{"id":19753,"date":"2025-04-28T10:00:30","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T09:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/then.agency\/articoli\/website-usability"},"modified":"2026-10-07T22:35:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T21:35:52","slug":"website-usability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/articoli\/website-usability","title":{"rendered":"Website usability: a complete guide with data and best practices"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In today&#8217;s digital world, <strong>website usability<\/strong> is one of the most critical variables in determining the success of an online experience. A well-designed site lets users find their way around effortlessly, quickly find what they are looking for and complete the desired actions naturally.<\/p>\n<p>Investing in usability is not an option, but a competitive imperative. In this article we analyze what usability is, why it is fundamental, how it is measured and above all how it can be optimized to improve the site&#8217;s performance and user satisfaction.<\/p>\n<h2>What website usability is<\/h2>\n<p>Usability is the measure of how easily a person can use a system to achieve a goal. According to the <strong>ISO 9241-11<\/strong> standard, an interface is usable if it allows the user to complete their tasks effectively, efficiently and satisfyingly.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/articles\/usability-101-introduction-to-usability\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jakob Nielsen<\/a>, one of the world&#8217;s leading UX experts, the five main attributes of usability are:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Learnability<\/strong> \u2013 how easy it is to learn to use the site.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Efficiency<\/strong> \u2013 how fast the interaction is once learned.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Memorability<\/strong> \u2013 how easy it is to remember how to use it after a period of inactivity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Error management<\/strong> \u2013 ease of preventing, recognizing and correcting errors.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Satisfaction<\/strong> \u2013 degree of pleasure in using the system.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Why website usability is strategic<\/h2>\n<p>The relevance of usability is directly reflected in fundamental KPIs: conversions, loyalty, retention, support costs and even organic ranking in search engines.<\/p>\n<p>A usable site:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reduces the <strong>abandonment rate<\/strong>. According to research by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/articles\/website-usability-guidelines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nielsen Norman Group<\/a>, the user takes less than 5 seconds to decide whether to stay or leave.<\/li>\n<li>Increases <strong>brand credibility<\/strong>. A smooth experience is perceived as a sign of professionalism.<\/li>\n<li>Improves the <a href=\"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/articoli\/customer-effort-score\"><strong>customer effort score (CES)<\/strong><\/a>, one of the fundamental metrics for customer experience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition, <strong>50% of users<\/strong> consider ease of navigation to be <a href=\"https:\/\/komarketing.com\/blog\/50-important-website-statistics-you-should-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the most important element of a website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>How to measure website usability<\/h2>\n<h3>Quantitative metrics<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Task success rate<\/strong>: percentage of users who correctly complete an activity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Time on task<\/strong>: average time required to complete it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Error rate<\/strong>: number and severity of errors made.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Click path<\/strong>: actual navigation path compared with the expected one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Qualitative metrics<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>SUS (System Usability Scale)<\/strong>: standardized post-task evaluation questionnaire.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Direct user feedback<\/strong>: collected through interviews or usability tests.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ethnographic observations<\/strong>: the user&#8217;s spontaneous behavior in a real context.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Tools such as <strong>usability tests<\/strong>, <strong>heatmaps<\/strong>, <strong>session recording<\/strong> and <strong>tree testing<\/strong> help detect behavior patterns and critical points.<\/p>\n<h2>Mistakes to avoid in web usability<\/h2>\n<p>Many sites, even those with polished graphics, fail at the fundamentals of usability. The most frequent mistakes include:<\/p>\n<h3>Unintuitive navigation<\/h3>\n<p>Disorganized menus, cryptic labels, lack of indication of where you are in the site structure.<\/p>\n<h3>Complex flows<\/h3>\n<p>Registration, purchase or contact paths with too many steps or useless requests that get in the way of action.<\/p>\n<h3>Ineffective microcopy<\/h3>\n<p>Unclear messages, generic button text, lack of feedback in interactions (e.g. &#8220;Send&#8221; without saying what is being sent).<\/p>\n<h3>Poor mobile optimization<\/h3>\n<p>Content that breaks, buttons too close together, interactions unsuited to touch.<\/p>\n<h2>Best practices for improving website usability<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Design for the user, not for the company<\/h3>\n<p>Avoid structuring the site according to the internal org chart. Start from users&#8217; needs and mental models, using techniques such as <strong>user research<\/strong>, <strong>card sorting<\/strong> and <strong>customer journey mapping<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Reduce cognitive load<\/h3>\n<p>Every decision the user has to make takes effort. Simplify, segment content, use familiar patterns. <strong>Hick&#8217;s<\/strong> principle shows that the more choices a user has, the longer they take to decide.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Guide attention with visual hierarchy<\/h3>\n<p>Headings, subheadings, buttons and spacing should be used to create a logical, consistent visual structure.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Offer constant feedback<\/h3>\n<p>Every user action must have a visual or textual response: loading, confirmations, errors. It is one of the ten heuristic principles defined by Nielsen: &#8220;Visibility of system status&#8221;.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Test iteratively<\/h3>\n<p>Do not wait for the final version to test. Every project phase must include <a href=\"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/articoli\/usability-test\"><strong>usability tests<\/strong><\/a>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/articles\/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">even 5 real users are enough<\/a> to discover most of the critical problems.<\/p>\n<h2>Then&#8217;s approach to usability<\/h2>\n<p>Then adopts a structured, multidisciplinary method for improving the usability of digital products. Our activities include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>UX Research<\/strong>: to validate the needs and expectations of real users.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Expert Review<\/strong>: analyses carried out by experts to identify the most impactful problems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Usability Test<\/strong>: in person or remote, with target users.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wireframing and UI Design<\/strong>: designing interfaces oriented to ease of use.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Design System<\/strong>: to ensure consistency, accessibility and scalability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In all our projects usability is treated as <strong>a strategic element<\/strong>, which affects the entire brand experience and business results.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusions<\/h2>\n<p>A website must not only work: it must <strong>work for people<\/strong>. Usability is what turns a casual interaction into a lasting relationship.<\/p>\n<p>It is what separates a frustrating experience from a smooth one.<br \/>A cost from an opportunity.<br \/>A bounce from a conversion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you want to improve your site&#8217;s usability and offer experiences that generate value? <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/book-a-call\">Contact us<\/a>: our team is ready to support you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What it is, why it is strategic and how to measure it with quantitative and qualitative metrics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":18106,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Website usability: what it is and how it is measured","rank_math_description":"What website usability means, which problems it creates when it is missing and with which methods and metrics it is assessed.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"website usability","fonti_articolo":"<ul>\n<li data-start=\"120\" data-end=\"345\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/articles\/usability-101-introduction-to-usability\/\">Nielsen Norman Group, \"Usability 101: Introduction to Usability\"<\/a><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"120\" data-end=\"345\"><a href=\"https:\/\/komarketing.com\/blog\/50-important-website-statistics-you-should-know\/\">KoMarketing, \"50+ Statistics to Know for B2B Marketing\"<\/a><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"120\" data-end=\"345\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/articles\/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users\/\">Nielsen Norman Group, \"Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users\"<\/a><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"120\" data-end=\"345\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/articles\/website-usability-guidelines\/\">Nielsen Norman Group, \"Website Usability Guidelines\"<\/a><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"120\" data-end=\"345\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.interaction-design.org\/literature\/article\/usability-how-to-determine-the-user-s-needs\">Interaction Design Foundation, \"Usability: How to Determine the User\u2019s Needs\"<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","riassunto":"<p>An interface is usable when it lets you complete a task effectively, efficiently and satisfyingly. So says the ISO 9241-11 standard, and it remains the most solid reference.<\/p>\n<p>How it is measured in practice, with quantitative metrics on one side, times and errors, and qualitative signals on the other.<\/p>\n<p>The mistakes that compromise a site's usability, from unintuitive navigation to convoluted flows, and the practices to fix them: reducing cognitive load and guiding attention with visual hierarchy.<\/p>","footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ux-and-ui-design"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/then.agency\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}