Optimal Usability
This article appeared on page 53 of the February edition of NZ Business magazine.
History has taught us a lot about predicting the future-not least that despite the wondrous ways of technology, people prefer simple.
When bicycles became popular in the 1890s, some feared that riding into the wind at high speed would cause permanent disfigurement, or "bicycle face." In 1938, the New York Times famously predicted that the pencil would be rendered obsolete in the face of sophisticated typewriters. And in 1975 Business Week predicted that the paperless office was "very close".
What all of these predictions have in common, aside from active imagination, is that they fail to take into account how people behave.
Usability engineering is a discipline that re-introduces the human element to technology. It mixes psychology, marketing and design to ensure that designs are intuitive and easy to use. Usability literally makes technology user-friendly.
It has come of age in the last five years, becoming increasingly necessary as technology becomes more complex. Most companies have websites and many larger firms have intranets and electronic tools used by staff and clients. Yet many organisations still spend more on upgrading hardware, systems and websites than ensuring the technology is used to its full potential.
Usability benefits for business
Usability makes technology intuitive and easy to use, which means increased and more efficient use, and greater user satisfaction.
Usability was introduced by the US military in the Second World War but today is applied to all kinds of technologies, from photocopiers to telecommunications.
Good usability can directly affect a business's bottom line by increasing sales, reducing costs and boosting labour productivity. Staff take less time to train, are more productive and make fewer mistakes. The cost of development, maintenance and support costs decrease and clients have a better experience of dealing with your business. Most usability projects have a cost-benefit ratio of between $1:$10 and $1:$100.
The flip-side, of course, is that neglecting usability considerations can cost even small businesses thousands of dollars a year through lost sales and inefficient systems.
How useful is your website?
If your website is complicated, hard to read and cluttered, potential customers are less likely to stay, buy things, or sign up for the newsletter. More importantly, they are much less likely to return or tell others about the site.
Websites that are easy to use, well organised and with clear information are perceived to be more credible. This is akin to having a well designed and professional looking reception area at your company. While it may look fantastic, what would happen to your company's reputation if the receptionist was nowhere to be found, or was unhelpful? Good usability is like having a receptionist who is both friendly and helpful.
Usability in New Zealand
Most organisations have moved on from having simple, non-interactive websites and are exploring ways to get more out of their online presence. This often means getting expert advice on usability. Wellington-based usability specialists Optimal Usability worked with over 20 organisations in 2005, on projects ranging from online dating to automated phone systems. Usability has an important, strategic role to play in ensuring high-quality customer experiences.
If recent history is any indication, the days of shouting with frustration at your computer screen are numbered.
Sidebar: Boost your website's usability
- Design your site for a specific purpose.
- Make your site useful and easy to use - what are your customers looking for and how will they look for it?
- Regularly update your site's content, or at least show it's been reviewed by adding the date it was reviewed.
- Don't write hype.
- Edit your content like a pedant: broken links, bad grammar and spelling mistakes undermine your credibility.
- Be upfront about who your company is and show that 'real' people are behind your site.
- Highlight your organisation's expertise and the services you provide -people come to your site thinking 'what's in it for me?'.
- Verify the accuracy of the information on your site. If you use statistics, show where you got them from in brackets or with a link to the source.
- People skim-read computers, so write in plain English with clear language, short sentences, keyword-rich headings and text broken into subject chunks.
- Make it easy for visitors to your site to contact you.
Tell us what you think about this article. You can get in touch with us at feedback@optimalusability.com.
