Usability trunk test
Imagine that you’ve been bindfolded and locked insite a trunk of a car, then driven around for a while and dumped on a strange street. Could you look around the place and tell exactly where you are? If you ask your site users something like that while giving them a random link on your site, how would the answer be? Do you expect them to tell exactly where they are and what your site is about? If yes, firstly check if your have a user-friendly site by this simple but useful test.
Yeah it’s really simple. Pick a random page on your site (the deeper, the better) and answer these questions without hesitation:
1. What site is this?
This is the identification of your site, mostly showed by your logo.
2. What page I am on?
The name of the single page that you are seeing.
3. The major sections of this site?
This is what your site is about and how many kinds of things do you have on your site, mostly showed by your navigation.
4. What are my options at this level?
This is your subnavigations of this navigation level.
5. Where I am in the scheme of things?
This is the indicator that shows “you are here”.
6. How can I search?
Where’s your search box?
Answered all the questions easily? Great, you really can guide your users. Otherwise, make improvements on your site now.
Resource from book: “Don’t make me think” – Steve Krug, 2nd Edition
