Software

Why and with what criteria to perform software usability tests

When a customer visits a particular website, they are trying to solve a problem. And therefore, you should not face any additional problems, such as complex and confusing navigation, which misdisplays the information provided in the portal.

If there is any confusion on the web page in the simplest places (for example, easy-to-read blocks and elements are displayed incorrectly), then most likely the user cannot find a solution to his problem and simply goes to another web resource. . In the current realities of Internet communities, competition between websites is very high, which means that when creating and testing new software, all requirements and quality standards must be observed.

WHAT IS THE USABILITY TEST?

The usability testing They are a specific procedure to study the level of user learning when interacting with the software being developed. It is the usability test that is considered the most important point of any internet marketing.

The ultimate goal of any usability testing is to understand at the stage software development whether and how quickly the customers for whom the web product is directly created will be able to independently understand the interface provided. A user-friendly site allows you to significantly increase the number of people who will become your users, both temporarily and for a long period of time.

USER TEST FEATURES

The usability testing procedure is carried out using so-called "black box" and "white box" testing. Quality control specialists temporarily become ordinary users of the selected target audience of the product, try to study its features as much as possible with the subsequent formation of their personal conclusion.

During testing based on the "white box" method, the main thing is to study the current level of satisfaction in the case of user interaction with additional systems, parameters and system modules presented on the site. Initial creation of a correct and convenient system interface will increase the speed of creating program code and, in general, will have a positive effect on the quality of the final product.

It is worth keeping in mind that the usability testing process should be done at all stages of testing a web product (both at the unit testing stage and during system acceptance and verification work). Also, for each stage, it is necessary to use suites of test cases for different types of customers: from a thoughtful developer to an average user.

UPDATED RATINGS FROM WEBSITE USERS

To date, the following criteria are applied when analyzing the convenience and comfort of interacting with websites:

  • Ease of understanding. How quickly potential users will be able to figure out what needs to be done on the site to solve their task or problem. Does the site have a page or information block that provides such assistance?
  • Intuition. Is the graphical interface of the site easy to understand? Does the user have the opportunity to independently understand where he needs to go to solve his questions and problems?
  • Productivity of use. How effectively are customer problems resolved? Is it possible to make such a process even easier? How many steps the client must complete to quickly solve the tasks assigned to them (and the fewer steps, the better).
  • Error tolerance level. How quickly will the customer understand what exactly their actions led to errors and what they need to do to fix it all?
  • Potential opportunity. Do all the elements and blocks designed to solve a customer problem work according to the correct logic?
  • Page performance. How fast do the website pages load?
  • How quickly you can find the information you need. Is the most important and relevant information on the main page or in the more visible navigation areas on the subpages?
  • Satisfaction with the interaction. How can a client work with the system, how quickly can he solve all his doubts, are there moments and situations that cause him some aggressiveness or irritation? Would you like to recommend this site to your friends and family who need to solve similar problems in the future?

The procedure usability test has the sole objective of increasing the customer satisfaction rate when visiting the pages of the website and the level of convenience of interaction with the functionality of the product. Any usability is based on such important aspects:

  • Text content.
  • Structuring and format of text.
  • The presence on the pages of functional blocks and the logic of their operation.
  • Logically correct arrangement of important elements on pages with each other.
  • Simplify customer interaction with the product due to certain navigation prompts.
  • The attractiveness of the site design and so on.

This is a kind of generalized list that developers should be guided by when creating the most optimal product. Also, at any stage of work on a website, it is worth adopting common rules with which you can create a convenient and attractive product that will bring maximum benefit to its owners.

The most important recommendation is that the simpler, the better.

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Benjamin Rosa

Madrileño whose publishing career began in 2009. I love investigating curiosities that I later bring to you, readers, in articles. I studied photography, a skill that I use to create humorous photomontages.

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