Web Site Usability

I can easily write a book on this subject. Here is just a "tid-bit" of Web Site Usability.

Web site usability is the condition of a user's dealings with a web site or, in other words, how usable a web site is to the user. Users want to be able to easily access a web site and decide how to use it within seconds. Usability sways whether many users will return to a web site, how often they will use the web site, and how satisfied they are with their experience at the web site.

A mixture of factors determines a web site's usability:

• Ease of learning how to use the website - The time it takes a new user to find out how to use a web site to do basic tasks.


• Efficiency of use - Once a user learns how to use a web site, the time it takes to do a task.


• Loading - The speed of loading for a web site greatly impacts how much time a user will have to spend at the site. Slow loading web sites can easily cause user annoyance.


• Memorability – What will a return user remember about how to use a web site?


• Frequency of errors and severity - The number of errors that occur during use, the effect of the errors, and time for recovery from the errors.


• Satisfaction of users - How well the user likes the web site?

Once users cannot find information they look for on a web site, this can lead to wasted time and increased frustration. Additionally, this can lead to the loss of repeat visits, and in some cases, a loss of money. Most users have a low patience for slow loading web sites and difficult to understand designs.