How do we get answers? Our clients find that they are inundated with data but very little of it can actually be used to help make critical web development decisions. Web analytics only tell part of the story.  Knowing how many people are visiting a page doesn't tell you if that page is clearly communicating important information to its viewers. Isn't it time you get answers to questions like these... Does my site help visitors meet their needs and objectives? Can users find what they are looking for? Is what they find useful or helpful? How satisfied are users with how various site functions work? Where and why are users abandoning a process? What causes frustrations to site visitors? How do those frustrations impact their decisions to revisit, recommend, or make purchases? How does my site stack up to competitive sites? What site improvements are most important to my target audiences? Depending upon the project requirements, 9am Solutions will help our clients determine the right methodology and the appropriate technology to deploy. Because we are not a technology vendor nor are we a traditional market research firm, we are not married to a particular way of doing things.  Instead we offer our clients options!     Methodologies used at 9am Solutions 9am Solutions believes in utilizing the best methodology based on the objectives of a project. Our consultants have experience in conducting traditional usability studies as well as expertise in using the latest technologies for online web site evaluations.   Our consultants routinely use the following mix of approaches in getting you answers:   In-lab/in-person methodology – This traditional research methodology brings users into a lab in order to ask participants questions or to watch how participants interact with a web site.  This type of research allows for the most flexible questioning of participants, and can probe deep within a topic. Important body language can be observed and unexpected responses can be investigated. This type of study is ideal for concept testing, information architecture testing (card sorts), usability of site features/functions. Sample sizes of 4 to 20 are adequate for this type of research.   Online methodology – This well accepted approach allows large sample sizes to be used in a wide range of studies. Typically, hundreds or thousands of users are asked to participate via the internet. Testers interact with the study and the web site from their natural environment. Participants may be asked market research questions, and/or taken to a live site to accomplish real-world tasks. The technology behind this type of approach is key in monitoring the participant’s responses including navigation paths, number of clicks, time per task, as well as any variety of ratings questions that measure frustrations, ease of use, and satisfaction. The online approach can also be easily used for pure market research projects such as satisfaction surveys, opinion polling, and questionnaires. *********** ****************** ******************* ****************** ******************* ****************** ******** Expert methodology – There are many projects that can be accomplished with the input or review of an “Expert” consultant or analyst or a small panel of experts. Projects utilizing an expert may include heuristic site reviews, analysis of online market segmentation, information architecture reviews, and strategy reviews.     Traditional Usability versus Online Methodology The decision to conduct a project using traditional methods or an online method will largely depend on what answers you are looking for. The in-person methodology is appropriate for usability-oriented type questions. However, traditional usability tests do not provide sufficient sample sizes to reliably measure (i.e. margin of error) subjective responses and ratings.  Due to its significantly larger sample sizes, an online methodology can capture all of the usability issues as well as reliably quantify responses of a more subjective nature, all based in the context of a customer using a particular web site.   The following table may help determine which method is the right method for your project:   Measurements & Capabilities Online Methodology Usability Labs User Intent     Who is coming to my site? X   What do visitors want to do when they get there? X   What is important to site visitors? X   What are user expectations of the site? X   User Behavior (Quantitative Data)     Where are they going on the site? X X What features/functionality are they using? X X Is a tool/feature usable? X X Is a tool/feature useful or valuable to site visitors? X   Which tools/features do users find most helpful or important? X   How long are they spending on the site? X X How long does it take to complete their objectives? X X How differently do users from different geographic regions or countries behave? X Expensive to accomplish Impact on Users (Qualitative Data)     What do users think about the site? X   What do users think about the company or brand? X   Is the site meeting user expectations? X   Will they come back to the site? X   Will they refer someone to the site? X   Is the content clear and understandable? X   Do users have enough information to make a decision? X   User Performance     Are users successful in accomplishing their goals on the site? X X Can site visitors find what they are looking for? X X Is it easy or intuitive for users to find what they are looking for? X X What barriers prevent users from accomplishing their goals? X X Corporate/Marketing Goals & Strategy     Do users understand the intent of the site? X   Does the site convey key marketing messages? X   Does the site support company goals and objectives? X   Is the online presence consistent with the company's offline presence? X   Other     Cost effective for longitudinal studies X   Minimal cost for larger sample sizes X   Intercept people as they browse a web site X   Avoids moderator / lab setting bias X   View facial expressions and other non-verbal cues   X Flexibility in questioning   X