Usability checklist: 13 usability criteria for successful websites

A quick quality check is no substitute for a thorough usability test. Answering the questions in our usability checklist can, however, quickly give you initial pointers as to whether your website needs optimisation in terms of user-friendliness – and which measures promise the greatest potential for improvement.
You can either answer the following questions yourself or – even better – ask someone neutral who is seeing your website for the first time.

Brand and design

There's no second chance for a first impression. That applies to websites too. Logo, colours, fonts, surfaces, icons, animations – everything should immediately convey to users where they are and who the provider is. Already within the first seconds, users intuitively decide whether they can trust an online offering or not. 

1. Is it clear to users within 5 seconds what the website is about?

2. Does the website look appealing and up to date compared to competitors?

3. Does the website's design align with your corporate design?

User experience comprises the perceptions, feelings and reactions that users have when using a service or product. Waiting times and confusing situations must be avoided if the quality of the user experience is to be high.

4. Does homepage load within few seconds?

5. Is the navigation intuitive and easy to understand?

6. Are links designed so users immediately know where they lead?

Good design is not an end in itself. A beautiful and intuitive user interface is only worthwhile if it enables access to relevant content. It is important that content appears in search engine results pages and is prepared in a way that lets users grasp and interact with it easily.

7. Is the website findable on Google under the most important keywords?

8. Is text error-free and clearly structured?

9. Is content current and linked with social media?

10. Are there inviting contact and interaction options?

Your website is accessed from a wide variety of devices. You should ensure that all users have a smooth experience with your online offering. 

11. Is your website easy to use on all devices (desktop, tablet, smartphone)?

12. Can editors manage and maintain content easily?

13. Are tools such as full-text search present and working correctly?

If you've answered one or more of these questions with "no", there is optimisation potential on your corporate website and you should take action. You can also save and print our short quality check as a PDF.

Have questions about your quality check results or your website? We're happy to help - just get in touch with us.