Web Test Dummy
Automating Web-Site Usability Testing With Agents
By Doug Carter
Measuring the effectiveness of Web sites is difficult. Webmasters can easily measure the number of visitors who download software or place an order. But what about the people who stop by a site and then go elsewhere? How much is the user's browsing experience a measure of the overall effectiveness of the site? In this article, we'll look at how a browsing agent can be used to automate the testing of a site's usability.
A recent Forrester Research (www.forrester.com) poll of 8600 online households asked participants to rank 12 Web-site characteristics that would drive a repeat visit (see
Table 1). At the top of the list were content, ease of use, quick downloading, and frequent updates. All other factors -- including incentives, favorite brands, and cutting-edge technology -- ranked low. The top characteristic, quality of content, is inherently subjective, but download speed and frequency of updates can be measured in an automated fashion. A new approach now seeks to bring objectivity to the evaluation of Web-site browsing experience and usability.
Until recently, measuring ease of use was the sole domain of specialists. Usability specialists within companies or Web-development agencies conducted tests with users to determine the type of browsing experience encountered. These measurements typically include evaluations run by small teams of professionals who take notes on subjective elements, such as ease of use, style, and content.
