Website Usability

The purpose of my blog today is to select a company and evaluate the usability of their website. For this assignment I have selected Ford Motor Company and will critique the usability of http://www.ford.com. My evaluation will be based on the following criteria:

25‐point Website Usability Checklist

Accessibility	Rating	Ford Motor Co.
1. Site load‐time is reasonable	✔✔✗	✔
2. Adequate text‐to‐background contrast	✔✔✗	✔
3. Font size/spacing is easy to read	✔✔✗	✔
4. Flash & add‐ons are used sparingly	✔✔✗	✔
5. Images have appropriate ALT tags	✔✔✗	✔
6. Site has custom not‐found/404 page	✔✔✗	✔
Identity
7. Company logo is prominently placed	✔✔✗	✔
8. Tagline makes company’s purpose clear	✔✔✗	✔
9. Home‐page is digestible in 5 seconds	✔✔✗	✔
10. Clear path to company information	✔✔✗	✔
11. Clear path to contact information	✔✔✗	✔
Navigation
12. Main navigation is easily identifiable	✔✔✗	✔
13. Navigation labels are clear & concise	✔✔✗	✔
14. Number of buttons/links is reasonable	✔✔✗	✔
15. Company logo is linked to home‐page	✔✔✗	✔
16. Links are consistent & easy to identify	✔✔✗	✔
17. Site search is easy to access	✔✔✗	✔
Content	✔✔✗
18. Major headings are clear & descriptive	✔✔✗	✔
19. Critical content is above the “fold”	✔✔✗	✔
20. Styles & colors are consistent	✔✔✗	✔
21. Emphasis (bold, etc.) is used sparingly	✔✔✗	✔
22. Ads & pop‐ups are unobtrusive	✔✔✗	✔
23. Main copy is concise & explanatory	✔✔✗	✔
23. Main copy is concise & explanatory	✔✔✗	✔
24. URLs are meaningful & user friendly	✔✔✗	✔
25. HTML page titles are explanatory	✔✔✗	✔

Overall I find Ford’s website to be extremely easy to use. The accessibility of the website is a strong point. Regardless if it is product information or corporate information, the appropriate links are easy to locate. The flash and add-ons utilized on their website are not over the top and are conveniently located near the bottom of the page. These features do enough to get your attention without distracting you from the content you are trying to view. Other positive notes include: prominently place company logo; a reasonable number of buttons/links; clear and descriptive headline; and unobtrusive ads and pop-ups. Additionally the website the imagery, fonts, and colors were easy on the eyes with a more than adequate text-to-background contrast. Ford even has a “custom not-found 404 page” that has links for whatever information you would like about the company. Overall, I find Ford’s website very useful and easy to navigate. Whether I want product information or research material for my Finance 3103, locating it is not an issue. Ford has taken the necessary steps to provide their customers with a website that is informative, as well as, professional, sleek, and simplistic.

Reference: http://www.ford.com.