Out of the trenches, into usability testing

It has become a clear realization that the success of any web site, business plan or product launch depends on usability.

Dictionary
usable |ˈyoōzəbəl| (also useable) adjective able or fit to be used : usable information. DERIVATIVES usability |ˌyoōzəˈbilətē| noun

Thesaurus
usability noun all of our office furniture is designed for usability ergonomics, ease of use, user-friendliness, accessibility, convenience, intuitiveness.

Artistic business professionals are constantly multi-tasking, gathering and sorting information, planning the next move. They are practicing techniques, embellishing what works, trashing what has no use. Precise composition, original content, useful functions and clear navigation are extremely important in implementing success in blogging for business.

Imagine: Out of the information trenches a multi-media journalist arises; confused, lost and overwhelmed by the possibilities of digital travel. It’s been a rough ride – at first there were tide pools, then a flood of information that changed everything. Where am I? What are my options? How can I get back on track? This time it was a handy book of common sense called “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug. The laws of usability created a path to acquiring the best composition, content and navigation, made possible by usability testing.

As artists, as business professionals, as web users, we have power and responsibility. We have the power to implement the ideas we feel strongly for, organize our plans, produce and host our content by utilizing tools. With the power of speech and visual imagery, we have the responsibility to tell the world what to eliminate, namely unnecessary functions, content and usability. When the tools don’t work as well as expected, we get frustrated, want to give up, start over or even just forget. By testing web sites that provide artists tools to build their business and talking about our experiences, we come closer to achieving our goals.

The moral of the story? Test your website, your neighbor’s, your work’s, your favorite social and professional networking sites, blog platforms, user groups, image hosting services, etc. and report back to this blog. By gathering, sharing and collaborating, we can explore our usability testing results and save time to make more art.

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