Tuesday, June 03, 2003
Usability Engineering
Usability the key Term used now a days in building Web Sites or Web Based Applications.
Success of a Web-Site or an Application depends on how well they have taken care of there Usability Issues.
The four key Steps in Usability are :-
Consistency : By being Predictible (does not mean being boring). Consistency is the most important part in Usability which makes the user comfortable. For eg.
1) If u have a home button in the top left corner. Then through out your site or Application it should be there.
2) Suppose by double clicking on the menu list an action is triggered then throught out the site the action should be triggered by double clicking on the menu list.
3) The Color Combinations, the type of fonts you use, the kind of labels and messages you use there should be consistency in it.
By being Consistent the user is able to bulid an accurate mental model of the the way the Applications Works. An Accurate Mental Model helps in reducing Traning and well as Supporting Cost.
Access : The User should be able to access any page on ur application or a web-site with ease.
Accessibility is one of the major factor in usability. If the user is not able to get to the page he wants to then he would soon get frustrated and leave your site. So there should be proper access for all the pages within your Site or Application.
Hierarchy : There should be proper Hierarchy within your Site. The major pages should be one level down and so on.
The need is to give users the major pages with the least possible steps and within shortest possible time. An Application or a Web-Site should not make users find the information they require Infact your Application should be made in such way that the user would get what he wants immediately. That is a true test of Usability and that is where Hierarchy is of so much importance.
Organisation :Your Content Should be Properly Organized within your Application. So it becomes easier for the user to find Information on your Site or Application. Content Related to each other should be put together.
Sugath Gaikwad
posted by Web Promotion Team 5:32 PM
