{"id":6194,"date":"2019-03-17T12:32:05","date_gmt":"2019-03-17T17:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/juneux.com\/blog\/?p=6194"},"modified":"2019-09-29T22:33:31","modified_gmt":"2019-09-30T03:33:31","slug":"12-less-obvious-usability-issues-to-look-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juneux.com\/blog\/2019\/03\/12-less-obvious-usability-issues-to-look-for\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Less Obvious Usability Issues to Look For"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I often compare usability testing to juggling in the middle of a 3-ring circus\u2014there\u2019s a lot happening all at once and it\u2019s easy to miss (or misinterpret) what you\u2019re seeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a recent usability study, I noticed that a few participants stopped scrolling about halfway down the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, I assumed it was because they had either a) found all the information they needed, or b) hit their limit on reading (i.e., reader fatigue).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There seemed to be good information scent<\/a>\u2014so it wasn\u2019t until a tester mentioned reaching the \u201cbottom of the page\u201d did I look at the screen again with fresh eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"example<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The screen in question had 2 side-by-side CTAs in the middle of the page, but some testers interpreted that to mean the bottom<\/em> of the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12 Usability Issues to Watch Out For<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to whether or not participants can complete their tasks, look for the following content and design issues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scroll Stoppers
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Do users stop scrolling at a certain point on the screen? Are there any visual elements sending the wrong message about the user’s position on the screen? Is information scent<\/a> missing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poor Information Hierarchy
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Is content organized in the order participants expect? Does the most important or critical information seem to be prioritized first? Learn more about information hierarchy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Errors
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

What types of errors do participants encounter? Are they able to quickly self-correct or even prevent errors from happening in the first place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Banner Blindness
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Are there critical areas of the screen or product participants ignore, overlook, or don\u2019t use? Read more about banner blindness<\/a>\u2014users can be blind to other elements besides banner ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unintuitive Labels
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Do participants second guess themselves when choosing a path? Do they try multiple paths in order to find the right one? Do they skip over the obvious path because the label isn\u2019t intuitive or meaningful?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poor Readability
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Do users make the screen bigger or complain about the point size or font color? Do they ever put their glasses on (or take them off) to see certain parts of the screen, or move their face closer to the screen? Learn more about readability<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cognitive Overload
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Do participants use the back button to look at something again on a previous screen? Do they scroll up and down repeatedly over the same information? Or repeatedly toggle back and forth? Read more about cognitive load<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insufficient SIGNIFIER
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Are users not clicking on or not using certain interactive elements? Read more about signifiers<\/a>. (Or do you observe the opposite<\/em> problem\u2014are testers clicking on images, icons, or colored text that’s not clickable?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Different Mental Model
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Are users confused by what they\u2019re seeing or reading? Do they use the interface in unexpected ways? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poor Proximity
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Is content or information perceived to be missing\u2014even when it\u2019s not? Are users constantly scrolling up and down the same screen or having difficulty finding their next action? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reader Fatigue
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

While reading, do users sigh a lot or fidget? Does their tone of voice change to monotone or robotic? Do they sound bored? Do they quickly scroll past blocks of text? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small Touch Targets
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On touch screens, do users repeatedly tap on the same link or button before the page loads? Do users immediately click back and click something else in close proximity\u2014indicating they clicked the wrong thing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related Articles<\/h2>\n\n\n