A big mistake many users make is confusing usability with accessibility. Not only are the two very different however, the general perception seems like one should be thought to be less significant in comparison to the other. Though both should be considered seriously there is a good chance that a lot of the concepts concerning accessibility still apply to usability and vice versa.
Optimising a site's usability will assist in making it more accessible or at least provide a better frame to build from. If your target audience finds the site hard to use, it'll almost certainly be difficult for those with disabilities or learning difficulties. The same goes for accessibility. the level of care in addressing accessibility is just as valid in terms of usability.
Prioritizing the User
If you take all the fancy stuff away from the Web's design, pages are designed for people to use. Do not bother showing every Flash gadget you can pull from your repertoire or bombarding the users' browsers with ad-hoc images leaving you with providing the best service for content delivery that you can provide. Before you start putting together concepts or thinking about launching Dreamweaver, you should have it firmly in your head that usability is about placing the needs of the user first. Keep in mind that everything from websites to shoes will be judged by the way it performs.
This will allow you to perform one of the most important steps in the design process and especially software engineering the elicitation of requirements. Professional new media agencies will already be familiar with this process, and will employ it to develop a solid understanding of what it is the user expects to see, with the project's success based on meeting that. When you're asked to develop a website for a specific customer or hope to launch something that is more direct in attracting users, it's important to understand what the needs of the end-user are.
Essential Requirements Elicitation
The main thing to remember about understanding user requirements is that you're unlikely to be able to satisfy them first time. That's why a consistent flow of communication throughout the process of designing is crucial to get as close to their requirements as you can. Engaging with the users, recording what they say and attempting to figure out precisely what they are saying is the only way to meet their needs.
It's also essential to keep in mind that the audience you're designing for are not necessarily privy to the kind of "developer talk" that you are comfortable with. This is where the production of diagrams using graphics or cases studies can be used to portray your vision of how the project is moving forward. Navigational flowcharts, example site maps, and possibly data flow diagrams for eCommerce solutions are all effective ways of presenting complex info without confusing other people with technical jargon.Similarly there's no reason to think that a shared direction for the how visual elements will be arranged can't be achieved with mock-ups of page designs. Flat digital drawings of possible templates can be put forward and scrutinised prior to developing more sophisticated elements for pages as well as interfaces and navigational designs begins.
Professional Help
if you're not overly interested in conducting large-scale usability research on your own, or perhaps realise that it's not feasible or feasible, you're always able to count on the assistance of others.
Professional consultancies or specialist agencies are typical, and provide full-service solutions that encompass every major process. Usually they will also give your site a preliminary evaluation to ascertain whether it truly requires the complete usability assessment, and also the best way to go about it. The next step is to identifying the is driving the needs and objectives of the site's design or defining what it's expected to achieve. This will be followed by a detailed analysis of what the desired population will be, meaning a broad segment of the target audience could be researched.
A representative sample of "typical users' will usually be asked to attend testing sessions that will observe participants as they navigate the website. This could range from asking them to navigate through the site's content without restriction for a specified amount of time, or assigning the participants up with specific tasks and scenarios.
Although they are encouraged to think aloud constantly Their feedback is constantly monitored and recorded either by the most sophisticated software for tracking or by video. Designers are encouraged to sit at the table during sessions and observe how users feel about the website, and what improvements they could suggest. At the finish each participant is asked to share their opinions of the site in thorough interview sessions. The results are collected into detailed reports which will be the foundation of any future design updates and new projects that arise out of the findings.
Conducting User Surveys
If putting together a representative sampling of your users isn't a realistic option There are other methods of receiving feedback. Many sites will include email addresses or contact forms for users to submit their thoughts, but this doesn't ensure that you'll get the type of feedback you'd like to receive. it can be more useful to provide electronic questionnaires to better gauge the opinion of your users.
Using a specialist program allows you to create advanced interactive surveys swiftly and effortlessly. The advantage here is that the survey results are logged on the server, where an extensive statistical analysis can be analyzed and then interpreted for any practical adjustments. There are available software applications that can perform remote assessments of user actions in real time. This kind of approach must be made clearly known to visitors before they participate, as tracking their behaviours covertly would compromise areas of the data protection act and will certainly cause confusion if they discover.
But, there are some fascinating data regarding areas of the site or the actual interface will be discovered through the manner in which different users interact with the content. Just by tracking link paths tampa web design or the activity of your cursor it is possible to ascertain how navigation was perceived, and maybe how effective visual signposts like buttons, menus, and anchors are in controlling the actions of your audience.
This gives one of the truest pictures of user perception since the user is likely to behave as they naturally would while browsing the Web. When under more strict "lab" conditions, they might feel pressured by the environment and the presence of an observer, or feel conscious of the amount of time they are performing. This could also result in an adverse impact if they were to be expected to use peripherals, hardware, operating systems or browsing software they might not be familiar with.