Web Analytics and Usability Testing

Web Analytics and Usability Testing: Triangulate your way to better design recommendations by Eva Kaniasty

What’s your favorite method?

Web Analytics Explosion

Who wins the battle?

Usability Testing Sucks

Usability Testing Moderator Required Moderator Bias Recruiting Bias Unrepresentative Participants Artificial Situation Task Design Bias Small Sample Results not Generalizable

Usability Testing 3 users experienced X… Consider changing X to Y.

Usability Testing is Disconnected

Web Analytics are Awesome!

Web Analytics No Moderator Automatic Data Collection/Analysis Real Users “ In the Wild” Real Goals Real Tasks Representative/ Large Sample Size

Numbers and graphs: universally beloved

Analytics rundown

Visitor/Session Tracking

Visitor/Session Tracking
Confirm Usability Test findings
Inform usability testing tasks
Some visitor characteristics: locations, browsers, OS
Visit & page view trends
Engagement measures: time on page
Search data: keyword referrals
Custom tracking: detailed information on paths/goal conversion
Uses Data Gathered

Clickmaps/Heatmaps

Clickmaps/Heatmaps
IA
Visual hierarchy
Interface refinement
Info not on just which pages are being accessed, but from where
Full picture of users’ interactions with the page
Measure of user interest/engagement
Some segmentation by browser/screen size/time to click
Uses Data Gathered

Email Data Mining

Email Data Mining
Utest Recruiting Profiles
Personas
Demographics
Geography
User Profiles
Site usage data: accounts on amazon, facebook, linkedin, etc.
Uses Data Gathered

Session Recording

Session Recording
Identify potential usability problems
QA/Browser Testing
View all interactions with page, including mouse movements
Scroll maps
Form analytics
Uses Data Gathered

A/B or Multivariate Testing

A/B or Multivariate Testing
IA
Visual hierarchy
Interface refinement
Relative success of design alternatives: impact on conversion and other engagement measures
Uses Data Gathered

Unmoderated Usability Testing

Unmoderated Usability Testing
Alternative to usability testing, when large samples are required
Compensate on weaknesses of survey methods
Immediate feedback from real users as they engage with the website
Uses Data Gathered

Custom Metrics

Custom Metrics
Sky is the limit
Functionality usage
Form errors
Patterns of use
Conversion measurement
Uses Data Gathered

The what. But why?

Analytics Suck

Web Analytics Data on current state only Overwhelming amounts of data to analyze One-dimensional view (i.e. Page-level data only from Clickmaps) Limited information about context No info about user intent

Usability Testing is Awesome

Usability Testing Ability to test new interfaces/ prototypes Moderator can probe to clarify intent Info about goals Rich data/ holistic view

Triangulate!

Triangulate
Focus
Deep Data
Goals and Intent
Confirm Problems
Extent
Severity
Usability Testing Analytics

Case Study
Form errors
No abandonment
Confusion about messaging
Detail on types/extent of errors
True abandonment rates
Visual hierarchy problems
Usability Testing Analytics

Triangulate Surveys Analytics Usability Testing

Questions first

CSI or Law & Order?

Questions? Twitter: @kaniasty [email_address] kaniasty.com

Resources
Google Analytics
Crazyegg
Clicktales
Keynote Systems

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Web Analytics and Usability Testing

by Eva Kaniasty on Jun 13, 2009

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Web Analytics and Usability Testing — Presentation Transcript