Is your web site easy to use?
We use web sites these days for almost everything. Have you ever come across problems like this?
- you can't find what you're looking for
- you're not sure what you need to do
- the checkout process is confusing
Even a small business or start-up depends on their web site to get business. 'Search Engine Optimisation' (SEO) may get users to your pages; good marketing copy might get them to consider exploring - but you need a user-friendly site so they don't get lost or frustrated, or give up in confusion.
Why does usability matter?
"On the Web, usability is a necessary condition for survival. If a web site is difficult to use, people leave. If the homepage fails to clearly state what a company offers and what users can do on the site, people leave. If users get lost on a web site, they leave. If a web site's information is hard to read or doesn't answer users' key questions, they leave.
"Note a pattern here? There's no such thing as a user reading a web site manual or otherwise spending much time trying to figure out an interface. There are plenty of other web sites available; leaving is the first line of defence when users encounter a difficulty." (Jakob Nielsen)
How can I help?
You don't need to be a large company to have access to usability expertise. I can help you enhance your understanding of your customers, and improve the effectiveness of your web site, so they don't have the problems you find so annoying!
But if you want to find out more about usability for yourself, a good place to start is Jakob Nielsen's article 'Usability 101: Introduction to usability '. I have other resources listed in Web links and Suggested reading as well.
I specialise in lightweight usability and accessibility assessments for small businesses and startups, so you can ensure your site is as easy to use as your customers need it to be.
© 2009 Christine Rigden and Insights Consulting