Summary: Usability assesses the quality of how easily people can learn and use your product. It’s as important as a product being useful—a useful product or feature addresses a need, while a usable product or feature addresses that need in a way that’s intuitive and frictionless.
- Introduction
- Components of Usabity
- Measuring and Improving Usability
- Conclusion
Usability is essential for the success of any product, whether physical or digital. Frustrating products result in users abandoning them in favor of better options. No one wants to deal with an impossible-to-squeeze toothpaste tube or a website that never provides the right answers.
There are many individual factors that contribute to the usability of a product. In this article, we’ll narrow our focus on the five core components of usability for digital products, often remembered using the acronym LEMErS:
- Learnability
- Efficiency
- Memorability
- Errors
- Satisfaction
1. Learnability
Learnability refers to how easy it is for users to grasp how to use your product, particularly when they first encounter it. Key elements that contribute to good learnability include:
- Visibility & Feedback: Users should clearly see the results of their actions and receive appropriate feedback from the system.
- Mappings: Controls should relate naturally to their functions (for example, a volume slider going up and down).
- Affordances: Design elements should suggest how they can be used (a button looks clickable).
- Constraints: Options should be limited in a way that guides the user toward the correct action.
- Consistency: Similar actions and elements should work the same way throughout the design.
- Help & Documentation: Easily accessible help options ensure users don’t feel stuck.
2. Efficiency
Once users understand your product, efficiency is about how quickly they can do what they want to do. It involves making the experience smooth while still giving users the power they need. Elements important to efficiency include:
- Flexibility & Ease of Use: Offer different ways for users to accomplish tasks; tailor these options for beginners and power users.
- Aesthetic and minimalist design principles: Avoid unnecessary clutter, as too many options can be overwhelming.
3. Memorability
When users return to your product after a period away, how quickly can they regain proficiency? Good design lessens mental effort by making essential options, actions, and objects visible.
- Instructions: Instructions should be easy to locate when needed, rather than forcing users to memorize everything.
4. Errors
Everyone makes mistakes. Good usability means helping users identify, understand, and fix errors easily. Critical or irreversible errors should be prevented whenever possible.
- Plain Language Error Messages: Write error messages in clear, simple language that explains the problem and suggests how to fix it, avoiding technical jargon or blaming the user.
5. Satisfaction
How pleasant is it to use your product? While subjective, satisfaction is a vital part of usability. Many companies measure satisfaction through:
- Usability Testing: Observe how users feel as they interact with the product.
- Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): Survey customers about specific aspects of their experience.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): Gauge overall customer loyalty with questions like, “How likely are you to recommend this product?
1. Learnability
Learnability refers to how easy it is for users to grasp how to use your product, particularly when they first encounter it. Key elements that contribute to good learnability include:
- Visibility & Feedback: Users should clearly see the results of their actions and receive appropriate feedback from the system.
- Mappings: Controls should relate naturally to their functions (for example, a volume slider going up and down).
- Affordances: Design elements should suggest how they can be used (a button looks clickable).
- Constraints: Options should be limited in a way that guides the user toward the correct action.
- Consistency: Similar actions and elements should work the same way throughout the design.
- Help & Documentation: Easily accessible help options ensure users don’t feel stuck.
2. Efficiency
Once users understand your product, efficiency is about how quickly they can do what they want to do. It involves making the experience smooth while still giving users the power they need. Elements important to efficiency include:
- Flexibility & Ease of Use: Offer different ways for users to accomplish tasks; tailor these options for beginners and power users.
- Aesthetic and minimalist design principles: Avoid unnecessary clutter, as too many options can be overwhelming.
3. Memorability
When users return to your product after a period away, how quickly can they regain proficiency? Good design lessens mental effort by making essential options, actions, and objects visible.
- Instructions: Instructions should be easy to locate when needed, rather than forcing users to memorize everything.
4. Errors
Everyone makes mistakes. Good usability means helping users identify, understand, and fix errors easily. Critical or irreversible errors should be prevented whenever possible.
- Plain Language Error Messages: Write error messages in clear, simple language that explains the problem and suggests how to fix it, avoiding technical jargon or blaming the user.
5. Satisfaction
How pleasant is it to use your product? While subjective, satisfaction is a vital part of usability. Many companies measure satisfaction through:
- Usability Testing: Observe how users feel as they interact with the product.
- Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): Survey customers about specific aspects of their experience.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): Gauge overall customer loyalty with questions like, “How likely are you to recommend this product?
