Web Log Analysis
Most sites use some kind of web analytics. Generally, the emphasis is on tracking paid search keywords and other marketing campaigns. But there can be information both about user profiles and about usability within site analytics. Even for applications, their site paths and profiles can help define functional priorities, change navigation, or increase your knowledge of your audience.
Heuristic Analysis
This technique uses a set of standard criteria to evaluate the basic structural usability of a site. Where possible, more than one expert evaluates the site against the criteria. In some cases, the competitors of a site are evaluated against the same criteria, so that the usability gaps can be seen across the market.
The criteria we use is a customized version of a heuristic developed by Xerox in the early days of software development. We have customized it to suit websites and web-based applications. We also vary the criteria according to the site audience.
Expert Review Scenarios
In this method, we take the same scenario and walk through it on the site and on the competitive sites. We document the walkthroughs subjectively in comic book style, using screenshots, and objectively, tracking time-to-success, clicks, screen loads, etc. We can also use these scenarios to compare your own sites or examine the details of different workflows.
Accessibility & Internationalization Reviews