In my paper archives I also found a usability checklist that I'd written in 2001. It was a long list. At the time there were no comprehensive online checklists to help make your site more usable (or at least none that were easily found). Before transcribing my list I did a quick search to see what's available today. I found a good 25-point Website Usability Checklist but I also found a really great prelaunch checklist by Larisa Thomason. Even though her checklist was written in 2004 a lot of it is very relevant five years later.
- Understand what you're getting from your Web host. This includes: bandwidth limits, storage space, access to Web site statistics and databases.
- Check your page load speed. Not everyone is on a high speed Internet connection. People who are accessing your site from a Blackberry or iPhone may also be paying for data transfer.
- Let users contact you. Most content management systems will have a contact form built-in. Make sure you enable it.
- Test pages a different screen resolutions. The Google Browser Size tool is a great way to see what people are missing.
- Check page display in all browsers and operating systems. Browsershots lets you get a screenshot of your Web site on lots of different kinds of systems. If you need to test more complex scripts you can also rent a machine at BrowserCam.
- Correct all spelling and grammar errors.
- Verify all hyperlinks. There's a free testing service available from the W3C. It only works one page at a time, but it's still faster than clicking each link individually.
- Give all users access to important content. Make sure that content isn't stuck inside video or audio without a transcript or equivalent "accessible" format. Not everyone can wait for that video to download, not everyone has speakers and not everyone has perfect vision.
- Create a custom error page. Without a custom error page, visitors get the standard 404 error that begins with the generic "File Not Found" message. A custom error page gives visitors useful information and helps keep them from leaving your site in frustration.
- Usability testing is complete and problems corrected. The 25-point Website Usability Checklist is quick and easy-to-use.
The full list is available at Prelaunch Checklist.
