Usability testing

Users have gradually become accustomed to particular layouts and phrases on the Internet, for example:

  • Organisation logo is in the top-left corner and links back to the homepage
  • The term 'About us' is used for organisation information
  • Navigation is in the same place on each page and adjacent to the content
  • Anything flashing or placed above the top logo is often an advertisement
  • The term 'Shopping cart' is used for items you might wish to purchase

There are numerous other conventions like these that enhance your website's usability - can you think of some more? Don't underestimate the importance of these conventions - as the Internet matures we're getting more and more used to things being a certain way. Break these conventions and you may be left with nothing but a website with poor usability and a handful of dissatisfied site visitors.

We read web pages in a different manner to the way we read printed matter. We generally don't read pages word-for-word - instead we scan web pages. When we scan web pages certain items stand out

At e-webdesigns, we always design our webs sites with the end user in mind, by doing this we can ensure that your customers will always meet your goals.

Some interesting Quotes

  • Every £1 invested in improving your website's usability returns £10 to £100 (source: IBM)
  • A web usability redesign can increase the sales/conversion rate by 100% (source: Jakob Nielson)