Site Usability - Remember The Human Factor

There is one test all professionally designed, and built, websites must pass. That is, site usability. This is crucial, ensuring every portion of every page be such to allow your customer full access to any and all features of your site. This may sound simple, not a huge task. However, once the human factor is thrown into the mix disaster can occur. While building the site, professionals will have testing done to ensure there are not design flaws which will cause problems. Those who test the designer's work will try to make every mistake possible so as to 'break" the site. This is done to anticipate problems which might occur after the site is up and running. However, humans being who they are never fail to create new problems once the site is in use prohibiting site usability.

Professionally built sites offer a couple different tools for the benefit of your customers and assure site usability. One happens to be the "tutorial". I have been to sites which were very complicated to use. This was not due to bad design but because the nature of the site made them so. When I attempted to place an order, or perform a search function, I found small tutorial boxes would suddenly appear when I entered incorrect data types. These boxes assisted me in remaining on-track, prevented me from making errors which I would have not noticed on my own. Had the site not been professionally designed, I would have never known. In some areas, I was completely lost, yet easily found tutorials led me through the process. These tutorials will walk a customer through the entire ordering process, even explain the type of information needed to complete the process.

Another step which is taken to increase site usability is the availability of "help: keys. Some may wonder if there is a difference between the tutor function and the help keys. There actually is in that the tutor capability will provide step-by-step instruction to the user as to what is required in completing an entire feature found on the site. The help key, however, deals primarily with the input required within the particular function. Both capabilities are necessary in assisting the user throughout the site. Web designers understand there are many users who, should they begin having issues with any specific function of the site, not waste their time. It is much less frustrating to find the same product elsewhere.

Some business owners might have the capability of designing a website which will include a great deal of what would be required to show and sell their product. However, it requires a significant amount of expertise to design the site with complete site usability. This requires a thorough knowledge of what might be termed as the human factor. During site design, every conceivable error the user might make must be anticipated. It must be assumed the user has had no experience with computers, therefore must be walked-through each and every function contained on the site. Although this may sound unnecessary it could be the deciding factor in whether the product is purchased through your site or your competitor's.


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Casey Trillbar is the editor of makeawebsiteguide.com, which is a website aimed at supplying a step by step guide on how to make a website. http://www.makeawebsiteguide.com