How UX Screenings Improve The Usability Of Websites & Software

A UX screening can be used to determine whether the website or the customer-side software of a company meets the customer’s requirements. UX expert Adrian Stern explains what that is, how it works, and what it brings. Today, users place high demands on the web presence of companies and their online shops:

1. The information must be easy to find.
2. Problems must be solved quickly.
3. Products must be easy to order.

Companies that do not live up to these expectations risk losing many customers. The UX screening – UX stands for user experience – tests and determines the extent to which companies with their website, online shops, or other digital solutions meet the requirements and expectations of their respective target groups.

The focus is on the customer’s most satisfactory experience with digital products. In other words: the website or the online shop should have all the necessary information and be intuitive. Users should get the information they are looking for as quickly and easily as possible and be able to find and order products as easily as possible. The users want to solve their concerns uncomplicatedly without messing around with the system to solve their problems.

How Does UX Screening Work?

In a UX screening, a UX specialist puts himself in the user’s role and reviews the digital solution based on a task. The target group must therefore be determined and a use case defined beforehand. With the help of design thinking, a systematic method that focuses on the user, so-called personas can be created – prototypes of a defined user group. Personas answer questions like Which target group do the users belong to? 

With what problem and expectations do they approach the company and its digital solution?  On this basis, the UX screening can determine whether the website, the online shop, or the employee software suits this target group and supports them in their tasks and goals in the best possible way. Based on a defined use case, the UX specialist uses the system to be tested himself – through the eyes of the users and customers. 

A Typical Use Case: Searching For And Ordering Items

A typical use case is, for example, when a customer searches for an item using a search engine. In the search results, he should come across the company website or the online shop as quickly as possible. The customer must find the right item and relevant product information quickly and easily in the online shop. Ideally, the size of the product and the quantity are easy to select, the price and availability are immediately visible, and the button to add the item to the shopping cart is prominently placed. 

On the way to the order – in the so-called checkout – the forms must be self-explanatory and simple. Preferred payment and delivery methods are available and can be selected. Once the order has been completed, the customer should finally receive an order confirmation with information about what he has ordered, when the item will be delivered, and what other services this online shop offers. In addition, the customer must be given the feeling that their data is being used confidentially and that the order was a good decision – there must be no “buying regrets.”

Evaluate Web Presence In Terms Of Usability

Regarding usability (user-friendliness), UX specialists then evaluate the digital solution according to the following criteria:

1. Are the structure and content of the website understandable?
2. Is the representation consistent with the design rules? For example, do the buttons and links match in shape and color on all subpages?
3. Can the solution be used smoothly on different end devices, i.e., is there a desktop, tablet, and mobile version?
4. Is the interaction with the system understandable and in line with expectations? For example, does the user understand what will happen if they click a certain button?
5. Is the operation intuitive as well as quick and easy?
6. Are the necessary functions available? For example, is there a picture gallery and a visible shopping cart button?
7. Is important information about availability, delivery, and payment provided? For example, is an item currently available, and can it be delivered directly? When is the expected delivery, and what are the costs for the customer?

Based on these questions, UX specialists check whether the interaction between the user and system is impaired and to what extent it can be optimized. They work with best practices learned, many years of experience, and the users’ mental models. Mental models describe the users’ working memory.

They can be used to determine what a system should look like so that users can get along well. They consider what the users have already learned, for example, the menu structure they are used to. As users seek the path of least resistance, digital solutions must align with the habits of their users. 

A Standardized Decision Tree Reveals Problems

The UX screening does not provide absolute performance data (Key Performance Indicators, KPIs) or key figures but prioritized documentation. UX specialists check the digital solution and identify weaknesses using a standardized decision tree. One question, for example, is the user’s ability to complete the task severely impaired?

The answer no would be ideal. Next, that question follows: Is the problem hard to work around? Another question follows this: Does the problem occur frequently? If every question was answered yes, this UX vulnerability is rated a critical problem. If every question is answered with no, it is a small problem that hardly affects the use. UX screenings help generate more satisfied customers who stay with you in the long term and are happy to return.

Their UX screening immediately provides suggestions for solutions to the existing problems – and prioritizes them. In any case, consult the expertise of UX specialists early and involve them in the development process instead of having them test the finished product first. This helps to prevent bad investments.

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