Benefit from IT's free online on-line web usability course tutorial

explains what web usability is and why it is vital for web sites. It will help you to avoid the worst mistakes and to find further sources of information. The course includes many examples of good and bad usability in web site and page design. Author: Philip Phil Chalmers Rainham Gillingham Medway Kent England Great Britain UK United Kingdom.

What is usability and why is it important?

Why is usability important for web sites?

Visitors will leave your web site if they find it difficult to use.
The time and money you put into the site will be wasted.

Usability is Crucial for the Small Guy (article at Webword.com).

What is usability?

“The point of web site usability is to make Web sites perform the function for which they were designed, with the minimal amount of user frustration, time and effort.” (Mark Pearrow's Web Site Usability Handbook)

Usability is not a single quality - it has five main components:

Learnability: How easy is it for users to do the basic things the first time they meet the design?
Efficiency: Once users have become familiar with the site, how quickly can they achieve their objectives?
Memorability: When users return to the site after not using it for some time, can they remember enough to use it efficiently?
Error minimisation: How often do users make errors while using the site?
How severe are the consequences of these errors?
How easily can users get back on the right track?
Subjective satisfaction: How much does the user like using the site?

You are using a browser which does not understand Web standards published in 1996. You will enjoy using the Web much more if you upgrade to a better browser.