Usability is a term new to many, but it is a science rooted in
the cold war era of military research. From the earliest days of the jet fighter,
scientists employed usability techniques to optimise the ability
of a machine's user. Today these techniques are practiced across the
full spectrum of digital platforms. For example by making an Intranet
easier to use, businesses are finding that the productivity of their
personnel can grow, support costs are lessened and staff morale is bolstered.
Usability testing is a simple process to understand, but difficult
to implement. A Usability Specialist must first audit the platform;
this could be Internet, Intranet, WAP, Interactive TV and just about
any other interactive digital platform. They will then develop a
series of tasks to do on the site, select a user group (composed
of the average demographic) and evaluate the individual's ability
to use the service.
This can throw up all kinds of inconsistencies, pitfalls and plain
old problems. In the case of an intranet, it could translate to hours
of lost time as employees become immersed in an unusable system,
when they are simply trying to locate a phone number.
Or in the case of an Internet service, the common design for credit
card numbers is to feature four sets of four numbers. When users type
in these numbers they often add a space between the sets. When companies
realise the amount of lost revenue by the user giving up during
a payment process can cost them, they are astounded. This can stretch
to millions.
In a recent study of online banking sites we found that users looking
for a telephone number to guide them through the NatWest site, were led
onto The Royal Bank of Scotland page, where the number they were
presented with was in fact Edinburgh based. We called this number
and were given a London number; they then directed us to the correct website help line.
In terms of wasted time, none of our users were willing to pursue the help line
hunt further than Edinburgh. Had they done so, they would have had the
combination of 2 national rate calls, an Internet bill and a great
deal of hair pulling.
When the basic rules that such research teaches us are applied
to the likes of Stepstone, Monster, and Total jobs or even off line recruiters
such as Reed or Manpower, it seems that there are those who recognise the
needs of their user and those who ignore them.
If Amazon is the benchmark of usability and scores a theoretical
9 out of 10, then UK jobsites score 4 or 5.
The cases for implementing usability guidelines on a recruitment
area of a website are quite glaring, our research has found that a number
of multinationals have highly unfriendly sites. Sites that deter some
of the best-qualified job applicants, as only the most persistent, or desperate,
will devote the required time to the application process.
Sion Mooney, a Recruitment Consultant well versed in usability
issues has said "the main barrier between an ideal candidate and your
company can very often be a cumbersome process in the online application. A thorough
test of the site irons out these problems and can increase enquiries by
around 500% so it certainly makes our job easier."
Return to
newsletter |
