An expert review can be quicker and more cost-effective, but can also form an integral part of an iterative testing programme.

Why do it?

An expert review can be a quicker and more cost-effective alternative to testing with real users. It is also useful when combined with user testing as part of an iterative development programme.

We would recommend considering an expert review if:

You have developed a prototype and want to review and identify any ‘obvious’ usability issues before incurring the cost of testing with ‘real’ testers
You want to evaluate very specific parts of your site before undertaking redevelopment
Time or budgets are so restricted that they don’t allow you to use ‘real’ user testing

How we do it

At the heart of our expert review is the recognition that a good user experience is the key goal for a successful website. A good user experience results when a user achieves their goals quickly and easily. An understanding of how ‘real’ users use a website is, therefore, crucial in understanding a site’s usability. Through our work testing websites with real people since 2002, we have built up considerable experience of looking at websites through users’ eyes.

In order to ensure the expert review is appropriately focused, we start the process by working with you to establish who your target users are and what is the aim of the site.

The expert reviewer then undertakes an audit from the perspective of a user (or users) and produce a full report or presentation, listing page by page all the issues noted and our prioritised recommended actions.

To start the expert review, one of our consultants will work with the client to establish:

The target site users – we need to be able to undertake the review from the perspective of the target users, taking account of their likely understanding of the site owner, goals they want to achieve, skills and experience, context, etc.
The site aims – we need to understand what the site owner expects the site to achieve for them so we can assess how well these aims are likely to be achieved
The site content and functionality – we need to have a comprehensive understanding of the site and what can be achieved on it

The expert reviewer then undertakes an audit from the perspective of a user (or users) as agreed with the client:

The review is initially conducted by one expert evaluator
The review includes key user focused tasks based on the user journeys to be explored (to be agreed with the client)
The pages would be reviewed in the contexts of the user journey transition from search engine results page (SERP) to landing page (relevance and orientation), and the user journey within the site
The pages would be reviewed against the criteria on our usability framework and any other criteria agreed with the client, focussing on:
- The site information architecture and navigation – can users find the content they want?
- The presentation of the content – how easy is it to read and assimilate?
- The relevance and persuasiveness of the content – does the information meet the needs of the users and, where appropriate, does it encourage users to take action?
- The usability of the transactional elements of the site – are they easy for the users to use?
The evaluator would categorize usability issues into three bands (Serious, Moderate, Minor). The focus of the review is normally to identify the serious and moderate usability issues
The conclusions of the review are confirmed/checked by a second evaluator

Expert review

Why do it?

How we do it

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