Designing For Usability

With screwdriver in hand, an electrician anchors a light plate. Though his utility belt contains many tools, he applies the screwdriver by purpose, employing it according to its usability in relation to the task at hand. When illustrating a certain element in the theory of relativity, a physics instructor utilities a sponge mat, a hardwood counter top, and a golf ball. Each object is chosen for its specific value and usability to the illustration.

Any tool, object, or idea that can help forward a goal is usable. Yet usable does not declare the level of usability. A carpenter can home a nail with a rock, but as an efficient hammer the usability of the rock is very limited. We see then a principle: usability must be measured by effectiveness, efficiency, and elegance.

In its practical sense, usability denotes how well a product meets the physical or mental application requirements of the user. In a theoretical sense, usability is the science and art of design that is applied to the development of tools, objects, text, language, and ideas. Everything has a purpose. How well it suits that purpose is determined by the measure of applicable usability. The study of usability is an effort to evaluate the practical success of a given idea, tool, or application.

Applying the study of usability to the process of internet based human to computer interaction – web access:

It starts with accessibility. Whether addressing the point-n-click front end, or the behind the scenes database an inaccessible website lacks any measurable interactive usability. For this reason, accessibility is the primary prerequisite of website usability. When content fails to open, when the links crash, and when the flash player freezes a website must be considered inaccessible and unusable.

If accessibility is not a stopping point, it is a starting point. Dr. and author Jakob Nielsen of useit.com suggests five major areas for gauging website usability:

• Learnability: encompasses the ease of operation. How intuitive is the website? How quickly can a user grasp the functions and procedures of the available applications and features? We live in an impatient world. Frustrated users are quick to exit a difficult website.

• Efficiency: is the ordered method of applications, the system response speeds, and the accuracy of the information. This also includes adaptability to the skill level of the user. A slow, feature limited website lacks any valuable usability.

• Memorability: effective website design seeks to gain return visitors. A complex user interface will be more difficult to learn and remember. Casual users have neither time nor patience for long-term web navigation memory requirements. Memory intensive environments hamper website usability.

• Error tolerance: this is the control, anticipation, and ease of recovery from both user and system errors. A usable website must help users find their way out of missteps and errors.

• Subjective satisfaction: is the desired and expected yield for having visited a website. Disappointed users will not return. They came searching; never let them leave empty handed.

Designing for usability.

Learn to evaluate what works. Some websites are cluttered but usable. Others are visually stunting yet worthless in usability terms. Some focus on corny jokes, dismal cartoons, and snappy one-liners; many visit and use them. Others concentrate on detailed information exchanges, precision databases, and unlimited answers; no one visits.

Unless you are the sole provider of a given value, website usability is the primary source of internet survival.

Usable websites attract visitors, increase user confidence, deliver efficient information, lessen site maintenance costs, eliminate frustration, promote products and ideas, enhance the reputation of the site owners, and grow.

Unusable websites frustrate customers, waste time, increase support and training expenses, delay services, ruin the reputation of the site owners, and eventually fail and fade.

About the Author

Different solutions are limited; design with usability at the forefront of your mind or risk creating something that doesn’t achieve it’s objectives.

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