Test the usability of your website: let people perform tasks

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HUGE HEADER (scroll down;)))


Have you ever watched someone surfing your website? A friend, your brother, sister or parents?

A usability test is a highly effective technique to find out how your website performs and how it can be better adapted to the visitors.


Every webmaster who is watching for the first time that people really use the site falls off his chair by what he sees: Very different than he expected, and yet so logical. He immediately sees major improvements.


Simple usability test: Put a stranger to your website behind your computer to surf your website and watch.



You do not need money for a professional usability test. You just need a couple of friends. To go a little further, you can give them simple tasks as:

  • Subscribe and fill in the form on my website
  • Find this product
  • Where is the affiliate disclaimer
  • What do the testimonials say
  • How can you contact me

Let the people behind the site perform the tasks while thinking aloud. Let them search for specific information or perform actions, such as filling out a form. See what's going wrong and how the site can be improved. Ask questions if you do not immediately understand the test user behavior (without giving details on the website).

Ask them a few questions after the test:

  • What was your first impression?
  • What did you like most?
  • What didn't you like at all?
  • What stood out?
  • How likely is it you will visit my website again?

When you do not have friends or family (sorry), you can make use of the free first impression user testing Get a Peek GET A PEEK service 3 times a month. They will email you a video with their findings.

I bet you will be surprised!

I tell you about one of my tests at Get a Peek.

He: opened the website. And said:"Whoow, that's a nice header
Me: (watching the video) Thank you!!
He: that's really a nice picture, and huge! Can I click home on it?
Me: No, you have to scroll down
He: When I click home, nothing happens?? But it is a great picture!
Me: Nooo scroll down!!
He: I can't see a menu, and what I can do here..fantastic header pic!
Me: SCROLL down you bonehead!!@!
He: That header is huge!
Me: SCOLL DOWN YOU IDIOT! (I could strangle this dude)
He: (Got the question, what stood out?) The header, beautiful picture and HUGE
Me: Arrghh@#%@

I can tell you, I have changed the header picture right away!


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Recent Comments

79

Great idea I am going to do that. Thanks Loes!

I hope it will turn out right for you Peter:)

Awesome Loes!

This is amazing advice my Friend and I believe that we can all benefit from asking Friends and Family to help us test the usability of our website.

Thank you Loes for always sharing and caring my Friend,

Tony

My pleasure Tony, nice to see you again, how is life treating you?

Wonderful Loes, It has definitely been productively busy lately my Friend.

How have you been?

Good to hear. Everything is running smoothly:) Have a great weekend!

Awesome Loes, Have a great weekend as well my Friend! :)

(:Thanks:)

This is a simple, yet highly effective, way of testing your site. Great idea, Loes.

Thanks Stephen, happy testing:)

Ha ha very good Loes. I enjoyed reading that. Actually you have a good point here, it's a good idea. We get wrapped up in our own little World and sometimes can't see the wood for the trees.

I know, I wrote a post 2 years ago, but couldn't remember the title, and it kept my busy for over an hour to find that particular post, and I thought, something is wrong with my navigation and categories

This is a great way to approach usability of our sites, thanks, Loes!

Thanks Michael, you're welcome:)

Thanks Loes,
That's a great idea, I'll try it.

Juliet

Hope it turns out right for you Juliet:)

Ha, great diagnosis Loes!

Thanks Michael:))

Haha, enjoyed that bit at the end, that was a nice bit of amusement to start my day.

Thank you for sharing the site Get A Peek, and for your advice. I think I might check it out to see what others think of my site. I like to see what others think and use that to try and improve what I can.

Steph!

You will be surprised Steph, what for you is so obvious, will not be understood

Thanks for sharing this valuable information Loes.
Cheers and thanks, Tosh :)

My pleasure Tosh, have you managed to contact penmarks? I read he was in Scotland and had no internet

Hi Loes,
Yes, thanks, I made contact, but I made a mistake and I didn't read the criteria for the free logo design, so I have to look at that again Lol :)
Cheers, Tosh ;)

That's easy, just share his sites a couple of times on Social Media

That's great Loes, many thanks.
Cheers, Tosh :)

You get instruction from Mark

Thanks Loes :)

Amusing Loes. Thanks for the laugh!

My pleasure, although at the time....

I get it!

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