Mia Krysa

Tag: ux

  • Using the System Usability Test to Guide Your Website’s Design

    Have you ever been on a website that has limited usability? Maybe the navigation center is messy, the information is inconsistent, or the website is just plain horrible. With these types of websites in mind, designers had to come up with a standard to hold websites to during the design process. So, they created a test, called the System Usability Test, to achieve more consistency in website design and help others to understand where their websites can improve.

    What is the System Usability Test (SUS)?

    The SUS test was created in 1986 by John Brooke to give a global view on subjective elements of usability. This ten-statement test has become a standard when evaluating usability among websites. Users are given the ten-statement test, and are then asked to rate how much they agree with each statement on a scale from 1-5, exactly like the example shown below.

    At the end, each user will receive a score for each statement, which will then be added up to get one final number. The final score will range from 0-100, depending on the usability of the website. I’ll get back to how the scoring works in a minute—this was just a quick overview.

    The Ten Statements of the SUS Test

    The ten statements of the SUS test can be found online with a simple Google search. The great thing about using this method to gather data is that it’s relatively easy and it’s free. Researchers can tweak the questions if needed, but generally, an SUS test will look like this:

    1. “I think that I would like to use this system frequently.”
    2. “I found the system unnecessarily complex.”
    3. “I thought the system was easy to use.”
    4. “I think that I would need the support of a technical person to be able to use this system.”
    5. “I found the various functions in this system were well integrated.”
    6. “I thought there was too much inconsistency in this system.”
    7. “I would imagine that most people would learn to use this system very quickly.”
    8. “I found the system very cumbersome to use.”
    9. “I felt very confident using the system.”
    10. “I needed to learn a lot of things before I could get going with this system.”

    Each user will go through each statement and rate them on a Likert scale from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree”.

    Adding Up Your Score

    This is where it gets a little tricky.

    • For each odd-numbered statement, subtract 1 from the user’s response.
    • For each even-numbered statement, subtract the response from 5.

    Here’s an example:

    1. “I think that I would like to use this system frequently.” User rating: 5

    User rating – 1 = odd-numbered statement score

    5 – 1 = 4

    2. “I found the system unnecessarily complex.” User rating: 3

    5 – user response = even-numbered statement score

    5 – 3 = 2

    Repeat this process for each question, then add up each score. After that, we have to normalize the score by multiplying the sum by 2.5. That is your usability score. If you’re a visual learner, see below.

    The higher the score the better the usability. “Typically, a score above 70 is a good one, while one that’s over 85 is excellent” (Soegaard, 2024). Anything less than around 60, probably needs to revamp their website immediately. The pain points of each website can be highlighted in the results of the test.

    When should I use the SUS test?

    The SUS test works best for recording data related to the usability of a website or app. It should be given to around 50-60 users to get the most reliable result. It’s a cheap, effective, and relatively quick way to see where your website lands with usability. Designers can use it as a first-time test to figure out the baseline usability sore of their website, or use it to compare different versions of the same website for usability. The lower the score, the more urgency!

    References:

    Soegaard, M. (2024, November 19). System Usability Scale for Data-Driven UX. Interaction Design Foundation – IxDF. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/system-usability-scale

  • Where First Impressions Matter: The Five-Second Test in UX Design

    by UXtweak

    There are countless methods and techniques in the UX design process. And no method is right or wrong—it all depends on how you want to refine or change your design to achieve the best result. In my journey of learning more about user-centered design, I decided I wanted to research a method that caught my eye: the Five-Second Test.

    What’s the Five-Second Test?

    Research shows that users make decisions very quickly. The five-second test is a method used in UX design to test people’s first impressions. Five-second testing is used to collect qualitative data about a user’s first reaction (Maze.co, 2024). The design process isn’t linear, so prototypes are often made, tested, then changed, then tested again… and first impressions help refine prototypes based on what the user wants.

    When using the five-second test, users are shown whatever is being designed for just 5 seconds, and then the image or product is taken away. Then, users are asked questions in a survey that relates to their first impressions of the design.

    Some of these survey questions might be:

    • Can you remember the company(s)/product name?
    • What elements of the design stand out?
    • What message did you take away from the design/product?
    • What part of the design/product did you notice first?
    • What don’t you like about the design?

    Then, change your prototype based off of your targeted user’s response.

    by UXtweak

    Why 5 seconds?

    You may have heard that people visit a website for just 10-15 seconds before deciding if they want to continue scrolling. This isn’t surprising, as short-from content began taking over since Youtube and more recently, TikTok and Instagram reels. According to research, 5 seconds is the perfect amount of time to form a first impression, without the impression deviating from the user’s actual genuine impression (Kuric, 2023). Once you’ve passed the 5 second mark, “the participant’s perspective becomes more analytical and less task-driven. The five-second test lets you avoid overtly speculative feedback that nobody would give you under normal circumstances” (Kuric, 2023).

    The five-second method would not be appropriate for instances where you want the user to use your product or try to interact with your design, as it simply doesn’t offer enough time. It’s for first impressions only.

    When should I use this method?

    I thought it might be helpful to use some examples of studies or designs that were done using the five-second method, but I couldn’t find many designers or companies who shared the results of their experience with it. However, it’s best to use the five-second method when you’re testing out pages on a website, advertisements or app interfaces.

    Next time you’re scrolling on your phone or see an advertisement, test out the five-second method with yourself. See what elements of a design or ad you remember after 5 seconds, and research whether or not it was in the brand’s best interest.