A website usability analysis is most often performed for one of the following reasons:

  • Help identify areas of a website customers can’t find
  • Help identify where conversion opportunities are missed
  • Help identify the success or failures of a site’s messaging
  • Help ensure customers satisfactorily find what they need/want/should want.

Let’s say you own a pet store that sells its offerings online and you also offer in-store dog grooming.  Business is brisk, but you’d like to see if there are any opportunities for sales that you are missing. This is where a usability analysis could come in handy. Understanding how visitors interact with a website is often the key to unlocking both potential pitfalls and conversion improvement opportunities.

How does it work?

At Mad Fish, we facilitate independent usability studies that observe new visitors attempting to complete a series of tasks. The visitors are chosen on a set of demographics that best reflect the actual customers of the given business we are testing.

For example, if we were doing a usability analysis for our mythical pet store client, we would outline five scenarios that the user would need to accomplish based on the layout, design and function of the website, such as:

You have a senior dog that weighs 65 pounds and she needs to be groomed. Check appointment availability for July 28th before noon and book online.

We then provide these scenarios to our testers who complete the tasks to the best of their abilities, all while commenting on what issues they are having and challenges they face along the way. The best part is that if something works very well, they will let you know the good news too! All of this data is recorded with accompanying audio.

What’s next?

Mad Fish then analyzes the usability data and provides recommendations for improving the website.  We provide our clients with a comprehensive usability analysis document that includes in-depth analysis and comprehensive recommendations. Recommendations can include anything from site architecture restructuring to revised content and calls to action.

What are some of the benefits?

One of the greatest benefits that we have seen is that usability testing levels the playing field. Every employee – owner, marketing manager, sales person, intern – may have a different take on what works and what needs to be changed on your company’s website. When you open up the website to usability testing, you can actually see what your customers see as working and not working, so there is no second guessing. This is valuable insight into what your audience’s experience is with your brand.

If you are looking for direct input on how real users navigate your website, usability testing is definitely a good option to pursue.  Interested in learning more? The Mad Fish team is here to help and facilitate success on all levels for almost any industry. Contact us today!