02.09 - Web site usability testing leads to Best in Class site

Sensis-designed Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. Web site honored by Interactive Media Council LOS ANGELES – Web site usability testing allows companies to receive direct input on how real visitors use their Web site and measures the site’s ability to meet its intended purpose. Sensis utilized this user-centric strategy to effectively develop and design a new Web site for Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. (CAP). That site, www.cap-mpt.com, received Best in Class honors from the Interactive Media Council in the Medical and Insurance categories. The Interactive Media Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating the standards of excellence on the Internet. The Interactive Media Awards recognize the highest level of Web site design and development and honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements. The Best in Class award is the highest honor bestowed by the Interactive Media Council and recognizes outstanding Web sites that excelled in all areas of the judging criteria, which include design, content, feature functionality, usability and standards compliance and cross-browser compatibility. According to the council, the CAP Web site is now considered one of the world’s most well-executed sites. “The Cooperative of American Physicians has distinct user groups that utilize the organization’s site in completely different ways. Usability testing is an effective way to ensure the new design satisfies all the groups’ needs,” Sensis CEO Jose Villa said. “We conducted the testing early on in the development of the new site, which allowed us to identify problems and opportunities for improvement before any of the Web site features, information architecture or design was set. This is an effective strategy to ensure the client receives the best product that achieves its goals and will not need to re-work the site right after it goes live.” Sensis conducted three usability tests during the creation of the new CAP site. Participants included CAP staff and member and nonmember physicians. Sensis also focused on a new generation of more Web-savvy physicians, targeting younger doctors with a potentially different perspective on evaluating and procuring medical professional liability coverage. The agency also mirrored the growing number of women in medicine by including women physicians proportionately in the usability tests. From these tests, Sensis determined that many CAP members had not visited the organization’s Web site or utilized the site’s member section. Overall, when testers were shown the site, many responded with indifference to the original design and were unclear about what products and / or services CAP offered. Sensis also recorded responses regarding font size, color choices, navigation directions, and overall placements to help create a more user-friendly and effective Web site. “We found that time and efficiency were two leading determinants to whether CAP’s audience considered the site to be ‘good.’ Usability testing allowed us to get into the minds of CAP’s target audiences and find out how we can make their experience better,” Villa said. “While usability testing lengthens the Web site development process, in the long run it helps ensure the site’s success. It provides us, the Web development team, with unbiased information, which is necessary to create a site that works best for the end user and ultimately benefits our client.”