Getting an audience to pay attention to a website is like trying to get an audience to stay invested in a movie or stage show. If the appeal isn’t wrenched from their nubby little hands from the jump, the attempt simply falls flat on its face. Does it need to be witty, funny, shocking or have an engaging image? Maybe, but above all things your website’s landing page should be compelling in its introduction to the viewer. To put this idea to the test, you should consider the site for a usability test.

Last year was my very first introduction to Usability testing. It is something that website designers should take into consideration, before they set out to publishing a site for consumers to view. It doesn’t even have to be a profitable venture for a product, your viewers will consume whatever it is that is on the screen that they choose to view. And if it isn’t engaging they may refuse to continue to consume.

In the video, Usability Testing with Steve Krug, on Digital.gov, Steven Krug, author of Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability and Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems, which are based on based on his 20+ years as a usability consultant, explains that usability testing is used to check a products ease-of-use and is not limited to web design. Its purpose is to establish what works and what doesn’t work. Good design is the goal! A typical web user should be able to use a product without frustration.

This is a revised version of a blog post titled Starting Usability Testing on Web Publishing Unanimous.