Website usability: finding where customers get stuck

Usability testing looks at how a person completes a task with a website. Instead of asking whether the design looks good, offer a realistic scenario and observe what happens. Someone can praise a page while still being unable to find delivery terms.

For example, ask someone choosing a service to determine whether it fits their shop and how to ask a follow-up question. Avoid naming the correct menu or button in the task: that would test their ability to follow your instruction.

Choose one audience and one or two tasks. Recruit people familiar with the underlying need; colleagues who already know the website may miss obstacles. Let participants use their usual device when that matches the research question.

Explain that you are testing the website, not the participant. Agree on any recording and use fictional contact and order details. A checkout task should use a safe test environment rather than require a real purchase.

Allow time for the participant to work things out. Note where they pause, what they expect and what they do. A neutral question about what they are looking for is more useful than telling them which button to press. Record any help you provide.

Separate observation from interpretation. Returning to a description three times is an observation; assuming the person distrusts the company is an interpretation. Ask what information was missing after the task and compare the answer with their actions.

Address barriers to completion first: an unclear action, a hidden condition or lost input. Then consider extra effort and smaller visual details. Write down the problem each change is intended to solve.

Repeat the scenario with different participants after updating the design. A small qualitative study can reveal causes of difficulty; it does not establish the exact proportion of all visitors who will face the same issue.