This is an example of the first activity for session 04.
The web site I have chosen is Usability First
They say:
What is usability?
Usability usually refers to software but is relevant to any product. Some ways to improve usability include:
- shortening the time to accomplish tasks,
- reducing the number of mistakes made,
- reducing learning time,
- and improving people’s satisfaction with a system.
On the whole I think that these comments are much too general and need to make reference to particular aspects of usability such as navigation. Also they make no reference to an important aspect of usability which is about allowing the user to locate themselves within the site. All of these statements seem to be generally about speeding up the use of the site without taking account of these other qualitative factors. It is no use being able to find your way easily from the top page if you find yourself somewhere down in the site and don’t know where you are and how you get out.Also the web site is supposed to be about web site usability and the examples given are generally about software usability. It would help if at least some of them were more specific to a web site.
As an aside, not sure if it relates directly to usability but I find their jobs box really irritating.
