Web is a specific interactive system which is in a wide range of application areas, but there are with different degrees of usability problems. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a design method for Web usability. Based on the theory of user centered design (UCD) and usability engineering principles, Web usability design includes three aspects: user research, Web design, and Web evaluation. User research focuses on target users, and researches user's goal, behavior and views by user modeling based on personas. Web design focuses on information architecture design, readability design, search design and page design to design the self-described Web user interface with high-usability. Web evaluation is a measuring means for iterative process of Web usability design. The method will be a guideline to design and improve Web usability for designers.
Web is hailed as one of the greatest inventions in the twentieth century, and its rapid development not only provides unprecedented convenience channels for global communications, but also affects all aspects of human life. Most websites are ever growing, evolving collections of information and services.These information and services have been a large number of applications in the office, business management, shopping, and entertainment etc. They provide much wider opportunities for businesses and much richer services for users. At the same time, Web is a complex information environment, and a specific human-machine interactive interface. Compared to the traditional software interface, Web interface is back at least 10 years . As using Web, users find it difficult to learn, complex to operate, or not easy to understand. According to Jakob Nielsenÿs studies, websites are with different degrees of website usability problems generally. If the user isn’t satisfied with it at the first visiting, 40% of users will not visit the site again. Thus, the usability problems of websites have broad universality and severity, and will have a negative impact on websites’ development. Therefore, in Web time, to achieve the purpose of the site, it should allow users to feel good usability. Web usability has moved from a “nice to have” to a “must have” . We must find ways to reduce usability problems, and design high-usability website.
In Internet time, Web-based applications are to interact with users through the Web user interface in Internet. Web interface is a specific human-machine interface based on Internet technology, and Web is a special interactive system in the Internet environment. Web usability engineering is that principles and techniques of the usability engineering are applied to Web design, so that Web designers construct user-centric website rather than the technology-centric website, who should focus on its user, rather than the computer's input and output. That is, Web design is changed from technology-driven to user-driven. Web interface design is developed from the graphical user interface (GUI) design about software based on screen, and the design to following the same design fundamentals of other. That is Web design must directly face “users with the specific needs”, and must ensure that users are pleasant to successfully complete tasks with Web.
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