Introduction to Usability

[Treehouse™] 0:00 [Business Bay: Island 2 - Stage 2: Usability Basics with Dan Gorgone] 0:03 What is this? Mike?! 0:07 I wonder what this does? 0:21 (alarm sounding) Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! That's not good. 0:23 (alarm sounding) Oh! Give me something-give me something! 0:32 Every 108 minutes enter these numbers to complete--complete what? 0:38 Oh, man! 4-8-15-42- [alarm stops]. 0:45 Okay. All right. 1:02 Man, that was weird! That's confusing too. 1:07 I mean, I found this computer, but there were no clues about what it was for 1:13 or why I should use it--and then suddenly everything started going crazy. 1:18 I tried to find help, 1:23 but the only directions I could find were incomplete and vague, at best. 1:26 Then, the solution didn't make any sense. 1:32 I'm still not sure I did this thing right or not. 1:35 What we have here is a system with really poor usability. 1:37 Usability refers to how easy it is for users to understand and use something. 1:42 When we're referring to website usability, 1:47 we're talking about how easy it is for them to understand the content, 1:49 use the interface and features, and find whatever it is they're looking for. 1:53 Usability is especially important for websites 1:57 because anything that interrupts the user's experience introduces a risk 2:01 that the user will become frustrated enough to leave. 2:05 Experiences on websites are generally not life or death situations, 2:09 but it can mean the demise of your company if users keep going to competitor's sites 2:13 that are easier to use, more efficient, and just plain work. 2:17 Understanding the basics of usability can allow you to create 2:21 all the website elements you need--from navigation to forms-- 2:25 and even content, while ensuring they'll be understood and work as intended. 2:29 Meanwhile, conducting simple tests throughout the development process 2:34 can allow you to weed out any usability problems from the very beginning-- 2:38 increasing the chances of creating a successful website. 2:41 By following usability principles, you'll be able to create a website 2:45 that your users understand, 2:49 and they'll be no mystery about the outcome when they use it. 2:51 Delivery for Dan. >> I didn't order--oh--right! 2:54 Okay, so that's what it does. All right. 3:03