Usability Testing- A complete know-how!

Any ecommerce website is a key tool for attracting a huge amount of audience and as it forms the most important aspect of marketing, keeping it user friendly is of utmost importance. If the company promises to deliver various services, the effectiveness of the website will undoubtedly determine its failure or success. The manner in which the information is displayed on a particular website has certain flaws at times and this can affect the results dramatically. Ecommerce usability testing is the only way by which one can ensure if the website is successfully working as per the user preferences.

Usability testing is primarily categorized into two types:

Heuristic review

This type of review is done by the usability expert where he or she prepares hypothetical scenarios. Website audit is done by experts based on their usability practice skills. The expert analyzes and prepares a report to unearth all sorts of massive usability flaws. This is usually done at the beginning of the project.

User Testing

User testing is done to ensure the entire look and feel of the website is well appreciated. Testing is carried out in labs and the experts review the user behaviour and register their queries. The reports generated post user testing helps in getting better results and making a website intuitive.

The perks of ecommerce usability testing are as follows:

• Improved user experience which in turn helps in building loyalty and trust

• Increased conversion, success and user productivity

• As amending design mistakes needs bigger investment, conducting usability testing can help in curbing cost of multiple redesigning

• Competitiveness improves as the number of retained customers does not drop down due to immense satisfaction.

Usability testing involves monitoring customers to complete certain tasks on websites, apps or any product. The process is thoroughly planned as per demographics and targeted market. The entire session is also recorded for the clients to review and understand the user behaviour.

Usability testing can be used for:

Apps and mobile sites: Testing is done to see how various features work along with the navigation as well. It also helps in determining how the users interact with the app on their device.

Landing pages and PPC: Tests are done to perk up the effectiveness of ads and how frequently the users are clicking. It also helps in finding out how the users react when they visit the landing page and its effectiveness in conversions.

Competitive analysis: Usability testing can be done for conducting market research and analyse the competition in the market. The evaluation that is done is presented to the client for having a better prospect in the future.

As per the development of the website and the number of pages that need testing, the cost may vary. However, one should always rely on prominent consulting experts to get usability testing done for their website.