Weekend Assignment: Find problems with your Web site

Here’s something you can do to help your bottom line the next time you have a few minutes free. Yeah, yeah, I know, free time is hard to come by. But this will be worth it, I promise. Watching the Superbowl this weekend? You can do this during the commercials. Watching the commercials? Here’s something to do when the game is on!

You’re going to use one or more features of your own Web site. Look for anything that would confuse, annoy, or frustrate your customers. When we review sites we find the most amazing things: broken links, typos, confusing instructions, etc. It isn’t hard to find these things, but most companies don’t actively go looking for them.

You don’t have to be a Web design or development pro to do this. In fact, it’s better if you are not. Your site should be easy for regular folks to use, right? And don’t worry if you’re distracted by the game, you’ve had a beer or two, and the kids are tossing a football in the house – actual customers have to deal with those things when they visit your site, too. If you can find (and then fix) even a few areas where your site could do a better job, think of how many more customers will be happy with their visit!

Ready? Try one of these exercises on your own Web site, and take notes as you go:

• Sign up for your own email newsletter.
• Download a brochure or manual.
• Search for information using words normal people might use.
• Actually place an order for your product.
• Request information via your Contact form.
• Try anything else your site offers. Watch a video, download a podcast, send a greeting card…

Is it easy? Do you get a clear confirmation message? Are you told what to expect next? Does the newsletter, brochure, or product arrive as expected? Do you get helpful search results? Does someone get back to you with answers?

Any one of these tasks could reveal opportunities to make your site work better for your customers, and for your business, all from just a few minutes of easy work.

Another great thing to do is to watch while someone else tries to do these things. Next time we’ll tackle that one. Have a great weekend!

Tags: tips, user_experience