Usability assessment

A usability assessment (also know as expert review or usability audit) is used to quickly get an overview of all pain points of a (digital) product. It usually takes place at the beginning of a project, or can be sold separately. While performing the main user tasks, the reviewer judges the application on topics like usability, accessibility, consistency, attractiveness and brand experience. The outcome of the review is presented to the client as a set of possible improvements and can be used as input for a redesign.

How to

1. Gather information about the company, their product (goals) and its users. Discuss with the client which sections, functionalities or flows need to be analysed. Also discuss which guidelines you will use during the review. (Think of accessibility, findability etc.)
2. Walk through the application and find out what you can do with it. Write down questions and things that are unclear, so you can ask them to the client.
3. Write down and make screenshots of all findings. Think of navigation, hierarchy, consistency, content, etc.
4. Cluster your findings into themes. When you have a set of guidelines you can use these to cluster the information.
5. Document all findings (this can be done using the Keynote or Indesign template).
   • Start with an explanation of what you have looked at.
   • Document your findings per theme.
   • When you have written down what things can be improved, also add how this can be done. (Depending on the amount of time scheduled for the review, you can make wireframes of the suggested improvements).
   • End the document with a summary and a prioritised list to indicate in which order the improvements should be implemented.
6. Present your findings to the client.

Tips

• Not only document the things that can be improved, start with highlighting the positive things.
• You can use icons to show the difference between the “positive” and “to be improved” points.
• An expert review can be used in different situations, for example.
  • The client notices the user is having trouble using his current product.
  • The client wants to optimise his current product.
  • The client wants to adjust his current product, but doesn’t know whether optimising or redesigning is the best choice.
  • The client has made a redesign and wants to check this before it goes live or a user test takes place.
• Don’t present the entire flow screen by screen, but point out the most important improvements or changes.
• Because an expert review is usually done independently, you could propose improvements that are not realistic in terms of development. Consult with a developer before presenting your final findings to the client.

What do you need

Learn more

• DIY UX Audit from Somia Customer Experience
• Hike One examples