Usability and User Experience

Usability and User testing is the main focus on consumers and what they think about and need from certain products. Many things need to be considered in usability, such as the users ability to interact with a product, their limitations and their requirements.
There are many sites that expand on the importance of usability and user testing, such as; http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-experience.html
This site has it's own graphic giving a visual representation of the way key components of usability should should be put together.

The graphic above notes the things that appear to be most meaningful and valuable in user experience. This shows that the prooduct must be;

• Useful: Content should be completely original and fulfill the users need
  
• Usable: The product much be easy for the user to look at and use for their needs
• Desitable: Design elements in the final design much evoke emotion and appreciation, such as images. identity and branding
• Findable: The product must be easy to navigate, e.g, in terms of a website the content must be easy to find
• Accessible: Needs to be accessible to everyone including those with mental difficulties
• Credible: Product must be trustworthy

These headings are the main things i will have to make my site around. Another main theme surrounding UX is that of the idea of Human-computer interactions, this also comes with its own disciplines and considerations when working on those things that require strong usability;

• Project Management: focussing on the planning of the projects, specfically looking at its resources, working out time frames and efficient use of utilities
• User Research: looking directly at user behaviour in order to fully utilize site performance, specifically looking at motivations through observations
• Usability Evaluation: specifically looking at the way users can learn the site to achieve their intended outcome
• Information Architecture: look at how information is organised, structured and presented
• User Interface Design: Anticipate a users actions in order to display things in a structured and understandable way to help with ease of access
• Interaction Design: creating interactive sections with well designed and thought out behaviours
• Visual Design: Design an aesthetically pleasing interface that fits along side the branding
• Content Strategy: Dictate the content that should be created and displayed on the site, deciding how the site and its content is governed ands created
• Accessibility: Focus on how disabled people can access the site in a user friendly and well thought out manner
• Web Analytics: Look at web data, SEO and site traffic

All these things will need to be considered in the creation of my site, usability and user experience will be key things to keep in mind when compiling and displaying information.

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