Usability is associated with the ease of use of a system.
Usability is a word that does not make up the official dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) . However, it is very common within the field of computing as well as technology . The concept comes from the English usability and refers to the ease with which a user can use a tool manufactured by other people in order to achieve a certain objective.
Even more specifically, we can determine that one of the basic principles that must be followed when designing and creating a website so that it enjoys the best usability is to think about the user. That is, it has to be made up of and for the user.
Usability Features
Usability is linked, therefore, 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 advantage of its full potential.
For example: A computer may be very technically advanced but difficult for the average user to use. Therefore, beyond its potential to develop 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 therefore deficient. The degree of usability is measured from empirical tests (with field work among multiple users) and relative tests (comparison with similar systems).
Usability makes a device useful.
The 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. It is a word that refers to the ability of any information to be found and recovered.
This recoverability must be emphasized that it is determined, unquestionably, by issues such as the promotion that has been carried out of the aforementioned information through the Internet (advertising banners, emails, notifications on social networks, contests...) or the positioning of it in search engines.
Starting from these premises is how we understand the close relationship that exists between findability and usability. And 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 to access a tool by people with disabilities .
In addition to all of the above, it must be emphasized that anyone who has doubts about the usability of their web space has various tools at their disposal to analyze it. Specifically, it is recommended to test certain users and hire professionals who are experts in the field or visual tracking systems.