User Vision works with DTI
25th September 2002
User Vision, which has just three staff, has already worked with Scottish Enterprise and Aberdeen City Council. In July, it beat off competition from London agencies to win a prestigious contract with the Department of Trade and Industry.
A nine-month project will overhaul the department’s website for small businesses, businesslink.org.
Emma Kirk, User Vision’s strategic consultant, said: “The great thing about the site is that it’s an amazing source of information. We’ll be helping improve it further by enabling people to access the information they want even more easily.”
“People’s time, especially those involved in small businesses, is at a premium. With any website, you need to ensure that information can be downloaded swiftly.”
User Vision interviewed the key stakeholders responsible for the site and its goals to gain a greater understanding of the objectives and issues.
The consultancy next approached a specialist company with the remit to redesign the website. Focus groups have since been set up to give reactions to the new design.
User Vision is about to embark on two ‘phases’ of usability tests.
“The design company will create a prototype website based on our analysis and the focus group findings. Then we will video one person at a time using it,” said Miss Kirk.
Each user will be given a set of scenarios. “We will get the user to navigate through the website and to talk aloud while they are doing it,” said Miss Kirk
The users will also be monitored to record if they find they information, how long it takes them, and how satisfied they were with the experience.
The first improvements to the website will come into play in November.
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