Usability is associated with the ease of use of a system.
Usability is a term that is not included in the official dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) . However, it is very common in the field of computing as well as technology . The concept comes from the English word usability and refers to the ease with which a user can use a tool made by other people in order to achieve a certain objective.
More specifically, we can determine that one of the basic principles that must be followed when designing and creating a website for it to have the best usability is to think about the user. That is, it must be designed by and for the user.
Usability Features
Usability is therefore linked to simplicity, ease, comfort and practicality. In other words, the notion is related to the perceived effectiveness of an object and the possibility of taking full advantage of its potential.
For example, a computer may be very technically advanced but difficult to use for the average user. Therefore, beyond its potential to perform complex tasks, it is not a useful machine due to its poor usability.
For usability to exist, the human-system interaction must be clear and simple. If there are deficiencies in both the material and the logical or virtual aspects, usability will be compromised.
Usability holds that if the system in question cannot be used by the user to its full potential, it is not useful and is therefore deficient. The degree of usability is measured by empirical testing (with field work among multiple users) and relative testing (comparison with similar systems).
Usability makes a device useful.
Recoverability
One of the concepts or terms that is closely related to the one we are now dealing with is what is known in English as findability ; that is, recoverability. This is a word that refers to the capacity of any information to be found and recovered.
It should be noted that this recoverability is determined, unquestionably, by issues such as the promotion that has been carried out on the Internet (advertising banners, emails, notifications on social networks, contests, etc.) or its positioning in search engines.
It is on these premises that we understand the close relationship between findability and usability. The simpler it is for the user to navigate the Internet, the easier it will be to find and retrieve the information that is inserted in said web space.
Usability and accessibility
Another term linked to usability is accessibility , which refers to the ability of people with disabilities to access a tool.
In addition to all of the above, it should be noted that anyone who has doubts about the usability of their website has various tools at their disposal to analyse it. Specifically, it is recommended to carry out tests on certain users and to hire professionals who are experts in the field or in visual monitoring systems.