I need to do usability and userfriendliness test for my website

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I need to do usability and userfriendliness test for my website

benevolent001

3:57 am on May 6, 2007 (gmt 0)

I need some pointers for doing usability and userfriendliness test for my website , i am getting 50 uniques a day from SE and am not happy with time for which people are staying or using website or using it

Any points to see how to make website userfriendly , i guess i am missing this skill for sure

any links for reading material i can refer to , my visitor segment is ages mostly children <15 or around 18 to max is there any book which can guide me for this

And you know children are very impatient , they want results now , they wont stay even one second more if you dont give what they want in front of them. I am getting 2-3 pageviews average

Thanks for your time

Matt Probert

12:29 pm on May 6, 2007 (gmt 0)

Start by understanding your audience. Research the competition, if your audience is children, take a look at the successful children's sites and see if you can spot the common threads (they are there!)

Put your self in the user's shoes. Observe people accessing your site, monitor their reactions. Find out what they don't like. LISTEN TO THEM!

Matt

Drag_Racer

3:17 am on May 18, 2007 (gmt 0)

Matt just gave the best advice you could get, observe your users!

I tried this about 2 months ago on a new project. I got some people to go through a process of signing up, getting an email, and opening an account. Just by watching eyeballs, where they paused, and what the mouse pointer was doing gave me more info I could ever get from any study or book on how to fix it.

just a simple thing like placing an elbow on the desk to hold the head up told me 'that instruction needs to be simplified and shortened'

...not to lessen the importance of reading.

le_gber

12:19 pm on May 18, 2007 (gmt 0)

benevolent001, have you read "Don't make me think" by Steve Krug? I would recommend it. The second edition has Usability Testing Chapter(s) showing you how to conduct a usability testing session.

Frida

11:34 am on May 25, 2007 (gmt 0)

Just coming by to give my "vote" for Steve Krug's "Don't make me think". You could really read the Usability Testing Chapter, though the title of the book actually is the very essence of the whole writing. Anyway, read it up, get deeper in your audience preferences and do the changes needed.

benevolent001

11:54 am on May 25, 2007 (gmt 0)

thanks for advice i am looking for that book too