Usability testing

Usability testing is a technique used to evaluate a website by testing it on users; by observing their behaviour as they attempt to use the website. The quality of the user experience is the most important factor in buying decisions made on the Web. Not price. Not reputation. Not security. Until you have tested your site for usability, you are losing business!

Until recently usability testing has been unaffordable to small business. Successful e-commerce sites like Amazon, eBay, and Microsoft spend millions on continuous usability testing; but you can get great results for just a small investment.

How does usability testing improve results?

1. Understand - When real customers are using or testing your website, they pick up things that might not be obvious. By observing users trying to complete goals, you are able to pick up things which you might not have otherwise considered.
   You are able to build an understanding for how your customers interact with your website, your brand, your content; Learn what they really think.
2. Prioritise - Usability testing helps determine the blocks that restrict conversion.
   To improve conversion you need to optimise. You might have “ideas” for ways you can improve conversion. Some ideas will have more impact than others, some may impact negatively, some require different amounts of effort and resources. So the obvious question is, “Where do I begin?”