| Web Usability Testing is an iterative process. It | | | | design processes can become too rigid and leave little |
| involves feeding back key improvements to the web | | | | room for redesign. It seems inevitable that |
| development team regarding user requirements. Lots | | | | requirements will change, especially during a long |
| of business decision makers have their own opinion | | | | project, this is why flexibility is important. |
| about how they want their company website to | | | | Web Usability Testing can be carried out either as |
| look, feel and work. Based on these business | | | | part of a new web design project, as part of the |
| requirements it is then the appointed web design | | | | ongoing online strategy or on an existing website |
| company or department's job to realise these | | | | which did not previously have a testing strategy |
| requirements. What is sometimes missed out is what | | | | planned for it. A typical application of user testing is a |
| the users require. The aim of this article is to explain | | | | pay per click ad campaign. Lots of traffic may be |
| the importance of involving the user, iteratively, | | | | being driven to a landing page but conversion may be |
| throughout the website design process and, indeed, | | | | unexpectedly low. Conversion may mean purchasing a |
| throughout the whole lifecycle of the website even | | | | product or service, submitting an online contact form, |
| after it has gone live! | | | | making a phone call or sending an email. Even when |
| By iterative I mean redesign or even return to the | | | | good practice design guidelines are followed by |
| requirements stage if there are any improvements | | | | website designers user testing is necessary. This is |
| required after user testing takes place. Many | | | | because every website is different. Website visitors |
| developers, software and web, see testing as an end | | | | have certain expectations which are based upon their |
| stage which takes place just before project delivery | | | | own experience of how a website should work. |
| but if we use a spiral development methodology we | | | | A visitors experience is determined by every over |
| are more likely to be able to deliver a more user | | | | website they have ever visited or, at least, those |
| centred web design solution at a lower cost. This is | | | | that they can remember. Your website must work |
| because, by nature, a waterfall style process requires | | | | the same as other websites that your target market |
| signing off and documentation at the end of each | | | | use. Website developers can follow best practices |
| stage which makes revisiting a given stage costly. | | | | but the user experience will ultimately depend upon |
| We all develop some type of process but some | | | | usage by your visitors over a given period of time. |