Usability

Usability is a set of methods which improve websites’ ease of use by making their functionalities and structure “intuitive” for users. It is a set of rules, designed to make websites and other user interfaces simple, aesthetically pleasing and above all easy to use for as many users as possible. This method of optimizing websites brings together elements and techniques from a range of disciplines, including online marketing, communication studies, psychology and web design.

The internationally accepted definition of the term (ISO 9241-11:1998), is that it is a structured approach to ensure tasks or actions on a website or user interface are completed effectively, efficiently, while achieving a feeling of satisfaction for the user. The 3 most important elements of usability are:

  • Effectiveness, in other words task completion, i.e. is it possible to perform specific tasks on a website
  • Efficiency, i.e. how long does it take a user to complete a task, how many clicks are required
  • Satisfaction, i.e. does the user feel satisfaction having experienced the website

Two more elements can be added to the above definition, those of learnability, i.e. the ability of the user to learn how to use the website, and memorability, i.e. how easy is it for the user to remember certain functionalities.

By controlling the user’s experience on a website (i.e. the above elements), we can make a website user-friendly, optimize pages and functionality, correct elements that contribute towards a negative user experience and ultimately achieve the following:

  • Increase conversion rates: We can locate elements that make it difficult for users to navigate or complete tasks, correct issues to facilitate a better flow, promote the messages we want to promote and increase the number of users who will actually complete an order/purchase.
  • Improve search rankings: A better structured website is not only more accessible to humans, but also to search engines.
  • Reduce customer service costs: Fewer problems on a website mean fewer users are likely to need help or support.
  • Improve brand perception: A good user experience makes a happy customer, who in turn is much more likely to suggest your company to friends and family, becoming a brand advocate.
  • Improve customer loyalty: Happy customers are less likely to move on to a competitor website.
Our specialized team will be happy to discuss your specific needs and decide the best course of action. Our services and solutions in the field are unique for each client depending on the project, budget and objectives. Following an in-depth brief taking session with the client we evaluate the project at hand and move on to either all or a combination of the following: A usability evaluation report, i.e. a detailed evaluation of your website performed by a usability expert which addresses top-line problem areas and recommends specific actions the client can immediately put in place, a full usability study which, depending on the scale of the project, can be based on Google Analytics data, more advanced metrics (e.g Clicktale) which give us more in-depth knowledge of users’ behaviour, user testing sessions with a carefully selected small number of users (10 to 15 is optimum), eye-tracking studies and more.