Usability Evaluation assesses how easy and efficient it is for users to interact with a system, application, or product. It focuses on how well users can understand, learn, and operate a system effectively.
This evaluation is critical for web applications, ERP systems, mobile apps, and any software where user engagement directly impacts business success.
Usability Aspects
- Usability: Measures how effectively users can achieve their goals within the system.
- User Experience (UX): Focuses on the overall experience, satisfaction, and emotional response users have while interacting with the product.
- Accessibility: Ensures the system is usable by people with various disabilities, following standards like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
Why is Usability Evaluation Important?
- Improves User Satisfaction: Ensures users can achieve their goals with ease.
- Reduces Training Costs: Simplifies learning, lowering the need for extensive training.
- Boosts Productivity: Minimizes the time and effort required to complete tasks.
- Enhances Accessibility: Identifies barriers that may exclude certain users.
Usability Evaluation Approaches
- Usability Testing
- Observing real users as they interact with the system.
- Helps uncover practical usability issues through hands-on testing.
- Usability Reviews
- Experts review the system against usability principles and guidelines.
- Helps catch design flaws without requiring end-user involvement.
- Usability Surveys and Questionnaires
- Collects quantitative and qualitative feedback from users.
- Useful for understanding user perceptions at scale.
- Heuristic Evaluation
- Usability experts assess the interface against established usability principles (heuristics).
- Helps catch common design flaws early in development.
- Cognitive Walkthrough
- Evaluators step through tasks to see if users can understand and complete them.
- Ideal for assessing new features or complex workflows.
Example: Usability Evaluation in NetSuite
Scenario: Streamlining the Sales Order Creation Process
Expected Behavior:
- Users should be able to create and submit a sales order within 3-4 steps.
- Form fields should be logically grouped and labeled.
Findings:
- Users struggled to locate the “Apply Customer Deposit” option.
- Dropdown menus lacked search functionality, slowing down item selection.
Improvements:
- Added a search bar for quicker item lookup.
- Simplified the form layout, reducing unnecessary clicks.
Key Usability Factors
- Learnability: How easily can users learn to use the system?
- Efficiency: How quickly can users perform tasks?
- Memorability: Can users return after a break and still use the system effectively?
- Error Handling: How well does the system help users recover from mistakes?
- Satisfaction: How enjoyable is the overall experience?
Best Practices for Usability Evaluation
- Involve Users Early: Gather feedback from real users during design.
- Iterate Based on Findings: Use evaluation results to refine the system.
- Test Across Devices: Ensure usability across various screen sizes and environments.
- Document and Prioritize Issues: Track findings and address high-impact usability concerns first.
Usability Evaluation ensures that software not only functions correctly but is also intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable to use. By prioritizing usability, businesses can boost user adoption, reduce churn, and enhance overall product success.