Do I Need to Be Mobile Friendly? For small businesses and organizations such as churches, non-profits and hobby sites, this news from Google presents a dilemma. The cost of owning a successful website is high enough, when you factor in keeping the…
User Testing Provides Specific Insight and Data
Finding user testing to be out of the question for most companies, I decided to find a way to make an affordable user testing option for any website owner curious about their website visitors’ experience. Google Analytics tells one side of the story. Heatmaps and click track studies provide more clues, such as where visitors are looking on a page and what buttons and links they follow. Page load times, page abandonment rates, time on site, top keywords and top pages are noted in software testing and search engine marketing tools, but there is no human voice explaining what they are thinking or what type of environment they may be in while visiting your site. While it is easy to put…
