In order to make a lasting impression on your visitors, you need to build experiences that go beyond those of a plain, usable website. Mark Walker-Ford ... Could you make improvements to provide a better experience for your visitors? Exceptional website usability and the implementation of these website usability tips are the basis for increasing your conversion rate. Critical Content Is Above The FoldThe "fold" is that imaginary line where the bottom of your screen cuts off a page. About this template: this ten-page, text-heavy template is a blueprint for a comprehensivemoderated usability testing proposal. I've been thinking a lot lately about my process. Usability.gov is the one-stop source for user experience best practices and strategies. Use it to map out your objectives, create a step-by-step process, and designate who is responsible for what on the day of testing. Over the past few years, we have gotten used to certain standards in web design. Indianapolis, Ind: New Riders. 5. ➡ About this kit: a treasure trove of useful information, their usability kit is a zip file of the following five useful templates in both Word and Apple Pages format: Get the kit at uxpin.com (requires an email to download). 25-point Website Usability Checklist (PDF) Author: Dr. Peter J. Meyers Subject: Assess your most critical website usability issues with this free download (1-page PDF). 15. It lets you compare your site’s interface to industry-standard “rules of thumb” for usability. Company Logo Is Linked to Home-pageThis may sound minor, but people expect logos to link to home-pages, and when they don't, confusion follows. 3. 20. Everything should start with an audit - i.e., analysis of the working web resources with the goal of defining any errors in performance. A printable .pdf-version is available as well. Put it to good use! Steve Krug is a user experience expert and the author of Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems. 22. Your main navigation should be short, to the point, and easy for mere mortals to grasp. Websites need to be designed with the target audience in mind. Usability.gov was created by the US Department of Health and Human Services as a resource for UX best practices and website guidelines. Clear Path to Company InformationThe good old "About Us" page may seem boring, but confidence is important on the web, and people need an easy way to learn more about you. !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? Usability testing is most effective when the plans behind it are detailed and thoughtful. The following list contains some of the internet's best free templates and checklists to assist you in running a usability test. ✅What this template is good for: this pre-testing document, perfect for creating a usability testing plan (or a testing plan proposal to share for approval), helps ensure everyone is aware of the parameters of the study. Site has adequate text-to-background contrast. ➡ About this template: this ten-page, text-heavy template is a blueprint for a comprehensivemoderated usability testing proposal. ➡ About this checklist: all of Krug’s resources are worth considering, but the most valuable resource here is the collection of usability testing checklists, which guides users through each testing task. Sticking to standard HTML/CSS is also a plus for search engines. It won't help you script the task or integrate it into your testing model. Avoid marketing jargon and boil your unique value proposition down to a few words. 21. Flash & add-ons are used sparingly. A Usability Test Checklist, including universal tasks to complete before, during, and after testing. 4. Site has custom not-found/404 page. Get this checklist collection at Advanced Common Sense, ✅ What this resource is good for: a very thorough checklist of tasks for in-person tests, the document includes minute details like “find a place for participants to sit when they arrive” and “order lunch for debriefing.”. If you have two or more navigation areas, make it clear why they're different. Also, do people a favor and make your ads clear. 25-Point Website Usability Checklist The 25-Point Website Usability Checklist offered by UserEffect covers all the basic areas in which to check your site, including accessibility, identity, navigation, and content. ❌What it’s not good for: the methodology is specific to moderated lab testing. ➡ About this booklet: this is an extremely detailed testing plan workbook that advises users on evaluation procedures, researcher duties, testing goals, and data collection methods. Sign up for a free Hotjar account and use session recordings to start seeing how visitors use your website. Also, make sure your line spacing is adequate - white-space is a designer's best friend. 11. The following fonts are commonly used web fonts: Aerial, Times New Roman, Trebuchet, Georgia, and Verdana Size- Jakob Nielsen is the Usability Guru for websites. next to everything. It's not as useful for other methods of testing, including remote and unmoderated ones. Xtensio is a subscription-based library of modifiable and collaborative templates for a variety of business documents—including testing reports. TSA’s web form includes a Clear Form button, which violates usability guidelines dating back more than 15 years. Learn how to create more usable, useful, and accessible websites. Don't be that guy. This script is for you. It includes in-depth information on selecting the correct format of study, deciding how many and what kind of users to test, and writing testing plans and tasks. ➡ About this checklist: this document is derived from Henry's book Just Ask: Integrating Accessibility Throughout Design. ❌ What this template is not good for: this very basic exercise can only help you sketch out the purpose of each task. Tweet Poor readability increases frustration, and frustration leads to site abandonment. Experience is a powerful thing, but it's rare … UserZoom (mentioned above) has also developed a checklist to help you prepare a framework for an unmoderated, remote usability test. 0/X. If a site takes forever to load, most people will just leave. In this chapter you’ll list the key screens of your web application and run a usability checklist on each of them. In this post, I’d like to highlight some of the more common problems designers should address on their own sites in a Usability checklist of sorts. Their website has many free e-books and webinars about web design, user experience, and product development, and their templates are created based on hundreds of hours of user testing. Font Size/Spacing Is Easy to ReadOpinions vary on the ideal size for text, but err on the side of slightly too big. Home-page Is Digestible In 5 SecondsIn usability, we often talk about the 5-second rule. ➡ About this checklist: the NNgroup’s Usability Test Checklist details nine steps to help researchers determine the goals, parameters, and best methodology for any kind of usability study. Usability.gov provides a Word template for Measurable Usability Goals. Also, it calculates usability scores, which is excellent for competitor benchmarking, you could compare usability scores of your website to competitors’. A while back, as part of my 5-point Website Clinic, I developed a 25-point website usability checklist - a way to create some method out of my madness and make sure that I don't forget anything critical when I'm working with a new client. Usability Testing: Website Checklist. One of the easiest ways to get started with usability testing is watching session recordings. At the same time the same website will not appear the same when it is accessed via different devices and browsers. In this chapter, we've assembled 12 useful templates, checklists, and scripts you can start from to make your usability testing plan as effective as possible. Tagline Makes Company's Purpose ClearAnswer "What do you do?" Completing each task will help you write better scenarios and more carefully assess what success looks like for each exercise. It’s true, usability has become a commodity. 23. Don't try to force ads and pop-ups down peoples' throats. You’ll learn about the 5 key components of an ideal screen and define your biggest UX challenges. It was also developed in 2010, so many of the technology references are out of date. Layout, headings, and styles should be consistent site-wide, and colors should usually have the same meaning. While testing the web applications, one should consider the below mentioned template. General recommendations. Get the booklet at userfocus.co.uk (requires an email to download). A Usability Test Consent Form to obtain permission for recording. Researchers have the least control over this form of testing, so developing a research framework and solid script is essential. Traditional Website Usability Testing. A customizable Usability Test Script that you can adapt for use during your moderated tests. It also includes structures for designating researcher roles, setting impact parameters, and defining usability tasks for testing. It includes specific language for obtaining recording consent, introducing the testing process, and running through a set of questions. The checklist is a do-it-yourself solution for site evaluation. What Is Usability? If your website is about fashion, you may opt to introduce more creative elements – which would perhaps not be the case if you are designing a corporate business to business website. Designing Web Usability. I've been thinking a lot lately about my process. With usability testing, you can get insights for your website that will help you deliver the right UX for your target customers. Use new technology sparingly and only when it really enhances your goals. ✅What this checklist is good for: use this if you're just getting started with planning any kind of usability study, be it moderated or not, remote, or in person. 2. Links should stand out, and you should use them sparingly enough that they don't disrupt your content. Jakob Nielsen has a great 113-point checklist in his book, Homepage Usability, for example. Emphasis (bold, etc.) 18. Content can fall below the fold, but anything critical to understanding who you are or what you do (especially on the home-page) should fit on that first screen. In addition to a number of templates that can be filled in (including a data logging sheet), the booklet has sample usability test questionnaires, letters to participants, and consent forms. ✅What this template is good for: use it to create a guide for in-person or remote moderated testing. People expect it, and they like it when you make their lives easy. This is just my way of organizing what I think is important while trying to keep it manageable. Knowing users’ psychology you are one step closer to improving your website usability. It won't help you with analyzing or reporting results. When it comes to usability testing, do not neglect people with accessibility issues like visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities. UXPin is a collaborative design digital platform that helps users design, build, and test prototypes for websites. ❌What this resource is not good for: because it's so heavily geared towards moderated in-person testing, it is less useful for remote testing. » Download the 25-point Website Usability Checklist (1-page PDF). Website usability checklist The most common usability problems. Average screen resolution these days is about 1024x768, depending on your audience. Covers design, content, response time and accessibility. Your boss mentions that you’re going to develop new key ways to allow users to navigate – and you’re driving the project. Tullis, T. & Albert, W. (2013). ➡ About this template: this usability task table can help you break down each of your testing tasks into goals, inputs and outputs, and success criteria. 25. ❌What this framework is not good for: the information only applies to remote testing using an online platform (like UserZoom) and can't be customized. 24. Page titles are the first thing search-engine visitors see, and if those titles don't make sense or look spammy, they'll move on to the next result. 16. ❌What this dashboard is not good for: this is a lean test plan by design, which means it doesn't allow for great depth or intricate scenario planning like a longer template would. Usability is not something you see, it’s something that happens. ➡ About this script: this is a script for running a remote usability test based on screen sharing via the video conferencing app Zoom. The site has a huge library of templates and resources, including consent forms, report templates, and sample emails. How to use it: For each checklist item, enter a rating between -1 and 1; -1 means that it does not comply with the … Second, my usage of terms may vary from yours. The Hotjar team continuously runs usability testing on the product—and has also authored this entire guide (hi! After reviewing websites for a few months, I’ve begun to see general patterns emerge that make a site more or less usable. 14. Based on your inputs, the template can generate charts and statistics to support your findings. Drew LyonDesign Feb 2016. To add insult to injury, the Clear Form button is positioned closer to the input fields than the Preview button, thus making it even more likely that people will hit it by mistake (and violating the additional guideline of proximity between objects and their primary actions). Website Usability Checklist. A detailed Usability Report Template, for explaining your methodology and results in an academic layout. One of the first steps you can take is installing Hotjar on your site and watching session recordings: this remote and unmoderated technique helps you spot usability issues by just watching real (anonymized) people interact with your site pages and elements. Accessibility. ✅What this dashboard is good for: it’s easy to print out and distribute to make sure everyone is on the same page during testing. Usability guidelines tend to prefer the upper-right corner of the page. There's some disagreement over just how many seconds you get, but website visitors are a fickle bunch, and they need to get the basic gist of your home-page in just a few moments. It is not a substitute for the WCAG 2 specification, and it may not cover all use cases. There is also a template for taking notes on user feedback and answers. 12. Company Logo Is Prominently PlacedPut your logo or brand where it's easy to find, and that usually means the upper-left of the screen. It's a checklist for conducting usability testing specifically geared towards accessibility issues and focuses on the practical considerations of testing a differently abled or impaired user base. ✅ What this template is good for: use this template to organize your thoughts when creating testing scenarios or in conjunction with other stakeholders to align on testing goals. Is Used SparinglyIt's a fact of human cognition: try to draw attention to everything and you'll effectively draw attention to nothing. Navigation Labels Are Clear & ConciseDon't say "Communicate Online With Our Team" when "Contact Us" will do just fine. Major Headings Are Clear & DescriptiveMost people don't read online, they skim. Flash & Add-ons Are Used SparinglyNo matter how great your site looks, people won't wait 5 minutes for a plug-in to load. 1. Ensure your website is optimized to guide visitors by ... A 25 Point Website Usability Checklist [Infographic] Author By. But if you are new to usability testing, you don’t have to go all in and use the templates above. Access the checklist at process.st (must sign up for a free account to modify the file. ✅What this checklist is good for: this is the only guide we've found for conducting an in-person usability test with differently abled test subjects. Website usability is a term describing the ease of use of a particular website or project. ➡ About this template: this report template can help you create a thorough and professional-looking final report of your usability testing results. 7. Even though it's part of one of my paid offerings, I've decided to share this checklist. I use "usability" in a very broad sense, and my use of "accessibility" isn't quite industry standard. Preferably, list your contact information as text (not in an image) - it'll get picked up by search engines, including local searches. Welcome, make yourself at home. A Usability Test Notes spreadsheet for recording observations during testing. : R 005.72 NIE Usability guru Nielsen’s book on Web usability is an influential text that significantly raised the importance of usability considerations in the area of Web design. They've created a template for writing moderated usability testing tasks and scenarios. Eyes and monitors vary wildly, so keep your core copy contrast high. To preserve the integrity of your usability testing results, take a purposeful and methodical approach to testing. Site works from all internet browsers. No one should be excluded from accessing the offers on your website. Use headings (major and minor) to set content apart and keep it organized. 10. A little artistic license is ok, but consider at least making your links either blue or underlined. In this article, we hope to present you with the ultimate usability testing checklist for your WordPress site. A few disclaimers: First, I don't claim this list is comprehensive or unique. HTML Page Titles Are ExplanatoryMore importantly, your page titles (in the