{Interactive Web Design Blog}

Usabilla is a usability design application that us web design students up here at Capilano University often use in the early stages of development. You can use the software for free, or you can pay which will unlock some extra features.

Usabilla allows you to sign up for an account and then take up to 5 screen shots for one free usability test. You upload the screen shots, and then specify the questions you want to ask your user group. There are standard usability questions provided or you have the option to create custom questions. Once you have created your test,  you simply send it off to a maximum of 25 users (free account), and wait for the feed back.

As the users complete the usability test the results filter back to you in real time. As a web design student and a usability enthusiast I must admit that for me, this was the most exciting part of the process.

I am currently working on an unofficial Craigslist redesign. I was interested to see how the users would answer my questions, and if my original assumptions were correct. The information I got back was extremely valuable because I was able to get direct feedback from 14 people within 1 day of posting the test. Under normal circumstances that would have cost me 14 conversations and a ton of time in carrying out each survey individually.

The results of the test show hotspot areas where the users clicked – highest amount of clicks are indicated in red and the lowest are blue. This gives you a direct idea of what the users found important or unimportant on the webpage. In the context of this craigslist re-deign it allowed me to see which items should receive more attention and which items should be completely removed from the main page.

This software is simple and easy to use. I found it to be the perfect solution to my minor usability re-design questions. I recommend you give it a try the next time you are interested in testing some designs before coding, or before conducting a full re-design on an existing site… the results may surprise you!

Check out http://www.usabilla.com for more information. Don’t forget to check out the INTE Labs website http://www.capilanou.ca/programs/interactive-design.html for more information on Vancouver’s best Interactive Design program at Capilano University in North Vancouver.

8 Comments »