Design / Usability

A User Experience Toolkit to Get Higher Conversions Todd Follansbee , WebMarketingResources.net - Nov 22, 2010

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Improving site results is the prime focus of a User Experience (UX) consultant. I've used a variety of tools to accomplish this over the past 12 years.

The User Experience industry has come a long way from the early days when our main tools were a notepad and -- occasionally a video camera. In this article I'll list the key tools I use on a day-to-day basis and explain how and why each one is used. Most offer free trials, so you can discover what works best for you. I'll also mention low cost alternatives for each tool. As an "early adopter," I'm quick to test new tools; this list, however, enumerates what I find productive, not a overview everything that is available.

A User Experience consultant employs tools for three main tasks.

1. Analysis and review
   • Identify the barriers to conversion by checking for guideline compliance.
   • Establish a starting point (baseline) of current site performance.
2. Collaborate and Redesign
   • Review barriers and collaborate with clients/team members to develop solutions.
   • Implement solutions online.
3. Test and Refine
   • Determine which elements are working and which are not.
   • Refine or improve the weak points and retest.

Analysis and Review

Analysis and review starts by checking to see how the site complies with accepted User Experience Guidelines. You can download a free list of guidelines in a question and answer format. A web search reveals an assortment of guidelines, but many are either too simplistic or overly technical.

As you review your site using the guidelines, it helps to save screen captures of problems you discover. I use a screen capture tool called Techsmith SnagIt ($49.95, 30-day free trial available). The Windows Print Screen feature is free, but SnagIt does such a great job that I gladly spend the money.

Another Techsmith tool is Camtasia Studio ($299, 30-day free trial), which makes a video screen recording of a multipage site experience and, like SnagIt, allows for notations and narration. I use this to record a conversion path from a landing page to a confirmation page, as well as capture my impressions of the experience. Windows Media Encoder is free but limited. As you visit other sites, you can use SnagIt and Camtasia to record examples of successful site practices and begin to build your own "best practices library."

You'll want to establish a baseline of performance consisting of screen captures and videos of important site elements before making any changes. Also document Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) about current site traffic, such as new and returning visits, conversion rates, traffic sources, bounce rates, key page views, and more. Focus on your key site objectives, such as product sales, lead generation, downloads, signups, new members, etc.

Google Analytics is an essential free analytics tool. I supplement it with ClickTale (free limited version, plans from $99/mo.) and now insist on it for every new site I work on. It records individual visits, provides advanced analytics for forms a visitor fills out, and provides conversion funnel reviews in some detail. I also can examine multiple visits by the same visitor, see where visitors focus attention, measure scroll reach and mouse movements, share these video, and much more. Google Analytics and ClickTale combine to deliver valuable insights into how visitors experience your site. You'll want to download and save representative ClickTale videos at the start for your baseline analysis.

Next, I apply what I learn from analytics (such as "conversion rate") and business data (such as "average sale") to learn the dollar value of a visit, a signup, a lead, or a conversion/sale. Then I use a cost justification tool to determine if the cost of implementing a recommended solution will produce a positive ROI. Using dollar values based on your Key Performance Indicators is a great way to make changes understandable to all stakeholders. Be sure to build credibility by using very conservative dollar estimates, however. Dr. Deborah Mayhew offers the best (free) Cost Justification Tool.

2. Collaborate and Redesign Work

You may need to work with a combination of graphic designers, coders, and content writers to build solutions. I always design solutions (that is, treatments for problems that become apparent) before they go to code and online implementation. The ability to make quick and easy changes encourages creative brainstorming that results in higher conversions and a better user experience at launch. The following tools make the collaboration and change process as easy as possible.

My design tools include the capture tools mentioned earlier, as well as Microsoft Visio for diagramming, as well as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Adobe Photoshop. Each has its advantages. I find myself going back and forth between them depending upon the project, but my recommendation is to use whatever tool you're most comfortable with. I keep coming back to Visio because it helps me produce quality work efficiently. Before buying a costly and sophisticated tool, however, get your feet wet with the capture tools and one of the options above. Photoshop is expensive, but you might try Adobe Photoshop Elements, a powerful version of Photoshop designed for non-professionals. You can find free photo creation tools that are native to Windows or are included with digital camera or printer packages.

To facilitate collaboration between remote parties, I've used a combination of conference calling and screen sharing tools. I like FreeConference.com, because it has been reliable and integrates easily with Office Outlook. Skype is another I am looking at.

When discussing designs and sites, screen sharing eliminates the need for passing files and lets us share all solutions no matter what tool I've used to build them. More importantly, I can often integrate group suggestions instantly on screen. Screen sharing typically costs a nominal amount, but many services offer free trials. Another approach is to upload solutions to a website which team members can view online, that is, image files, not necessarily web pages. You can also distribute all files via e-mail (PDFs work well) and use free conference calling to discuss them. I prefer controlling the discussions by screen sharing; it is efficient, much less cumbersome, and keeps the team focused on the right pages.

When it's time to implement the solutions online, I leave the choice of web development tools to the web developer. Unfortunately, I have not found any template-based sites that meet enough basic User Experience guidelines to be acceptable. Take the time to present your site developer with page treatments, including a set of User Experience guidelines. Then insist that the delivered product meets those guidelines. This way you can expect to launch a usable site.

3. Test and Refine

Ongoing testing and improvement is key to optimizing site conversions. The two testing approaches I use are (1) analytics and (2) direct user testing. We use analytics initially to compare how our design solutions work compared with the baseline KPIs we recorded earlier. Then we use direct user testing to identify opportunities to further improve the site. Finally, we check the analytics again to see if these refinements have been successful.

In addition to recording KPIs, I use analytics for comparative testing, also known as A/B testing. If there is sufficient site traffic, Google Website Optimizer can test multiple elements on the same page. ClickTale allows you to watch visitor reactions to different versions of the same page, which helps you understand why one treatment is more effective than another. Consider saving videos and traffic reports in your library for future reference.

Direct user testing, that is, observing how actual target customers interact with a website, is still the best way to understand a site's persuasiveness and to refine your understanding of the emotional responses of the customer. Buying is more of an emotional decision than a logical decision. Until you understand the visitor mindset and address these emotional elements, you can't fully optimize your sales process.

Observe how target customers respond on both your site and a competitor's site. Then carefully probe for understanding to reveal the whys and hows of their decision-making.

Techsmith's Morae is our choice for recording direct user testing sessons. At $1,495 it's pricey, though Techsmith provides a free trial and excellent support. Morae's great strength is in the detailed data it captures (time on task, keystrokes, facial reactions, and task success and failure). One way to get a low cost feel for the process is to use the same free testing tools we all used in the early days of web User Experience testing -- a notepad, an inquisitive mind, and occasionally video cameras. For an explanation of the process, read my article "Usability Testing on a Zero Budget," Web Marketing Today, Oct 31, 2006. Once you begin to see how the power of direct user testing can affect your site, you may well decide to invest in Morae.

Improving your site's User Experience remains among the best investments you can make in your business. You can begin to make improvements with little or no investment up front. And as you identify the potential ROI for each step, you can make sensible investments in your own tools. The other alternatives are to either (1) hire a competent consultant or (2) hope your competition ignores the quality of their User Experience.

My Bookshelf

• Randolph G. Bias and Deborah J. Mayhews (editors), Cost Justifying Usability (Second Edition; Morgan Kaufmann, 2005)
• Deborah J. Mayhew, The Usability Engineering Lifecycle (Morgan Kaufmann, 1999)
• Robert B. Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Revised edition, Harper Paperbacks, 2006)
• Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini, Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive (Free Press, 2009)
• Edward R. Tufte, Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative (Graphics Press, 1997)
• Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg, Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results (Thomas Nelson, 2006)
• Steve Krug, Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (Second Edition; New Riders Press, 2005)
• Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir, Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed (New Riders Publishing, 2001)

Other Web Resources

• User Experience Guidelines
• Web Marketing Today, excellent newsletter
• Web Marketing Resources articles: "Zero Budget User Testing" and 34+ user experience articles
• Useit.com and Alertbox, the original web usability research site from Jakob Nielsen. Lots of great content.
• MarketingExperiments.com, good resource and newsletter

Todd Follansbee is founder of WebMarketingResources.net. He is a usability and persuasion consultant who has been testing user behaviors on web sites for over 12 years. His methodology for improving conversions recently won a top ten award in Entrepreneur Magazine. Todd offers a performance based consulting plan designed to earn more revenue than the monthly costs. Improve your user experience and your bottom line. For more details visit here.