1. Shelley’s Web Design Ÿ www.ShelleysWebDesign.net
Website Usability Report
The Ready Project
Introduction
Before I begin, I’d like to thank you for using Shelley’s Web Design
Services. My company is pleased to be a partner in designing a site that
will attract customers to The Ready Project’s site
(www.readyproject.com), and more importantly to let them comfortably
browse and purchase your products. The main purpose of this report is
to show what your site does well and where improvements can be made,
so that you can make educated decisions for your website going forward.
The first action Shelley’s Web Design Services took was to casually
browse your website as if I were your customer. The Ready Project is a
great place to buy food storage, but there are many competing customers
in Utah and around the globe. Your company differs by offering free
samples and advice on dealing with disaster situations, even offering the
latest storm updates. I want to highlight your care and concern for your
customers through all the aspects of the site, making sure they
understand your level of commitment from the moment they click onto
the site. By making a few changes, The Ready Project will become easily
recognizable as the preparedness company that really cares. For your
convenience, our analysis of your site is broken down into the following
sections:
ü Methodology
ü Results
ü Discussion
ü Conclusion
Methodology
Several techniques and tools were used in analyzing The Ready Project’s
site. The color wheel, which can be found in many places on the web, was
used to analyze the site’s aesthetic properties. Colors have a powerful
impact on people, and it’s important to choose those that function well
together. I also looked at behind-the-scenes HTML codes for potential
problem areas with search engine optimization (SEO) and overall
functionality of the site. www.Tools.pingdom.com was used to test the

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site’s load time, which should be no more than three seconds for today’s
users. I also used Dr. Pete’s (cognitive psychologist and computer
scientist) website usability checklist which can be found at
http://drpete.co/topic/25-point-website-usability-checklist.
Results
This section details the results of our analysis and is organized into the
following categories:
Section I. Accessibility
Section II. Identity
Section III. Navigation
Section IV. Content
For detailed information about inefficiency solutions, see the Discussion
section.
Section I. Accessibility
In order for customers to identify you from the rest of the preparedness
companies, and to buy your products, your site needs to be easily
accessible. Today’s consumers are used to high-speed Internet and user-
friendly features. The following points will discuss your site’s
accessibility:
• Site Load Time – Your site loaded in 1.49 seconds with a
performance rating of 73 out of 100. This finding is well within the
average range and is not an issue of concern.
• Text-To-Background Contrast – Wording has high contrast to
background, with mostly black text on a white background. Yellow
on black and yellow on red are used sparingly and have a high level
of contrast as well. One area of concern is the light gray text used
for links at the top of the page, which are de-emphasized by the
lightness of the color, almost to the point of not being noticeable at
all.
• Font Size/Spacing – Font sizes are appropriate, with headings
standing out from the rest of the text in larger fonts, and main text
large enough for the average reader to see. Again, the gray links at
the top of page are problematic due to the small font size.

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There is adequate white space surrounding the text and the
different sections, which helps readers see organization and
harmony between the site’s elements.
• Flash and Add-Ons – The interactive flash elements are limited to
one per page, if any, and are a great way to show consumer
options. The sparing use of flash elements gives the site a clean
appearance and keeps technical errors to a minimum.
• Alt Tags for Images – Menu items have appropriate ALT tags
with concise descriptions for visually impaired users as well as
optimal search engine function.
• Custom Not Found/404 Page – There is no customized “not
found” page for broken links. The link to the blog goes to the
browser’s default “not found” page, leading customers away from
site content.
Aside from there not being a customized “not found” page, having
broken links on a website is discouraging for users.
The site has overall high accessibility, but can be improved in the Text-
To-Background Contrast, Font Size/Spacing, and Custom Not Found/404
Page areas.
Section II. Identity
Customers must be able to quickly identify who you are from any of the
pages on your website. They should also be able to find out what makes
your company unique with minimal effort. Your identity should present a
message of trustworthiness to the users of the site as well.
• Company Logo Placement – The company logo is at the top left
of each page throughout the site, where users will expect it to be.
• Tagline – The company’s tagline, “Live Life Ready,” appears in the
“About Us” section and above the picture of the two person 72-
hour kit. It is concise and accurately describes what makes your
company unique. However, this information would be ideally
located at the top of the page next to the company logo for
immediate recognition.
• Digestibility of Home Page - Currently the page is not easily
identifiable as a life readiness site within the first five seconds of
arrival. This is because the company tagline is not displayed

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prominently, the popup coupon distracts users, and if they scroll
down they are bombarded with information about storms and
floods. Albeit useful information, the organization’s purpose
should be prominent.
To the average eye, the site looks well organized and professional.
However, there are a few design flaws that detract from its
aesthetics. The main colors used for the site, red and yellow, are
not opposite each other on the color wheel or next to each other, so
they are not complementary. Additionally, these are both strong
colors that attract attention when used separately, but when used
together they produce a nauseating effect. These colors should also
be avoided on websites because they are not readable by colorblind
users.
• Clear Path to Company Information – The About Us information
on the main page is easy to find by scrolling down.
• Clear Path to Contact Information – Contact information is
complete with phone number, email address, and physical address
at the bottom of the page. There is also a “Contact Us” link at the
bottom of the page that pulls up a dialog box where users can
quickly fill in the necessary contact information along with their
comments or concerns.
Your identity is clear with a moderate degree of effort by users of the
site. With a few changes in the Tagline and Digestibility of Home Page
sections, your purpose could be more readily identifiable.
Section III. Navigation
Your customers need clear paths to the information they are seeking.
This section analyzes your site’s navigational efficiency.
• Main Navigation
– The main navigation menu is prominently
placed at the top of the page underneath the company logo. Each
link is easily distinguishable from the others with concise wording,
starting with the most-searched-for information on the left and
progressively less-searched-for information spanning to the right.
Two horizontal bars distinguish this menu from other aspects of
the site.

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• Navigation Labels
– Navigation links are accurately worded with a
minimal amount of descriptor words, making them clear and
concise.
• Number of Buttons/Links
– 6 drop-down menus in the main
navigation bar is sufficient to cover all the products and not too
many to bombard customers. While there are many links
throughout the page, they are given “space to breathe” by the
organization of the large pictures and brief descriptions with white
space around them.
• Is Company Logo Linked to Home Page?
– Clicking on the logo
from any of the sub-pages brings users back to the home page,
which is what users would expect when exploring a site.
• Consistent and Easily Identifiable Links – Links are easy to
identify, for the most part. Pictures lighten when hovered over, and
disaster scenario text turns red. Top stories are not easily
identifiable as links. No indication is made that these story links
will bring users to other sites not related to The Ready Project’s
site. The top stories section is problematic because it leads users
away from the site without a clear path back, which could
potentially lose customers.
Social media links are located at both the top and bottom of the
page. Since they are in a neutral color, they are not a top priority on
the site but nevertheless important to list twice so that someone
who is familiar with social media can easily locate them and share
your site with friends and family, potentially bringing in more
customers.
• Easily Accessible Site Search – The site search bar is at the top
of the page next to the company logo, and is easily identifiable with
a magnifying glass icon and the text, “Search Ready Project…”
While the site is generally easy to navigate, there is room for
improvement in the Consistent and Easily Identifiable Links section.
Section IV. Content
The main body of the website, or the content, should be well organized
and easy to skim through. Consistency between pages and sections is
also important.

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• Major Headings – Since most web users skim content, headings
must be clearly set apart from the other text, leading users quickly
to the information they are looking for. Your website does this well
by using larger fonts and including extra space between the
heading and the main body text. In the HTML text, headings are
correctly indicated by the characters “<h1,” “<h2,” and so on, and
contain concise headings that work well for search engine
optimization.
• Critical Content Above the Fold – Pertinent information should
be contained in the screen before users have to scroll down for
more information. All pertinent information about your products is
above the fold, with the exception of the company’s tagline
mentioned previously.
• Use of Emphasis – Emphasis such as bolding and exclamation
points are used sparingly throughout the site, effectively drawing
attention to the different sections.
• Ads & Pop-Ups – There are no obtrusive ads on the site. However,
there is one pop-up that presents itself when the site is first
loaded, which could potentially drive customers away. It is the
coupon request form that asks customers to fill in contact
information so they can receive a customized coupon. Generally,
customers do not trust websites initially and feel threatened when
identifiable information is asked for up front. You will lose your
customers’ trust if this pop-up is not controlled to a location where
the user has to actively search it out and click on a link.
• Main Copy – Wording is easy to understand; jargon is not used
and Standard English grammar has been applied for maximum
readership.
• URLs – URLs are meaningful, using the company’s name in the
main URL and relevant words for each page.
• HTML Page Titles – Title tags, indicated by the text, “<title>” in
the HTML coding, are concise and accurate. This coding is helpful
for search engine optimization.
The content of the site is well organized and easy for users to navigate.
There is consistency throughout the site. The only area that needs
improvement is the Ads & Pop-Ups section.

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Discussion
Your site can be more accessible if you correct the following areas: Text-
To-Background Contrast, Font Size/Spacing, and Custom Not Found/404
Page. Contrast of text with background needs to be sharp. Black text on a
white background is ideal, and you do this in most areas of the site, but
the light gray areas are barely noticeable against white. Consider
choosing a darker shade of gray for the social links, since you don’t want
to use color in this instance, which would bombard the site with too
many contrasting colors and detract from your areas of emphasis. Font
size needs to be big enough for the average user to read. While the links
at the top and bottom of the page should be de-emphasized with smaller
text, consider using no smaller than 10-point font, as many users have a
hard time reading anything below this size. A custom “not found” page
with links directing users back to other areas would be helpful in the case
of missing or broken links, such as the link to your blog. If a page is
being re-vamped, consider taking the link down until the page is up and
running again.
Your website identity could use some work in the Tagline and
Digestibility of Home Page sections. Place your tagline, “Live Life Ready,”
near the logo at the top of each page to remind customers what your
company can do for them. Also consider emphasizing your products with
a brief description above the moving pictures on the first page: A title
such as, “Fuel for Your Body to Live Life Ready,” utilizing key words to
emphasize your company’s main tag line, would really help solidify your
company’s purpose. Also, choose another vibrant color, besides yellow or
red, to use throughout the site. Use a color wheel to choose colors that
are next to each other or opposite each other to create a harmonious
tone, keeping in mind that you want to attract the most users, including
colorblind ones.
While generally easy to navigate, your site could improve in this area by
the resolving of issues with the top stories section. Consider making the
links open in a new window so that your customers will not lose the page
they were visiting (yours). Adding a line of text above the stories
explaining what they are there for and that users will be directed to
another site outside your own will help clear up any confusion.
The content of your site is helpful and relevant, but could be improved in
the area of pop-ups. There is one pop-up that opens a coupon request
form when loading the site for the first time. I would suggest moving this

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to a clickable link that is non-invasive and only made to pop up if
customers seek it out.
Conclusion
Your website has a lot of potential to bring in new customers, but you
limit the volume of customers with poor color choice, links that
inexplicably go nowhere or to other sites, and a pop-up that chases
customers away. With this analysis, you can locate specifically where you
went wrong, and find solutions that will create a better experience for
your customers. Check back often as you update your site, making sure
that you keep doing what you did well the first time, and also ensuring
that you continually look for and fix new errors. Again, I am pleased to be
a partner in your success.