The CZSO Website Usability testing Author: Eva Kortanova Marketing Section Czech Statistical Office

Website usability testing What is it good for? Discovering errors restraining users from finding information Debugging the website Website easy to use Returning satisfied user Recommends to friends and colleagues

Motives for Usability testing Website usability testing Motives for Usability testing To complete and detail information from user satisfaction surveys Further identification of weak and strong points of web structure To discover user ideas for innovations and its good experiences from other web pages To know the user way of orientation on the web To know the user expectations and following reactions to the web content

Background Website usability testing People Technical equipment Theory 10 tested users (journalist, civil servant, employees from private sector, students) testing team (1 testing specialist, several team members for registering the behaviour of the tested user) Technical equipment PC for tested user in one room, microphone Transmission of monitor image and voice to other separate room Projecting screen, speakers, pencils and notepads Theory Professional help of private expert (courses, preparation) Professional literature and information on the Internet: Jacob Nielsen on Usability and Web design http://www.useit.com/ Steve Krug‘s website http://www.sensible.com/ and book „Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability„

Website usability testing Background

Basic process Website usability testing Prepare the testing script (short list of tasks) Invite users in one or two days, 1 hour for everyone Observe the user going through given tasks, communicate with him, make notes You can‘t help or guide him, observe his using of the web, listen to his ideas After each testing resume all notes and all your ideas After the whole testing make the report with all results noted and also make a plan of subsequent actions If there is no serious intention to change the web (even its parts) or no goodwill for subsequent actions and changes, the Usability testing is useless!

What to test on the web? Comprehensible structure of web Website usability testing What to test on the web? Comprehensible structure of web at first sight, visibility of menu, expected content Visibility of function components links to archive, methodology, contacts, home … Comprehensibility of product names and their content News Release, Press Release, Publication Search possibilities visibility, accessibility, comprehensibility of search results

Measures and changes on the basis of surveys and testing results at the CZSO: NEW LAYOUT OF THE WEB: Design: „lighter“, modern, less colours and frames Disposition of items: more functional, more intuitive, no need to scroll down on the home page FUNCTIONALITIES: New components: Pop-up Submenu Folder structure of News Main data on homepage Breadcrumb Navigation Wider use: More cross links to Archives, Methodology, Time series