Are you a website designer? If yes, how do you approach a web design project? Do you design a website to make it meet your needs and preferences or the users’? If your answer is former, know that you’re doing it all wrong.
A website must be designed to meet user preferences because they’re the ones you’re supposed to facilitate through a website. Many web designers make a mistake of assuming that users’ needs are the same as them, when that’s not the case in reality.
One way to ensure that the final website is functional and user-friendly is to conduct usability testing. It’s a method of testing the functionality of a website (or app or other digital products) by having real users use it and observing how they’re completing tasks on it. The testing session is either in-person or remote and is assessed by researchers.
This blog post highlights the importance of usability testing in web design and why you shouldn’t overlook it in your web design process in Australia.
The goal of Usability Testing
The goal of usability testing is to identify any areas that may cause confusion among the users and affect the customer journey. It gives the web designers a chance to improve the user experience. Usability testing gauges the practical functionality of a website to see how easily and efficiently a user completes a pre-defined task.
Usability testing identifies any errors or bugs that impact the user flow, whether the users can complete tasks smoothly, and whether they can navigate through the website without any confusion. When the website is finally completed and made available to the actual users, all the pain points are already identified and fixed.
Why is Usability Testing Important?
We already know that usability testing is important to ensure that the final website is bug-free and delivers a great user experience. But that’s not the only reason why every web design project must be subject to usability testing.
Below are some reasons why usability testing is so important.
Validates Your Concept
Usability testing can help you validate the concept behind a website. When real users test the website in its early stages, they can help you identify if the website is solving the problem it’s designed for and whether it is making things any less easy for the users. In case the website doesn’t uphold your concept, you can easily change things right then in the early stages of development.
Identifies What’s Missing
You may not be able to identify any missing elements that enhance the usability and experience for the users. When real people test the website during usability testing, they give their input about what they feel should be there on the website. You can use this feedback to improve the overall user experience when the website is finally complete.
Ensures a Smooth Process Flow
Some actions require users to go through multiple steps to complete a task. Usability testing will help you ensure that there are no bugs in between and that every step is completed smoothly.
Closing Word
Usability testing should never be optional. Every web designer must conduct usability testing on their website to ensure the website is functional and user-friendly and save themselves the hassle of having to re-do the entire web design.
If you’re looking for the best web designs Canberra, look no further than TocToc. Our website designer Canberra conducts usability testing before marking the project as complete.
