Usability principles: clear, convenient, comfortable. Briefly about the main thing. Consistency and standards. Conversation in understandable language

November 14, 2011 at 07:02 pm

Usability principles: clear, convenient, comfortable. Briefly about the main thing

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IN modern world Understanding the basics of usability is a must. Most website visitors do not take the actions that resource owners expect from them. People don’t order goods, don’t register, don’t subscribe to updates, etc. What is the reason for this user behavior?
The reason is simple - the resource turns out to be inconvenient for the user. For example, in order to “order” a product, you have to go through several pages, and the registration button is completely impossible to find. This makes the resource uncompetitive.
How to reduce the number of refusals to use the site? If a project needs a thorough approach, you can contact the studio and specialists. Usability labs offer not only various options testing and interface design. And if your budget is limited, you can try to learn the basics of usability yourself.

To develop an interface yourself, you need to consider a few simple rules:

Rule of 7.
It is known that the abilities human brain not limitless. A person is capable of holding no more than 5-9 entities in short-term memory. Therefore, you should not place more than 7 items in the navigation.
From this point of view, the site tutu.ru certainly deserves good reviews, since the main functionality was placed in the site header, limited to 4 menu items and a drop-down list.
While the Russian Railways website is an excellent example of what not to do. The amount of scattered information makes your eyes dazzling, you just want to close it and never enter again.
2 second rule.
The less a user waits for a response from a program, website or application, the greater the likelihood that he will not give up using this product. 2 seconds is the optimal time interval for the program’s response, and this is what you should strive for. So you should think a hundred times before installing a heavy flash screensaver on your site, as they did on mtv.ru.
3 click rule.
Nobody likes to surf pages looking for the necessary information and functionality. The visitor should be able to get from the main page to any other page of the site by making no more than 3 clicks. This also contributes to more successful indexing of the site by search robots.
Fitts rule
A model of human movement published by Paul Fitts in 1954 determines the time required to fast travel into the target area as a function of distance to target and target size.
Metaphorically, the rule can be explained as follows: it is easier to point to a lighter than to a match. But pointing to a cliff or a huge airship is equally easy. If an interface object, such as a link, is already large enough, there is no point in making it even larger.
Inverted pyramid
Usability guru Jakob Nielsen himself adheres to this principle. The article should begin with a summary statement, followed by key points, and end with the least important information for readers. This is optimal for the web, where the user wants to get information as quickly as possible.

But even an interface designed according to all the rules is worth testing. Focus groups are the most accessible way to test on your own.

Testing consists of four stages:

Focus group selection. Testers must match your target audience. You shouldn't ask grandma to test an application to find driver updates.
Drawing up a test plan– a list of tasks for which your product is designed. This is the list that testers will follow. If you are running an online store, the list should include such tasks as searching for a product, obtaining information about a product, the path from receiving information about a product to ordering it, and removing a product from the cart.
Testers complete a list of tasks and fix errors. Anything can be considered an error: a captcha that is too complex, a lack of a message from the server that “an item has been added to the cart,” the inability to change the number of items in the cart or cancel an action, etc.
After identifying and correcting errors, the testing cycle must be completed again. The cycle must be repeated until the results meet the necessary requirements.

Interface quality assessment should be carried out at each stage of the project. Don't leave usability testing until the very last moment. Serious errors simply cannot be corrected due to the fact that the project is in its final stages. And then - either redo it again, or get a low usability score.
As a rule, 5 testers are enough to identify major bugs.

Example on topic

Finally, let's look at typical mistakes using the example of the site of the famous performer Vlad Topalov. Suppose we want to arrange a performance with his management and want to find their contacts on the website. And this is where the quest begins!
The first thing we see on the site is a black splash screen with an “enter” link and a proposal to update the flash player.

The “enter” button sounds like a call to get to the main page of the site. But instead of the main page we find ourselves on a “blank slate”.

Here the image of a red ribbon catches our eye, and we, of course, think that this is a link, and maybe even to a menu. But no - this is just a symbol of the fight against AIDS, which is intended to indicate the singer’s social position and nothing more. And then the hand reaches to the upper left corner. And there’s not a menu at all, but a button full screen mode. A few seconds of confusion, and the search is over, the coveted menu is at the bottom, in the center of the screen. Click... and see the PLAYER! We have been deceived again.

While the clip is broadcast in the player, we continue to search for the menu. Now it is at the top, in the very center. In the drop-down list, we finally see the coveted word “Contacts”. But even here, not everything is so simple. These contacts cannot be copied. You'll have to rewrite it manually!

Now about the numbers. The waiting time for a response may vary depending on the connection speed, but in any case it will be more than 2 seconds. And the path to the management contact page took 7 clicks. Or it could take just one.
Vlad Topalov, of course, can afford such “creative” solutions. But it is obvious that such decisions are simply disastrous for business. About usability" url="http://marketnotes.ru/about-usability/usability-principls/">

Reading about heuristic methods for assessing design and usability, I noticed that everyone refers to some generally accepted usability principles, however, no one writes which ones. There are two options: either they are so clear and natural that they are not even worth talking about, or no one really knows what these principles are. After analyzing the articles that link to them, and just thinking about both search engines, I came to a disappointing conclusion: no one really knows anything, and all the articles are inaccurate copies of one of Jacob Nelson’s articles. Some even left a link to these most generally accepted principles.

Alas, I did not find a single article in Russian (or Ukrainian) where they were revealed. Therefore, I decided that it was worth translating and deciphering these same principles a little.

So, 10 generally accepted usability principles. Let's look at them in more detail.

1. Visibility of system status.

This principle means that the user should ALWAYS know what is happening and where along the path he stopped. If this complicated registration, indicate that this is step 2 out of 3. If something is being downloaded or some script is running, display the % processed. Etc.

A simple example - I’m sure everyone has encountered a situation where you clicked on some icon, but nothing happened. Judging by how actively the screw is spinning and the monitor is blinking, something is still happening, and after a few minutes a program window opens, for example (I still open IE this way). What to do on the Internet when everything is loaded not on your computer, but on a server in another country. Most users simply click the “send” button several times, upload the same files several times, etc. And all because there is no connection between the user and the system.

Care should be taken to ensure that the system always clearly and unambiguously responds to user actions. There is such a moment - a maximum of 1 second should pass between action and reaction - this is not a quirk of usability experts. It has been scientifically found that this is precisely the time that our brain maintains a cause-and-effect relationship, such as done-received. If the reaction to your action occurs later than a second later, the brain perceives it as a separate action, only distantly related to the previous one.

And one more limit figure - 10 seconds. The user must get what he wants within 10 seconds after his action (for example, while viewing the search results, the user opened window 5. Then he quickly looks through each of them. If after he opened the window within 10 seconds he did not return there - consider it lost to you).

(I didn’t check the numbers myself or make them up, they were taken from a book).

(this is an example from Contact. When uploading photos, you see the process and estimate how much time is left to wait).

The next principle tells us that your site should be made for a specific audience and you should communicate with them in their language, using their designations and level of preparedness.

Just a couple of days ago I looked at two sites computer topics with a fairly similar structure and design. BUT! One was devoted to the peculiarities of setting up the operating system, and the second was computer courses for beginners.
As you understand, these are two completely different audiences, and the phrase “click line 35 in the registry” will be more than understandable to the audience of the first site, but will shock 99% of users of the second site.

Therefore, always take into account your audience and always make a website for them. This applies not only to texts, but also to structure, help, design, visual perception of information, etc.

(it’s clear at first glance who the information on this site is aimed at. A beginner won’t even read what’s there. Just by the design it’s clear that it’s for programmers).

3. User control (freedom of choice)

The user should always be in control of the situation, so to speak, keep his finger on the pulse (or at least he should have such an impression). What does this mean in practice? For example, when filling out a form, there must be a “clear form” button. If the form contains several steps, the user must return to the previous step, or vice versa, if possible, skip some in order to return to it later.

This situation will give the user the impression that he is the one “in charge”; no one is trying to deceive or confuse him. And the complication at first glance of the interface when the right approach will become a simplification. After all, it is much easier for people to do 2-3 simple actions than one complex one (the thing here is that while the user is filling out the second step, he still thinks that he can cancel the first, but is already thinking about the third).

(when creating a project in Seolib, you see what stage you are at, how much is left. You can also return to the previous step, or go further by skipping this one).

4. Consistency and standards.

Another principle that seems obvious, but, alas, is so rarely used in practice. Tell me, you can easily use any interface Office program Microsoft can create new document? Save it? Center text? But these are not always such simple operations...

The thing is that the Microsoft campaign adheres to this principle in its products (although it often violates many others). In all their products, the same icons are in the same places and look the same.

The Internet already has certain established designations and standards (for example, the type of cart, contacts in top corner etc.). However, if you look at how many different types baskets (using Yandex or Google images), you will understand that advanced user can seriously get lost among all these carts, electronic baskets, ultra-fashionable bags, etc.).
As for consistency, having chosen a specific style, follow it everywhere. This applies to fonts, pictures, text and layout.

I have seen many times how the product layout and page layout differed in different sections. The site's creators consider this a “creative feature.” If they are doing it for themselves, then you can leave it that way, but if you are doing it for the user, then how do you explain to him why the design of the page when choosing a printer should be so different from the design of the selection page random access memory(within the same store)?

(as you can see in this example, all the icons are exactly the same in Word, Excel and PP. Mastering any New Product Microsoft company, at least half of the functions will be immediately clear to you).

5. Prevention of errors.

This principle states that it is easier to prevent an error than to correct it. Wherever you can simplify the choice and remove unnecessary, random actions, you should remove them.
In practice, this could be: a hint when entering anything from the keyboard (city/country, for example).

This also applies to buttons. For example, ACCEPT is usually made larger and brighter than Clear Form. If you know something about the information being entered, prompt it to the user (phone format or region code), etc.

(V in this case, the user cannot go further until he understands these settings and selects at least one option for analyzing the site. This is much more convenient than then telling the user something like “select at least one option, or the parameters are set incorrectly.)

Simplify the user’s life as much as possible, give him hints, remember the information he previously entered (not only on previous page, but also from his past visits to the site).
For example, if you again have a multi-step registration form, show him the fields already filled in if they may be needed in the future.

Also, try to minimize the number of text fields where the user must enter something themselves. Give him options (hints) so that he can choose from the already available options.

(a region hint pops up when you enter at least one letter. And if the user does not know how to spell the city correctly, he simply clicks on one of the proposed options).

7. Flexibility and efficiency of use.

One of the most big problems– how to combine the simplicity of the interface and its functionality? How to make the same interface clear and convenient for both a professional user and a beginner?

This principle states that the interface should be flexible, customizable and tailored to the audience that prevails. Focus on simplicity with a view to simple user. Elements for advanced users can be made much smaller and placed in less noticeable parts of the screen, because he will find them everywhere.

A striking example is the Site Map. Agree that a beginner will not go there at all, but an experienced user will find this “site map” in small print at the bottom of the screen, or a small icon somewhere on the side.
Another example is clickers/typers. Those. Each page can be accessed either from the menu by clicking on navigation, or by searching the site. Both options should be supported and ultimately lead to the same result.

(we see a simple search for most users, as well as an advanced one for advanced ones. At the same time, the advanced search functions are hidden quite far and only an experienced user can find them, i.e., in fact, only the one who needs it).

8. Aesthetic and minimalist design

This principle states that the interface should not contain information that the user does not need or that he may need in rare cases. Similarly in forms: you should not ask the user for information that you do not need or need in some exceptional cases.

Unfortunately, almost no one uses this principle. In 90% of cases when registering you are asked and home phone, and mobile, and address and e-mail, and even date of birth. And all in order to congratulate you on the new year and birthday.

You can clarify all additional information later, if necessary. And initially, when registering, for example, or when placing an order, ask only for the information that you really need.

In the same way, on a website (or in a program, these principles are universal), you should not display to the user information that he may someday need. For example, let’s take the same Microsoft Word. Tell me, how often do you use the “navigator” function or the Date-Time insert? And yet, these buttons are always visible in the toolbar (depending on the version, the buttons may be different, but I’m sure that if you look at them, you will find at least 40% of the icons that you have NEVER used, and don’t even know what they make).

(Here typical example. When registering, Ozone asked me for both my First and Last Name. At the same time, the only place where my name is used is the title of the letter. I have never seen the last name used at all. And the question arises: why do they need this data? After all, there is a nickname. Those. the shape can be halved easily...).

9. Help the user understand and correct the error.

Tell me what the database error on line 433 means? Or long creepy errors in the memory line LXR-XXX-5438645?
All these system messages must be stored in logs for the site/system administrator. Write to the user in normal language what exactly the error is. Moreover, the user is essentially only interested in one thing: is he or the system to blame? And is there anything that can be done?

I’m sure you’ve encountered the situation where you fill out a form, click submit, and in response you get some kind of database error. And you sit and suffer from two main questions: who is to blame and what to do? Has the form gone? If yes, is this all the information? Or try sending again?

However, such serious errors are becoming less and less common. But the other option is even more infuriating - you fill out a rather long form, click send and see a red inscription (or pop-up window) - carefully fill out all the fields marked with an asterisk.
And again you sit and think - what fields? What asterisk? It seems that I filled out everything, looked through it carefully... and then it turns out that the phone number should be written there with spaces, not a hyphen.

The term “usability” refers to the convenience of a website for the user. Today it's very important parameter, which can seriously affect the promotion of the resource. If the site is convenient for the user, then he will spend more time on it, which affects behavioral factors, which, in turn, are reflected in positions in search engines, and they are paying more and more attention to the user’s actions, it can be assumed that over time this trend will only intensify.

When we're talking about about sites with several pages (business card sites, etc.), they rarely think seriously about usability - this is not necessary. Enough good design and content. But in the case of large and complex projects, you have to seriously rack your brains over usability.

Why is this necessary?

According to various studies, on average people spend about 30 seconds on one page. In addition, few users view the page to the end. This is due to the huge number of websites, many of which contain useless or bad information. People are used to this, and they need to be hooked literally in the first seconds.

In addition, a person should easily navigate the resource; navigation should be intuitive. There are a number of standard and effective solutions, but I will talk about them below.

It turns out that a site with good usability should immediately grab the user’s attention and retain it, and also allow him to easily get into any section, even if he is on your resource for the first time.

Many developers strive to simple solutions, which is absolutely correct. In this case, simplicity is the key to success. In some cases, simplicity is sacrificed due to necessity, but you always need to be very careful. For example, green text on a black background will definitely attract attention, but it will be inconvenient for anyone to use such a site.

We make a convenient website

How a person perceives information

Jakob Nielsen conducted a study in which he created a map of the movement of a user’s gaze on a website. Most people perceive information like this:

The image shows people looking at left side screen. This happens subconsciously. That is why menus and other most important elements on the site are most often added to the left side. This has already become a standard, so in this case there is no need to invent anything new. People are accustomed to the fact that the menu will be either on the left or at the top of the site. Other solutions can disorient a person.

Three click rule

A long time ago, someone came up with the three-click rule, according to which a user should go from any page of the site to any other with no more than three clicks. Obviously, this is not suitable for resources with a complex structure. Example: “Home page - store - bicycles - mountain bikes - brand.” It already turns out that a person needs to make four clicks. But in this case we cannot say that this is bad.

If you exclude any item, for example, “mountain bikes,” then the user will have too many products on the page, some of which he does not need (for example, road bikes). This example shows that on sites with big amount pages and a complex structure, you need to think not about three clicks (or any other number), but about user convenience.

About navigation

presence of a logo at the top of the screen, which leads to the main page;
contact information is in the footer if we are talking about a selling site;
links should be visually different from the text.

It is stupid not to comply with these standards. Simply because all users are already accustomed to them. Their observance can be called the basics of usability in the field of navigation; there’s definitely nothing worth inventing here, unless it’s required non-standard solutions in the field of design, but these are special cases.

If on the site a large number of pages, then you definitely need to do an internal search. Usually the line is located in the upper right corner (as on my site). If the number of pages does not exceed 900–1000, then absolutely simple search, and if there are much more of them, then it makes sense to do a complex search (error correction, search tips etc.). However, you should never try to replace poor navigation with internal search. Ability to quickly find necessary information- this is just an additional option.

About content

The quality of content and its design also directly relates to the usability of the site. If you have meaningless articles on your resource Bad quality, then it doesn't matter how good the other elements are. And if you have excellent articles, but terribly designed, then their quality doesn’t matter at all - they won’t be read. There are generally accepted rules for text formatting that are suitable for almost any site, and they are worth following, if only for the convenience of users.

Use standard fonts like Arial, Tahoma, Verdana or similar ones. Custom fonts can be used for headings, but this will not be the case for body text. the best solution. Not everyone will be comfortable reading a large article with such a font, even if it looks interesting:

Black font on a white background - standard and optimal solution. Non-standard options do occur, but the text and background should be contrasting, and bright colors should be avoided. For example, red font on a green background will create heavy load visually, and most visitors to your site will simply find it unpleasant to read such text. Dark background It is permissible to use, but even here you need to very carefully choose a combination of colors and shades. Good example:

The font size should not be less than 12 pixels. Also avoid crawling lines and flashing text - these techniques make it difficult to read and are simply annoying for many people. No need to abuse bold text, key points can be highlighted, but you should not do this in every sentence.

The quality of the content is also important. There are certain rules for writing and formatting articles that are relevant for almost any resource. In general, this is a topic for a separate article, but I will mention the main points that greatly influence usability.

It is more correct to write articles in the form of an “inverted pyramid”, that is, the most important information and the key takeaways should be at the very beginning, and the least important ones at the end. This helps to immediately capture the user’s attention: he must quickly understand whether the article will be useful to him or not;
The size of the article does not matter (including from an SEO point of view), it must fully answer the user’s question. It is clear that if an article of 10–15 thousand characters is in the top, then with an article of 2–3 thousand characters you will not occupy a leading position. Simply because you cannot answer the user’s question fully enough in such a volume;
For large articles, it is worth creating a table of contents (with anchors in the text), which will allow you to quickly get to the desired section;
Headings, lists and thoughtful structure of the material greatly facilitate its perception.

How to identify problems

Usability problems can be found on any website; in this sense, there can be no limit to perfection. Exist various methods, you can do the analysis yourself, or you can seek the help of specialists. A clear signal of problems with usability can be a decrease in website conversion.

Studying statistical data

Statistics can provide quite a lot of food for thought. There are very advanced tools, for example, Yandex Webvisor, which allows you to look at your site through the eyes of the user. Yes, studying this data will take a lot of time, but you don't need to look through the eyes of every visitor. Usually they pay attention to refusals and only those that came in response to targeted requests.

In addition, ordinary statistics can also suggest weaknesses in a resource. Here is a screenshot from Yandex Metrics with data on traffic to different sections on the site:

I have highlighted the data for one section that is clearly different from the others. The viewing depth here is much higher than average, and this can also be said about the time on the site. The bounce rate is slightly below the average for the entire site. What's the matter? It's simple: this section of the site is completely finished, there is a link between articles and additional elements navigation (recommended articles). This alone gave +0.64 viewing depth and +1 minute and 13 seconds to time on the site.

An extremely simple method that will allow you to quickly find weak points in your project. It is far from certain that problems will arise specifically in the area of usability, but it is still necessary to work with web analytics.

User rating

In this case they ask real people evaluate the convenience of the site and give detailed feedback. You can ask friends, you can hire third-party specialists who will provide detailed reports and make recommendations. If you ask your friends or relatives, the main thing is to meet one condition: they must visit your site for the first time. There is such an effect as “blurring the eyes”, so only New user will be able to pay attention to weaknesses that you yourself do not notice, since you are accustomed to your resource.

Testing

Testing is the most the hard way, but he gives the most best result. Typically, focus groups of 5-8 people are used to evaluate the site. Before the test, parameters are determined that testers will need to evaluate. The option is not the cheapest, but it really is the best.

Actually, there are a lot of testing methods; there are a decent number of scientific publications on this topic, so I will not go into details, since it will not be possible to completely cover the topic completely within the framework of one article. For an ordinary webmaster, the first two methods of assessing the usability of a website will be quite enough - they will identify the most critical problems.

Conclusion

User friendliness should be a top priority for any website today. If you really want to do successful project, then he shouldn't have weak points. After all, there will always be competitors who have everything perfect. By paying increased attention to usability, you are laying a solid foundation for the future of your site. And don’t forget that although there are generally accepted standards and recommendations, no one forbids experimenting, and the success of each solution can only be determined after real tests.

What are the main Usability principles? You will find answers to this and many other questions in the article. Usability principles are generally accepted views on interaction with design, which were introduced by Nelsen Jacob (the founder of Usability). These views are more a set of rules than rigid guidelines, which is why they are called “Heuristics.” There are ten such principles in total.

Status Visibility

The first principle of Usability is visibility of system status. This position says that the user should know where he left off and what is happening. If this is a complex registration, you need to indicate that this is the second or third step.

Efficiency

The next principle of Usability is efficiency. In fact, it means that there must be a connection between each user and the system. Your site must be tailored to a specific audience, you need to speak to them in their language, using their level of readiness and designation. Therefore, a website should always be designed for its audience. This applies not only to the structure, but also to texts, design, help, visual perception of information, and so on.

Free choice

What is the third principle of Usability? user control, which is necessary so that the client can always control the situation. For example, if a person fills out a form, they should always see a “clear form” button. What if it contains several steps? The user should always be able to return to previous paragraphs or skip any of them and repeat the action a little later.

Thanks to this situation, the user will have the impression that he is in control of everything, that no one is trying to confuse or deceive him. And the interface, which at first glance seems tricky, will become ordinary with the right approach. After all, it is much easier for a person to complete several simple actions than one complex one.

Standards

The fourth principle of Usability is consistency and standards. There are already certain established stereotypes on the Internet (contacts in the upper corner, type of basket, and so on). However, one designation can have several types, so inexperienced user You can easily get lost among them. For example, electronic baskets are identical to carts, regular baskets, trendy bags, and so on. And for consistency to appear, you need to choose a specific style that must be followed everywhere. This applies to layout, fonts, text, and pictures.

Error Prevention

The fifth principle of Usability is error prevention. This rule states that an error should not be corrected, but prevented. You always need to eliminate random ones, unnecessary actions and wherever possible, simplify the choice. This can be a regular hint when typing something on the keyboard.

This also applies to buttons. For example, the “Accept” offer is usually made brighter and larger than the “Clear form” request. You should provide information you know about the information you are entering (region code, phone format, etc.).

Simplification

The sixth principle is the rule “It is easier to find out than to remember.” Make life as easy as possible for users, remember the information they previously entered (even from their previous visits to the site), give them hints. For example, if you use a multi-step registration system, show the person already filled out fields if they will be useful to him in the future.

Flexibility

The seventh principle of Usability is flexibility of use. According to this rule, the interface must be flexible; it must be tailored to the prevailing audience. Here the basic emphasis is on simplicity, taking into account regular user. Advanced parts should be small. They can be placed in less noticeable parts of the screen, since such people will find them everywhere.

Design

The Usability design principle is the eighth in a row. It lies in aesthetics and minimalism. According to this rule, the interface should not contain information that the user does not need. It should also not contain information that a person will need in rare cases.

You need to create forms in the same way: you cannot ask the user for data that you do not need. Unfortunately, almost no one uses this position. In order to simply congratulate them on their name day or New Year, in 90% of cases clients are required to provide both the date of birth and home number phone, mobile, e-mail and even address.

Help

Every webmaster should know the main principles of Usability. The ninth vision of this scientific and applied discipline is to help users understand and correct errors. People need to be informed about all mistakes in ordinary, “human” language, and not in computer language. If the link was created incorrectly, you don’t need to write just 404. Report it like this: “An error occurred while entering the page.” If, while filling out the form, the user forgot to indicate his phone number, write that there was an error when entering data, and not just a “form error.”

Support

Why are the core principles of Usability so important? Let's look at the tenth principle, which is called Documentation and Assistance. Materials and support should be simple and clear, easily accessible, and relevant to the user's goals. In addition, the documentation should not be voluminous. It must contain clear steps. If the materials are too large, you can make a short navigation to quickly jump through sections, as well as search for support.

"Usability"

So, we have looked at the main principles of Usability. But what kind of discipline is this? "Usability" is a measure of quality user experience resulting from interaction with a system or product. For example, it could be software application, website or anything else.

User Interfase Engineering specialists determined that in 60% of cases people cannot find the information they need on the Internet. As a result, their labor productivity decreases. They do not want to return to the site, because of which they are forced to waste precious time.

It is also known that Forrester Research has received some figures that show the amount of losses resulting from poor-quality “usability” of sites. Chain stores lose about 50% of customers who cannot find the product they need. Approximately 40% of users do not want to return to a site they did not enjoy working with.

Jakob Nelsen argues that research into people's web behavior has shown that they have a terrible reaction to complex websites and slow sites. He says users don't want to wait. They also don't want to have to figure out how to use home page. There are no website instructions or training for web projects anywhere. Jacob knows that people want to quickly scan pages and instantly understand the functionality of a website.

Creation

What is Usability Development? Its principle lies in the methodological approach to creating a website or any other user interface. This development consists of several methods that are used sequentially in the process:

gathering requirements;
creation and analysis of prototypes;
evaluating opposing design options;
studying user questions;
proposal of solutions and analysis of the site (or any other interface).

Testing

What is it Usability testing? Not everyone knows the principle of this nuance. In general, it is part of the process of creating “Usability”. A typical test requires a person to perform several tasks using a prototype (or other system). While working, the observer records what the user says and does. Typically, such a test is carried out with one or two people acting together.

The analysis can collect data such as mistakes users make, the sequence of actions a person takes to achieve a goal, when and where audiences experience difficulties, how much people like the product, and how quickly they complete tasks. Most tests are used to identify and solve any problems that appear in the public.

Steps of Discipline

What are the steps of Usability? To plan a website, you first need to understand why you are developing it, for whom, why and when your readers will visit your resource. If you answer these questions, you will discover the purpose of your site. Specific goals depend on the site's audience and your organization.

In addition, you must define the site's Usability objectives. In line with your overall goals, your resource should be effective to use, easy to learn, and easy to remember for repeat visits. It also needs to satisfy the user.

Each Usability goal is important for most websites, but you may want to consider others for different audiences and situations. It is known that design is based on the needs of people, so you need to collect information not only about them, but also about the extent to which the existing site satisfies them. There are several methods for collecting data, which include server logs, forms feedback, Usability testing of an existing website.

It's easier for people to interact with real example, than to argue what will work best. Useful results can always be obtained using a website prototype that has a minimum of content and no graphics. Such a basic prototype is suitable for the first round of tests.

Content should only be posted that is necessary for site users. If you have a mountain of information, choose the ones that will be useful and enjoyable for your audience. All information should be broken down into small pieces with subheadings, as people want to quickly read what interests them. You need to remove unnecessary words from the text, use tables and lists.

Next, an interactive process is carried out - Usability testing, which we wrote about above. Sometimes you need to test an interface that has already been designed in accordance with all the rules. By the way, focus groups are the most in an accessible way for analysis “on your own”.

Components

So, using the rules and the principle of Usability, you can create a resource that you will be proud of. The presence of this amazing item is a qualitative sign that determines the extent to which it is easy to use. The word "usability" also refers to a collection of techniques that improve a website during its creation.

Usability has five quantitative components:

Efficiency: After introducing users to the design, how quickly will they complete the same task?
Learnability: How easily can people perform basic tasks when using an unfamiliar interface for the first time?
Mistakes: how many mistakes does a person make, how serious are they, can he easily correct them?
Memorability: if the user returned to the interface through certain period time, will he be able to regain his skills in working with it?
Satisfaction: to what extent is a person pleased to use this interface?

In addition to “Usability”, there are many other important qualitative signs design. One of the key ones is usefulness. This attribute describes the functionality technical solution and determines the usefulness of the interface to users. Usability and practicality are equally important: why use convenient program, if it doesn’t give the result you need? A program that hypothetically works the way you need, but you don’t like its complex interface, is also considered bad. To analyze the usefulness of a project, you can use the same tools as when studying the quality of its “Usability”.

In Web-e “Usability” is considered a necessary condition survival. If the site is difficult to work with, visitors will leave it very quickly. If on home page website does not clearly and clearly indicate what the company does, what tasks the resource allows you to perform, users will look for another website. People will also leave if the site is confusing, has information that is difficult to understand, and doesn't answer their key questions.

There are no such visitors who spend their time mastering the site interface or carefully study the instructions for working with it. There are many other resources on the Web, so if a visitor encounters a problem, you will lose him.

11/17/14 2.8K

Click on the link - view - close page - search again. We perform such actions every day, visiting hundreds of sites, almost without thinking. Some resources fly by “like plywood”, while others are added to bookmarks. It seems that this process is difficult to comprehend; some are simply lucky and others are not.

If you enter any query in the search, you can get the result great amount sites from suitable information. But for some reason the same resources are popular, leaving competitors far behind.

This superiority is even more clearly manifested in the service sector, when some online stores sell a lot and at high prices, while only immediate relatives buy from others.

So why do people go to some people and stay for a long time, while they run away from others like fire? The answer to this question is the same as to “Why did you buy this sofa and not that one?” Because it's more convenient:

The comfort of the sofa is expressed in the softness of the fit, ease of transportation, non-susceptibility to contamination and “ How does it match the color of your eyes?! The usability of the site is responsible for such factors in web development, and a person working in the field of Internet business must understand the basic principles of ensuring the convenience of resource users.

What is usability

Usability should be understood not only as specific technical points, with the help of which the convenience and ease of use of the site is ensured. Applicability in the environment for which the project was developed is also taken into account. In other words, the requirements for a sports news website and video hosting will be completely different.

In order to understand the difficult issue of user preferences, it is worth highlighting the basic principles of website usability.

Content. The information content of a resource is the basis, the core, without which the site makes no sense. It is important for visitors to easily perceive the text and extract everything from it. necessary information. If this does not happen, the person will not rack his brains again and will go in search of something more understandable;
Functional. Anyone who has written a couple of programs in life can say with confidence that nothing works right away. Errors can be obvious, or they can hide and reveal themselves at the most crucial moment. During the operation of the site, especially in the first stages, shortcomings are constantly identified, and it is very important for developers to respond to them in a timely manner. If some function of the site does not work ( or is executed incorrectly) for a long time - even the most dedicated users will not understand this and will be merciless;
Cross-browser and platform independent. If you think your loved one Internet Explorer- the one and only, then ask Bill Gates for a pie from the shelf:

It is important to ensure the correct display of the site in all most popular browsers. Concerning operating systems, then it’s worth remembering something other than Windows or enjoying a second pie.

There are, of course, noble perverts who can perceive red text on a green background, but most visitors will refuse such pleasure. In addition to color solutions, the site design implies mutual placement " building blocks» pages such as menu, logo, text field and so on.

It is important to understand that the visitor is able to positively evaluate originality, but within reasonable limits. The design should highlight the information rather than take center stage.

Navigation. Visitors want to know their location and also understand where to go next. The presence of areas that are difficult or impossible to reach significantly limits the capabilities of the resource.
Structuring information. Everything in the world is subject to logic, and informational resources should not be an exception. As the user moves deeper into the site, the user should receive more and more details on the issue under consideration. For example, a visitor searches for “ What meat to feed sheep“, then the starting point should be the section “Mammals”, and the ending point should be the subtitle “ What do sheep like for an afternoon snack?».

Why is this so important

Despite the fact that people use the Internet, many sites are not created in order to discover something new for a person or expand existing information. Everyone is hungry for money, and is constructing their resources for advertising.

It would seem, why follow usability standards if the site is not created for the benefit of humanity, but solely as a source of income?

Usability affects conversion. If a page is created for the user to take some action, then he must find, understand, think, perform and do all this quickly. If the visitor is confused even for a second, this may force him to leave the site;
Usability affects traffic. If a user has a positive experience while visiting your resource, he will not forget the pleasant experience. A site where everything is clear and actions are completed quickly will become popular. If it is uncomfortable to be on the pages of the resource, and it is inconvenient to perform actions, you will be content with one-time visits and a bad reputation;
Adding advertising should not reduce traffic. Usability rules provide for the proper placement of objects on the page. If the site has grown to become the first advertisers, then the banners should be harmoniously combined with the main content of the resource.

We should not forget that even if a site is created to make a profit, without visits there will be no money. Therefore it is necessary to create maximum comfort for users so that they choose your resource.

How to achieve convenience

If we talk about the specific usability framework into which the site should fit, then it is necessary to take into account the functional requirements that visitors place on the pages of the resource. There are some important practical points to note.

Online store

When a site needs to sell something, in addition to the general norms, there are specific features. Let's look at the basic usability rules for online stores.

High-quality visualization of goods. When a person spends his money, he should know what. Nice photos will help awaken the visitor's purchasing interest. But it is worth remembering that the image must correspond to the real object;
As much as possible fast loading pages. If a person decides to buy, it is important that nothing stops him;
The more the buyer knows about the product, the better. You should carefully work out the description of all the details, then the trust of visitors will increase significantly. For example, it will be very useful for customers to know whether a product is in stock;
Help your visitor find the product they need. Quite difficult to create convenient navigation with an abundance of categories. When a user views information about a specific product, you should unobtrusively offer him similar ones. Perhaps in this way a person will find what he needs or think “ Should I buy both??»;
The elements responsible for performing targeted actions must be clearly identified. The “Buy” button should immediately catch the eye, because it is the purchase that you are seeking from the visitor.

Audit required

A website usability audit is a comprehensive study that can be used to identify resource problems in terms of usability. You can do this work yourself, but it is better to entrust the work to people competent in this area.

They will identify user needs and formulate detailed report, which will include:

Analysis of the audience for which the resource is intended;
Tasks that the site performs;
Full description and analysis of functionality;
Analysis structural organization and recommendations for its improvement;
Some tips for attracting advertisers;
Technical parameters of the site;
Analysis of the structure and content of content.

Also applies quantification user interface speed. The calculation takes into account:

the time the user spends deciding to take an action;
button press time;
transition from one input device to another;
time spent searching for an element on the screen.

How to test usability

To obtain the most complete data for further improvements to the project, it is necessary to conduct site usability testing. It consists of subjective user assessment individual pages or the entire resource as a whole.
You can select respondents yourself, or you can use the services of special organizations. There are also online services that can help you conduct quality testing.

Below are some of them:

Thus, analyzing the usability of a resource allows us to identify the main problems in terms of user convenience.

You can entrust site testing to experts, do it yourself, or use the help of online services.
For Internet sites, users are clients, and the client is always right.

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