Optimal Usability: How Easy Is It to Use?

In 2002, a study conducted in England revealed that 70 per cent of people admitted to shouting,swearing at or generally acting violently towards their computer. One restaurant manager got somad at his laptop that he threw it in the deep fryer, ruining both the laptop and the deep fryer.

Aren’t computers supposed to make our lives easier and less stressful? Unfortunately, using the Internet can be just as frustrating and time-consuming. No one wants to waste their precious time fighting with websites. While website design has come a long way in the past five years, there are still many basic mistakes that sites make.

In the last 18 months Optimal Usability has evaluated the websites of more than 140 New Zealand organisations. Evaluations typically involve observing real users as they perform common tasks on a website. Our observations show us what frustrates, confuses and annoys website users. Design problems are often very similar, regardless of the industry or type of website. We repeatedly see the same website design mistakes – most of which are easily corrected.