With so many companies claiming to build usable sites, how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? The simplest method is to ignore what they want to tell you, and ask specific questions designed to determine exactly what they know and how they would go about the work.
There is no doubt about it - usability is now a mainstream concern of those charged with managing the development of a website. The benefits that accrue from taking a user-centred perspective, and involving those users in the design process itself, have convinced large sectors of the industry that 'usability' is something they want.
Unsurprisingly, given the demand, usability is also something that on the surface is in plentiful supply. Any web development company who knows the market will be reassuring their customers that they 'do' usability - just as two years ago they did video streaming and flash animation. Many of these companies will do a good job, but others are merely jumping on the bandwagon
With so many companies claiming to build usable sites, how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? The simplest method is to ignore what they want to tell you, and ask specific questions designed to determine exactly what they know and how they would go about the work. The following are some suggested questions along with comments on the answers you might receive. Armed with this knowledge, picking the right company should be a piece of cake. Good luck.
It sounds obvious, but this simple question is usually all that is required to choose a supplier with confidence. Most people ask the question itself, but too often the answer isn't subjected to the sort of scrutiny it should be. Any company will list off a string of clients, an initial first step is to reduce that list to those customers who had their existing website designed and developed by the company in question.
When this list in place, visit the sites and see the results for yourself. When only choosing a supplier it might seem extreme to subject these sites to an independent evaluation process, but on the other hand such a precaution would have saved a lot of money for some companies. Simply following a heuristic evaluation process may help you judge how usable a site is. If usability is your priority, it is essential that the company you choose has a track record in this area. If they cannot show you at least a couple of sites designed with usability in mind, you're probably talking to the wrong people.
Lastly, don't take anyone's word for it. Most satisfied customers are willing to speak on a company's behalf to potential future customers. Always ask for some names and numbers and follow them up - but remember that some customers may have different criteria for measuring a successful site than you.
It's easy to boldly announce that the final result of a site will be usable, but much harder to explain exactly how and why that will be the case. A good answer to this question will concentrate on the processes and techniques involved, ideally including some form of requirements gathering, task profiling, expert input, and user testing if budget allows it. "User-centred design" will be a key phrase here.
If, on the other hand, the answer seems to second-guess what the user requires, or relies solely on quoting 'laws' of usability, things aren't so promising. Stated objectives such as "we will only use up to five site sections" or "we will make sure the user never has to scroll" are often unnecessary and indeed counter-productive. Likely as not a company that tends to answer in this manner will simply proceed using a conventional design process whilst attempting to incorporate whatever usability 'rules' they can.
Whilst you want a usable site, that doesn't necessarily mean moving away from all graphical elements or technical innovation. Whilst for some audiences (particularly in the usability industry itself) text-only sites are a sign of sophistication, they probably aren't ideal for selling fine art. As always, depending on audience needs many different solutions may be appropriate. A dogmatic answer to this simple question is a sign that the company in question may be too divorced from reality to work effectively within the context of a wider team.
On the other hand, no company that claims to build 'usable' solutions should accept all technical and business requirements without any quibble. High quality user experience will demand that compromises are made on occasion. It is the job of a good agency to point out areas where conflict may arise and help in finding a satisfactory solution.
The Benefits of Viewing User TestsThe benefits of user testing have long been established. It is still important however to try and maximise these benefits. One way in which this can be done is by viewing the user test yourself.
The Experience is KeyIt is important to remember that the experience a person has using a product or service is every bit as important as that product or services usability.
The Advantages and Limitations of Focus Groups in the Design ProcessFocus groups are a great way to collect information from several people very quickly and cost effectively. They are mainly used to gauge people’s reactions and feelings to items, however when used appropriately they can also be used as part of user requirements gathering.
Five Rules For Better Bank WebsitesInternet banking is here to stay and the major banks are all busy figuring out how to expand their business online. Online banking is all about convenience and functionality but what about the bank’s public website? It is often a struggle to achieve the right balance between information and product sales, between user functionality and marketing requirements.
Back To Basics: How Poor Usability Effects AccessibilityIn recent user testing with a range of participants including Visually Impaired (VIP) and Blind users we found that the majority of problems were common across all groups. However the effect of poor usability is more severe for users with visual disabilities. Surprisingly all of the issues are very familiar and are easy to fix so we thought we’d revisit some of the basics of accessible web design.
