Usability Analysis

Expert Review

Usability testing starts by identifying the demographic groups of the target audience, taking into account their current relationship with your company, age, profession, cultural background, level of Internet experience and possibly other factors such as gender. In addition, CommerceTI will gather a concise understanding of the products and services that you want to present to their audience.

We use our experience and expertise to evaluate your website(s) taking into account best practice principles for usability, site development and site content (taking in account the demographic profile of your users and marketing objectives of your team).

From a cursory observation of your current site, it appears confusing. “Where should I click?” The home page should be a “macro” presentation of your services that is easy to understand and intuitive to navigate – while using the high value real estate on this page for products and services that you are aggressively targeting. In addition, to analysis of your current site, CommerceTI will conduct a high level competitive analysis to provide comparison data as part of the Report of Findings.

CommerceTI will assign a project manager to interview key contacts at the customer’s location to establish the testing protocols, controls and expectations as well as to consolidate a working knowledge of targeted products and services. In addition, CommerceTI’s project manager will lead our internal assessment team as we review and critique the existing site. Finally the project manager will establish in cooperation with your group and our experts the balance of usability testing mechanisms that will be employed (surveys, feedback and one-on-one observations). At the end of the process, CommerceTI’s project manager will assemble and present the results along with recommendations in a comprehensive Usability Report of Findings.

 

One-On-One Sessions

Participants are recruited to match the demographic profile(s) you specify. They are given general and specific tasks and are observed and recorded as they use and interact with website. Throughout this process the participants are encouraged to explain their behavior and thought processes. Usability really just means making sure that something works well: that a person of average (or below average) ability and experience can use the thing – whether it’s a Web site or anything else – for its intended purpose without getting hopelessly frustrated. Like a lot of common sense, though, it’s not necessarily obvious until after someone’s pointed it out to you. That is why the one-on-one sessions are invaluable in understanding how to develop and deploy an integrated online marketing and communications plan.

In cooperation with your company, CommerceTI’s project manager will develop a criteria for testing site usability though one-on-one observations of real-world use of the current site. In addition, a brief user questionnaire will be developed and used as part of the user sessions. The project manager along with your staff will assemble an appropriate test group (approximately 20 – 30 subjects representing a cross section of your customers), and perform the study at CommerceTI’s or other facility. We anticipate both video-taping the session to augment the observation team’s notes. Ideally, the observation team would include representation from your company as well as CommerceTI.

CommerceTI will deliver a report which includes analysis, recommendations and proposed solutions supported by relevant audio-visual clips taken from the recordings and consolidation of observer’s notes. The complete unedited recordings can also be supplied if required. These results will be included as part of the final Report of Findings.

Site Based Surveys / User Comments

If allowed by your IT and Marketing departments, CommerceTI would generate both an “Exit Poll” as well as a User Comment / Suggestion mechanism on your website. The resulting polling data should provide invaluable visitor information. The actual user feedback combined with site traffic statistics will allow us to round out our understanding and provide us with the data to present targeted strategies to achieve the results you are looking for.

CommerceTI’s project manager in cooperation with your team will develop both the user survey as well as the comment module to be added to your site. You (or CommerceTI) will implement the components and CommerceTI will monitor, consolidate and analyze the data. From this (as well as the other data gathered), CommerceTI will be able to develop appropriate strategies that can be implemented on your website. The consolidated data along with comment and recommendations will be included as part of the Report of Findings.