Usability and User Experience

As the cost of acquiring traffic continues to grow, more website owners see usability as a key value generator.

This course aims to give a solid foundation to this wide-ranging subject through case studies taken from ecommerce and non-commercial websites as well as hands-on experience through workshops on the key principles.

The course will help you understand the standards (eg. ISO 13407) and commercial benefits of usability, how to overcome common barriers and how to calculate the revenue impact of usability. We look in detail at usability design principles in the design of navigation (and card sorting techniques), homepages, page layout, forms and error messages, and how usability is involved in merchandising, checkout and persuasion architecture, as well as the future of usability in Web 2.0 sites and human-centred design processes for interactive systems.

Working through the usability lifecycle, you’ll discover practical usability methods including persona and scenario creation, rapid prototyping, creating usability metrics. You’ll also take part in a workshop applying informal usability assessment and testing methods.

Key learning outcomes

• Understand the role and benefits of usability as part of an overall ecommerce success strategy
• Core usability principles explained and demonstrated through practical examples
• Profitable tips for merchandising and selling online, from the home page to the checkout
• Introduction to user-centred design methods that can be applied during your site development