Usability implies the ease in which users reach their goal and learn to use your website.

The easier you make if for users to use your site, the more they will get from the experience and the more information you can supply them with. The following should be incorporated when designing your website*:

• Learnability: Is it easy for users to accomplish tasks the first time they interact with your site? This could be a simple task like finding your contact details.
• Efficiency: How quickly can users perform tasks after learning your website design?
• Memorability: how easy is it for users to remember how they accomplished their tasks?
• Errors: How many error do users make while browsing your website and how easy to they recover from it?
• Satisfaction: Was interacting with your website a pleasant experience?

A usability testing can provide valuable information which can be used to improve the ease of use of your website. Websites can be tested as part of a redevelopment project; can focus on navigation or maybe an online form that needs to be completed.

There are different methods of doing user testing. You do not have to do expensive eye tracking, or sit in a controlled laboratory to get useful results.

*Based on research by Ben Shneiderman and Jakob Nielsen