Although most people agree that their web site or intranet could be
more user-friendly, few are convinced of the benefits of a usability
audit. The main reason for this sceptical attitude lies in the
misconceived notion that usability is a luxury, not a necessity. The
truth is that the cost-effectiveness of a site is
directly related to the user-friendliness of it.
How to calculate the ROI of usability?
Calculating the return on investment of Internet projects is often
quite complicated. When it is possible however, the effects of
improved usability are very easily measured. What is striking in
this respect is the huge factor with which the investment in
usability is returned, both in small and large Internet projects.
The most easily measured effect of improved usability is the speed
with which users find information or complete a task on a site. The
return on investment (ROI) of this increase in speed is the most
obvious in an intranet. A typical AGConsult usability test for a
small intranet costs 1.300 euro. A 10% reduction in time spent
completing a certain task on an intranet that is used by as few as
10 people for as little as 1 hour a day means an annual saving of up
to 5.000 euro.
Calculating the extra income generated by increased
usability is also very easy on e-commerce sites. A site with an
average of 200 visitors a day that spends 2.500 euro on usability and increases
the ratio visitor/buyer as little as 5 to 7% will see its annual gross income rise with over 8.750 euro.
ROI factor between 5 and 75
In the previous examples the investment in usability is returned by
a factor between 4 and 5. In larger projects this factor
increases. Figures between 50 and 75 are no exception.
Because every web site is meant to either increase a company's
income (directly or indirectly) or decrease its expenses (by
offering online support for example), these findings can be
extrapolated to every online model. An increase in usability will
manifest itself on different levels:
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The ease and speed with which a user finds the right
information/service/product or completes a certain task.
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The level of satisfaction of the user and the number of
returning users.
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The ratio between visitors and paying customers.
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The online window shopping/offline sales ratio.
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The number of users that make use of your site's interactive
services.
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The number of subscriptions to a newsletter and the use of
contact or information forms.
Even when you don't believe in the return on investment of your
web site, a usability audit is not a luxury. After all, it is very
unlikely that a dissatisfied visitor will ever become a customer.
Els Aerts & Karl Gilis
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