Did you know that around 70% of companies report issues due to usability errors every year? If you are one of these companies then it is time you learned about usability evaluation techniques.
Read our article to understand what usability evaluation techniques are and how they can help your business evolve!
Defining the Usability of Tech
Tech innovations have taken the world by storm. Rapid advancements in technology can create gaps in usability.
Usability in tech refers to the ease of interaction between consumers and technology. Nowadays, most consumers interact with their technology more than other humans.
The usability of tech is paramount for every brand. Companies outside of the tech industry are utilizing usability evaluations as well.
Usability evaluations are personal to every brand and company. It all depends on how your audience engages with your tech.
Is your tech based on the internet or website? Is your tech accessed from an application? These differences will attribute to your usability evaluation.
Usability evaluations are the secret to evolving your tech. Usability evaluations are a great strategy to keep your audience engaged.
Why Does Usability Need an Evaluation?
You may think your tech is perfect. However, it never hurts to get a second opinion. You should strive to get as many opinions as possible.
Usability needs evaluation for many reasons. First, your user interface must keep up with the times.
The market is always changing. Prepare your audience for those changes with a usability evaluation. These evaluations also help your team understand innovations.
Your target audience is one of the best populations to survey. Your target audience refers to people that your tech attracts.
Your target audience is familiar with your tech. They can tell you what works and what does not. Listen to as much feedback as possible to get an applicable usability evaluation.
How Do You Evaluate Usability in Technology?
Technology can be evaluated in many ways. Every website and application has usability in common.
Usability does not just affect your consumers. Usability directly affects app developers as well. Developers, consumers, and investors all have an impact on usability.
Surveying as many different groups as possible is a great strategy. Evaluating usability requires the gathering of data.
Gathering data and surveys does not have to be stressful. An easy approach is, to begin with, your development team.
Survey the people who worked on the foundation of the project. Here are some questions you can ask your team:
- What was the inspiration behind the project?
- Is the project currently meeting that need?
- Have the goals of the project changed?
- Has your target audience changed?
- Is your tech updated to new standards?
- What aspects of your tech need upgrading?
- Is your tech experiencing errors?
- What would they change about the tech?
Answering these questions can help your team evaluate the usability of your project. Ask your team about the tech’s functionality in the present day.
Usability Evaluation of a Website
Web interface designs have many layers. Evaluating a website does not have to be confusing. Begin by revisiting the purpose of your website. It is still functional?
Once you determine the functionality of your website, you are ready for deeper evaluations. Now you can assess how your website pages function. Is your menu easy to navigate?
Continue the rest of your evaluation by placing yourself in the user’s shoes. Would your audience enjoy browsing this website?
Keep in mind that your audience has millions of other websites to choose from. What makes your website unique? Are your services easily accessible? Make it easy for your customers to stay on your site!
Usability Evaluation of an App
An app interface design has to fit on a mobile device. Evaluating an app may require the use of multiple devices.
For example, your application may be available on both Apple and Android devices. Is your app easily accessible on both marketplaces?
Note the differences between the two systems. Notice any differences in usability and functionality.
If your app is available on mobile devices then are some factors to consider. Consider the tech that is unique to mobile devices.
Geolocation is a great example. Another example is your communication service. If your app features communications then ensure their quality.
Make sure there are no lags or glitches. Work with your IT team to sort out any kinks. As always, prioritize user feedback!
Make Your Apps Easy to Learn
Successful apps educate their audience. Ensuring that your app is easy to learn is a key to success.
When your app launches, it should guide your audience step-by-step. Let your audience know everything upfront.
Customers are likely to eliminate your app if it is not usable from the start. Walk your audience through your app.
Your app should give them tutorials and hints often. Educate your customers on how to master your application.
Apps that are easy to learn are also easy to share. Functional apps can market themselves in this way.
Continue to educate your audience anytime there is an update to your application. This will foster a sense of trust in your audience.
What Tasks Can Your Tech Accomplish?
Evaluate the range of tasks your app can accomplish. The tech that is multidimensional scores highly on usability evaluations.
For example, apps that are available in desktop, mobile, and tablet versions are highly usable. Customers can have access to their content on a variety of platforms this way.
Usability isn’t just about your team, audience, and device. Does your tech take advantage of cloud services? Make sure services like these are updated often.
Review your cloud service contracts during a usability evaluation. Review any third-party agreements that connect to your applications.
Every piece of tech experiences rough patches somewhere down the line. If you are fine with your tech then the problem may be caused by your service providers.
Usability Evaluation: Scanning for Errors
Errors can be educational opportunities. If errors are occurring it may take time to source the problem.
Regular usability evaluations help keep a system running smoothly. Regularly check for errors even if there are no alerts.
Scanning for errors can become a drill for your app development team. This drill ensures that your team will know what to do when something goes wrong.
Error scans should become second nature for your team. When users report a problem, you can quickly resolve it. Thanks to the training, errors will become educational opportunities!
The Importance of User Feedback
User feedback is crucial for a successful usability evaluation. Every usability evaluation technique should rely on customer satisfaction and user experience feedback. Be sure to test your mobile app often!
Formative evaluation usability can motivate your next marketing strategy as well. Show your target audience that you have been paying attention.
Do your best to make the changes that they have requested. After all, your app is successful thanks to their support.
Did you know that user feedback can be profitable? User feedback is an accessible way to increase profit margins.
If your customers are demanding something then you know restocking that item is a profitable decision.
Supply and demand are other important aspect of usability evaluation. Has demand risen for your goods, services, or tech?
Are you able to meet consumer demand and keep a steady supply? Abnormal situations, such as a pandemic, can create outliers.
Outliers are events that do not follow data trends. These events can’t be predicted but they can be prepared for.
Good usability evaluation techniques will help you become better prepared for outlier events. Usability evaluations can help you see what you are missing.
Prioritizing User Satisfaction
User satisfaction should be a priority if you hope to see your app expand. An app’s evolution is dependent on the satisfaction of your target audience.
Make the experience of your audience a top priority. Get to know their opinion of your product, service, and tech.
Obtaining feedback from your customer does not have to be done in a formal setting. Nowadays, businesses utilize the power of social media.
Social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook make it easy to survey your audience. Instagram, for example, has a polling feature built-in in into the application.
Pay attention to the content that your fanbase engages with on social media. This is a great usability evaluation technique for startups that are generating their first audience.
Analyze the likes, comments, and direct messages that come from your target audience. What common themes and patterns do you see?
Pay special attention to user-generated content, or UGC, that involves your tech. UGC refers to content that your app inspires.
Fan-made content is also a free source of the material. It is highly encouraged that you share and repost user-generated content.
Sharing this content shows your target audience that you see the hard work they put into showing your brand love!
Usability Evaluation Methods
You can extract information in informal settings such as social media. Usability evaluation techniques can also be held in clinical settings.
In-depth usability evaluations rely heavily on psychology. Special devices have been created to scan the brains of your target audience.
It is possible to show how your consumers feel without them saying a word! Decide the type of usability method you want to use then take the next steps!
Why User Interface Matters
User interface refers to the part of your tech that users interact with. The user interface is important because this is the side of your tech that potential investors see.
Make sure you give everyone a pleasant experience. First impressions matter! If you do not have time to spare then always prioritize the user interface during a usability evaluation.
The user interface of your tech should be attractive and engaging. Usability evaluation techniques should work to enhance these qualities as well.
Encourage your app development team to create a sense of continuity within your website or app.
Your app’s design theme should be consistent throughout your user experience. This debuts a sense of quality and professionalism!
Front End vs Backend Usability
The user interface of your app is a front-end usability area. Front-end aspects of your app are considered your app’s exterior.
The interior of your application is better known as a back-end area. Your app’s code and internal data are stored here.
The usability of the back-end is paramount to the success of your tech. Evaluating the back-end of your tech does not have to be confusing. Work closely with your development team to make sure nothing goes unnoticed.
How to Improve Your Design’s Usability
If your app requires improvements then there are many choices on where to begin. The important thing is to address your customer’s needs first.
However, that means you may need to correct some foundational issues. Who knows, you may fix secondary problems along the way. Integrating usability into the foundation of your tech is the best way to keep your app users.
Keep app updates and rebrandings as simple as possible to avoid confusion later down the line. Be sure to let your audience know about changes ahead of time so they can prepare themselves.
Improving your design’s usability can attract new customers, reviews, and rankings so make sure it is something your team is proud of!
Are You Ready for a Usability Evaluation?
Now you know what usability evaluation techniques are and how to apply them to your tech. Enjoy the process of upgrading your tech and evolving your brand!
If you are struggling to make these changes happen, don’t worry, we are here to help! We are a digital transformation agency that specializes in app design and development.
Contact us with information about your projects so that we can point you in the right direction. Good luck!
