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Understanding the basics of usability can allow you to understand how all the website elements you need - from navigation to forms and even content - work together while ensuring they will be understood and provide a means for users to accomplish their goals.
[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.
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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
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