Free, Basic Usability & Design Analysis

Usability testing has become a standard methodology in the web site creation and design process, and should be performed whenever creating a new web site. This analysis is the first step in recognizing your web site’s effectiveness and usability performance level.

This analysis should be used as a guide to help correct common mistakes which reduce the effectiveness and usability of your web site. The suggestions contained in the analysis are based on recognized usability standards established by the U.S. government, as well as extensive research done by Dr. Jakob Nielson, a highly recognized usability expert and researcher. All suggestions should be seen only as recommendations to improve your web site, and any decision to implement the suggested changes should be done at the sole discretion of the site owner. Best Web Image claims no responsibility for any actions taken after reviewing the results of this analysis.

The terms Poor, Fair, or Excellent are used throughout the analysis as a qualitative rating scale to generalize the effectiveness or usability of each site element being reviewed. For more information on web site usability and best practices, please visit Usability.gov

Analysis

1. Title of Site
Why it Matters: On average, search engines grab the first 66 characters of your title. Having a quality title with well-selected keywords will improve your search performance. In addition, the title is used when a visitor makes a bookmark so you should avoid lengthy titles that are not clear from the beginning.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

2. Emphasis on What Your Site Offers
Why it Matters: Your site needs to stay on topic to achieve the desired action.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

3. Quality of Introduction Message
Why it Matters: Message should be very brief. Visitors typically skim sites for information, not welcome messages. A clear introduction message is vital for new visitors, so they can quickly understand what you site is about.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

4. Text that is Easy to Scan
Why it Matters: Online text should be easy to scan, and not written like a book. Headers should be used to break up content into easy-to-read pieces.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

5. Contact Information
Why it Matters: If you are selling a product online, you may be losing sales if you do not have this information. Most consumers look for trust factors before making a purchase.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

6. Easy Access to Recent Articles
Why it Matters: Make it easy to access anything recently featured on your homepage.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

7. Home Page Link
Why it Matters: Do not include an active link to the homepage on the homepage. This may be over looked if the hyperlink emphasized the active link. Having this link active often generates wasted clicks, and visitors only click so often on average for a particular web site. Have an easily found link to home page on all other pages.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

8. Download Speed
Why it Matters: Pages should load within 10 seconds or less.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Load time was x.x seconds for the home page. Excellent would be anything less than 2.5 seconds . Studies have shown that optimal time is less than 1.5 seconds.
Results entered here.

9. Does the Site Have a Search Function?
Why it Matters: Having a method to search your site is highly recommended when your visitor fails to understand the sites navigation. The search function should be available from every page.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

10. Quality of Search Results
Why it Matters: When using search features on a site it is often a last resort to find the desired content. The difference in poor or quality results could be the difference in keeping the visitor.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

11. Label of Search Box
Why it Matters: Best practice is to use a “Search” button to the right of the input text box. Having text saying “Search” in front of the box is not required. It is self evident by the Search Button.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

12. Key Words Ranking in Top 30 Results
Why it Matters: It should be easy to find your web site on the internet within the top 30 sites listed.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results from Google, Yahoo, and Live using meta keyword list, or title if no keyword list is found.

• Keyword 1: 2nd, 4th, 3rd
• Keyword 2: not found, not found, not found
• Keyword 3: 4th, 9th, 9th

Results entered here.

13. Liquid Layout
Why it Matters: Not everyone has the same size monitor. A liquid layout is a site that adjusts automatically to fit any size monitor, and even some PDA devices. The notion of making a site small enough in width to fit older monitors does not work well when viewed on a more modern, larger monitor. Recent studies have found that more than 90% of users have monitor property settings set to 1024 in width or greater.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

14. Adjustable Font Size
Why it Matters: Fonts should be sized by relevance, and not by pixels. Use EM or Percentage to specify size. Eyesight begins to degrade for most people over the age of forty, and many adjust font size through their browsers .
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

15. Font Consistency
Why it Matters: Does the site have a consistent font throughout the site? This is a simple step to give the site a more professional appearance.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

16. Is the information easy to read?
Why it Matters: Content should be easy to read to improve visitor experience, and it will also help reduce their time required to achieve the desired goal. This is done by the correct use of: content headings, use of emphasis, text alignment, and site design.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

17. The Use of PDF Files
Why it Matters: Site content should not be displayed with the use of PDF Files. It is strongly recommended that PDF files should be used for distributing documents or manuals, and not for reading general information.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

18. Ads That Look Like Advertisements
Why it Matters: Visitors are trained to look away from banner ads, and even close pop-ups before they are read. If using text ads within the site they should be done in a way that is un-obstructive to navigation.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

19. Use of Graphics
Why it Matters: The use of graphics should be used to show real content, and not as decorations. It should also be used to show images, not as a method to convey a text message.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

20. Use of Alt Text in Images
Why it Matters: ALT text should help blind users, and others using devices that cannot see images such as a PDA. It describes what the image is. Titles to links, and other items should also follow this method of use.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

21. Hyperlink Colors
Why it Matters: Change in hyperlink color after visiting is a primary method of navigation. Returning visitors can easily track their previous path to a desired destination. Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

22. Links Opening New Windows
Why it Matters: The concept of not wanting to lose a visitor by ejecting them into a new window is not valid. Most users still use the back button as a method to find a site they were already on. Studies have shown windows left open in the background are typically closed without further review.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

23. Is the Homepage Attractive to the Eye?
Why it Matters: Many visitors leave a site based on their first six seconds of viewing based solely on first impression.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

24. Use of Colors in Design
Why it Matters: See topic #23. A good practice in selecting colors is to use colors that are either, next to each other, or opposite of each ot her on a color wheel.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

25. Use of Header Tags, H1
Why it Matters: Properly identifying the outline of your site will improve it’s readability to search engines, and will help clarify content value to the visitor. This is a primary method of establishing a web sites structure.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

26. Easy to Navigate the Site Quickly
Why it Matters: Visitors are more likely to finish shorter trips than longer ones.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

27. Site Designed for First-time Visitors
Why it Matters: A well designed introduction messages with a clear layout will help keep your first time visitor longer. If the site is able to draw the visitor into the site deeper the odds of the target action will increase.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

28. Site Designed for Repeat Visitors
Why it Matters: Repeat visitors can often be your best method of marketing.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

29. Cumbersome Forms
Why it Matters: Form elements should be grouped by type so visitors do not need to switch between keyboard and mouse.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here..

30. Are all form items essential?
Why it Matters: Gaining additional data is nice, but getting a maximum number of actions is better.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

31. Flexibility in Form Submission
Why it Matters: Visitors should have flexibility if possible to reduce complications. An example would be making a phone number field accept dashes or no dashes when submitting.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

32. Violating Design Conventions in Consistency
Why it Matters: Consistency creates a harmonious experience for users. Inconsistency can confuse and annoy users, and detract from the credibility of your content.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

33. Jakob’s Law of Web User Experience
Jakob’s Law: Users spend most of their time on other web sites, and this is what they are used to.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
For more information about Jakob’s Law, please see: http://www.useit.com
Results entered here.

34. W3C Site Validation
Why it Matters: You should validate your site using the rules and standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium, W3C. It helps ensure the widest spectrum of visitors can view your site, and view it they way you expect them to. Too often, extremely embarrassing mistakes have been found on sites because the site owner was unaware how their site appeared on other types of browsers.
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

35. W3C CSS Validation
Why it Matters: See item #34
Analysis: Poor, Fair, or Excellent
Results entered here.

By using this standard template to check a variety of items, 35 in total. You can conduct usability and design analysis on websites you own or offer a service for other webmasters.

Readers Also Read

• Architects, Profits, and Hearsay Objections
• The 11 Deadly Sins of Search Engine Optimization
• Appeals to Human Rights: The Next Battlefield?
• Four Tips to Increase Search Engine Ranking
• Women’s Online Behavior Examined