What is Usability?

Usability refers to the quality of a user's experience when interacting with products or systems, including websites, software, devices, or applications. Usability is about effectiveness, efficiency, and the overall satisfaction of the user.

It is important to realize that usability is not a single, one-dimensional property of a product, system, or user interface. ‘Usability’ is a combination of factors including:

  • Intuitive design: a nearly effortless understanding of the architecture and navigation of the site
  • Ease of learning: how fast a user who has never seen the user interface before can accomplish basic tasks
  • Efficiency of use: How fast an experienced user can accomplish tasks
  • Memorability: after visiting the site, if a user can remember enough to use it effectively in future visits
  • Error frequency and severity: how often users make errors while using the system, how serious the errors are, and how users recover from the errors
  • Subjective satisfaction: If the user likes using the system