Website Usability. Webinar presentation given to the Association for Women in Communications (AWC) members on Tuesday, October 16, 2012.

1. Website Usability
With Nikki Kerber, @socialwebnerd
SocialWebNerd.com

2. Nikki Kerber
Digital Strategist
Creating websites since the 8th
grade!
SocialWebNerd.com
@SocialWebNerd
Facebook.com/SocialWebNerd

3. In this webinar you will learn:
• Why you should care about website
usability
• Design principles to consider when
developing a website
• What items to incorporate onto your site to
enhance the user experience
• How to conduct a basic usability test

4. What is Website Usability?

5. • How easily and effectively users are able to
use your website to get what they need.

6. User Experience (UX)

7. • A person's perceptions and responses that
result from the use or anticipated use of a
product, system or service.

8. Why Should You Care?

9. 6 seconds

10. Design Principles

11. 4 Design Principles:
• Don’t make me think
• FAST load time
• Clear and consistent navigation
• Write for the web

12. Don’t make me think
http://gordonwaynewatts.com/

13. Fast load time

14. Speed tools
• http://tools.pingdom.com/fpt/
• https://developers.google.com/speed/
pagespeed/insights
• http://www.websiteoptimization.com/
services/analyze/

15. Consistent navigation

16. Consistent navigation
• Same navigation pattern throughout the
whole site
• Not every page belongs on main nav
• Use clear language

17. Write for the web
• Content hierarchy (headline, sub-headline,
content)
• Use simple language
• Did you know? ... More than half of the US
population reads at or below an 8th grade
reading level

18. Enhance the user
experience

19. 3 items to enhance the user experience
• Search box
• Breadcrumbs
• Links

20. Search Box
Breadcrumbs

21. Links
Page Link Structure
http://www.comfortfeetshop.com/istar.asp?
a=3&dept=1&class=3&manufacturer=ECC
http://www.comfortfeetshop.com/Ecco/womens-
shoes

22. Links
Internal Links
• Meaningful links --- NOT “click here” or “go
here”
• Internal links should be clearly identifiable

23. Conduct a usability test

24. In-person usability test
• Gather users to test
the site for you
• Provide them actual
site wide tasks
• Ask questions!

25. Additional Resources
• http://www.useit.com
• http://www.usability.gov