Usability checklist - now is the time

With the holiday period coming to a close it’s time for online retailers to take stock of the usability of their website and how it may have affected sales.

by Helen Leggatt

Instead of waiting until a month before the 2008 holiday period begins, start fine-tuning the usability of your website now. The amount of data collected over the busy holiday period and the recency of holiday sales experiences means it’s an ideal time to analyze site performance.

Oneupweb has come up with a comprehensive usability checklist for online retailers. It covers tips on fifteen website usability aspects including navigation, design assessment, ease of use and even technology and architecture.

According to a recent post by “Tim” on StraightUpSearch, Oneupweb’s cut-to-the-chase blog, undertaking a website usability study doesn’t necessarily lead to extensive redesigns. “A well planned and executed study will take into consideration the demands of maintaining the brand presence of an established site. That same usability study though, will point out the key areas that can be impacted, with relative ease, to help insure stronger conversion points,” it reads.