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Many thanks to those that took part in my brief usability test.
The test was to determine the directness of two web-site home pages at
www.which.net and www.imrg.org. The Which? Online page contains four
objects:
1) A "Welcome" graphic on the left side
2) Text that reads "check-in first time visitors start here" in the centre
3) Text that reads "upFront what's new on Which? Online" also in the centre
4) A large, animated graphic containing a question mark on the right side
All but the first graphic are hyperlinks.
The IMRG home page also contains 4 objects:
1) A graphic at the top
2) Introductory text in the centre (and two lines top and bottom)
3) A button labelled "Member" at the bottom
4) A button labelled "Visitor" at the bottom
Only the last two objects are hyperlinks.
For both sites, respondents had been asked to assume that they were members
and to choose the object that they would click on to get access to the site.
37 valid responses were received in the first 24 hours. The results are as
follows:
www.which.net
48.7% chose the "check-in" text
21.6% chose the "upFront" text
29.7% chose the graphic on the right side
In addition, 29.7% of respondents expressed frustration or confusion in
selecting the correct object on this site.
Although almost half of respondents chose "check-in" it is intended
primarily for visitors. The page displayed devotes itself to extolling the
benefits of membership. Users are still two pages away from the main
contents page.
The "upFront" page leads to a page of news with a further link to the main
contents page.
The "correct" choice was the graphic on the right hand side, but it is
impossible for users to know this in advance.
www.imrg.org
86.5% chose the "member" button
13.5% chose the "visitor" button
This site was much more straightforward as it offered obvious, unambiguous
categories. I have contacted many of the respondents who chose "visitor"
and have established that most had misread the instructions.
21.6% of respondents commented that the choice was easily made (at least in
comparison to the first site).
I plan to use the results to encourage web site developers to take a more
considered approach to usability. A common reaction is that either that
developers are doing enough or that usability is a matter of opinion.
I may be able to combine the results of further similar tests and publish a
paper.
I would be interested in any comments, queries or expressions of interest to
take part. (I have already noted that most respondents would be happy to
perform similar tests again.)
Regards,
William Hudson
Syntagm Ltd
Tel +44-1235-522859
Fax +44-1235-554449
Web http://www.syntagm.co.uk
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