As a newbie web publisher, I admit to being unfamiliar with usability testing. To be honest, I thought testing a website’s usability involved running some sort of complicated computer program. Turns out, it’s as easy as asking questions. So where does one begin when one is trying to learn the ins and outs of usability testing? “Usability Testing with Steve Krug” is an excellent place to start.
Krug draws upon his 20+ years of experience as a usability consultant, and his presentation for Digital.gov promises that “anyone can do usability testing.” One highlight of the video is a live usability test, which Krug conducts with a volunteer. It was at this point where I realized that no complex computer programs are needed. Examining the functionality of your website can be as easy as asking someone for their feedback. Ok, that seems simple enough. Maybe I can learn how to do this. Although asking questions forms the basis of usability testing, the way you word those questions factors into the quality of your results.
Are there specific questions one should ask when conducting a usability test? Chapter six of “The complete guide to User Testing” explains 18 questions one should ask to enhance user experience. One of these questions reminded me of my first interaction with my new blog site. The question explained in the article asks, “If you were looking for X, where would you expect to find it?” In my case, X was the Home tab; when I first viewed my site, I couldn’t find it.
Circa is the current theme on my WordPress site. This design hides the main navigation bar behind a toggle icon, which I didn’t realize when selecting this particular theme. (I guess I should have read the information about Circa before I chose it.) So, if I were to conduct a usability test, I could have someone start on the About page of my website and navigate to the Home page. The question to my participant would be, “Where would you expect to find a link to the Home page?” As the person navigates through the site, I can collect insights regarding whether the toggle icon is useful.
The explanation for where to find a particular element of your site presented a statement that resonated with me quite a bit. “Maybe you thought your new menu design was innovative. Maybe it would just confuse or frustrate your users, causing them to abandon the homepage.” If I look at my website and feel like something is missing, chances are, someone else feels that way too.
Note: This chapter is a revised version of a blog post titled, “Can You Find Your Way Home?,”on The Netizen Praxis.
