6.1. Defining Usability

Usability is defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in document 9241 as "the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use." For our purposes, this broad definition boils down to this: Can people easily understand and use your Web site?

Usability expert Jakob Nielson has a framework for looking at the usability of a Web site. It breaks down usability into five components: learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, and satisfaction. By using this framework, we can identify usability problems in AJAX designs and identify ways to solve them:

• Learnability looks at how easy it is to accomplish tasks the first time the user visits the site. Learnability can be a problem in many AJAX designs because the site no longer acts like a standard Web site to which the user is accustomed. These problems are most common when the results of standard actions are changed. Creating new widgets can also be a problem, although this can be alleviated by making the new widgets look like their counterparts in the standard application world. Simplicity and consistency are keys to making an interface learnable. The goal isn't to make a flashy unique interface; it's to create one that new users can instantly recognize.

• Efficiency refers to how quickly the user can perform a task once it has been learned. This component sometimes stands in juxtaposition against learnability because the most efficient interfaces may require a large amount of knowledge to use. (A text-based data entry system is one example of an efficient interface.) Efficiency is the area of usability where AJAX can make a huge difference. AJAX can combine multistep processes into one quick screen to greatly reduce the time required to complete a task. This savings is most obvious in item-selection cases where multistep popup search screens can be replaced with search-as-you-type AJAX widgets.

• Memorability looks at how easily a user can regain proficiency in the use of the interface after not using it for a period of time. In such situations, the use of AJAX might not have a large effect, but it still can make a difference. AJAX can be used to streamline processes, which reduces the amount of steps that the user has to remember. It can also be used to create unique interface widgets that may hurt memorability because the user has no points of reference for them.

• The errors component focuses on having a system with few errors. It also focuses on how easy it is to recover from errors that are received. Web development as a whole is prone to network-related errors, but these errors are seldom fatal because users can just reload their browsers. In an AJAX application, network errors will need to be trapped in application code because the browser's Reload button won't resend the AJAX action. The greater use of JavaScript can also create more errors if developers aren't used to the language. One way to help alleviate these problems is to use an AJAX library that simplifies cross-browser development.

• The final component is a subjective measurement of satisfaction. Does the user enjoy using the design? This component is affected by many items, especially visual design, but AJAX can still play a part. A highly efficient AJAX interface that provides good feedback about what it's doing will be more satisfying than a standard, slow Web interface that requires tons of page reloads.