Usability Test for a Bank Service Website
Rossy CossyLeon-Pereza, Brenda Gallardo-Vazqueza and Marcelo Soaresb
a
Center for Ergonomics Research
University of Guadalajara
Guadalajara, MEXICO
b
Department of Design
Federal University of Pernambuco
Recife, BRAZIL
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to analyze one of the biggest electronic banking products in México, from the usability
point of view. Two kind of analysis were made: a heuristic analysis and a user test.
The heuristic analysis was based on previously defined models by Eason (1984), Leventhal and Barnes (2007) and
Bastien and Scapin (1993). The format of the site design has an adequate visual style and legibility, and provides
some shortcuts. But the analysis showed some negative issues too, matching the user test results.
7 people, 23 to 37 years old, participated in the user test. It consisted on two on-line transactions on the web service,
considered some of the most common transactions, complemented with two questionnaires. Although all of them
finished the required tasks, 29% stated they had some problem to do it, and a high percentage (71%) said it was not
easy to find the needed sections on the web service. The information they got from the service was understandable
just for 43% of the users, and none of them expressed the design and organization of the web service made easier the
tasks for them. Based on both analyses, some proposals were made for improving the service.
Keywords: Ergonomics, website usability.
INTRODUCTION
Usability is the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction necessary for a product to allow specific users in specific
contexts, to achieve specific goals (ISO/IEC 9241-11). The rules related to usability can be categorized in: the prod-
uct’s use (efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction in a particular context), the user’s interface and its interaction,
the process used to develop the product and the capability of an organization to apply the design centered in a user.
Hence, a wrong designed interface may well obstruct the capability of a user in its interaction with the product. This
is true even though if the functionality or such product is good. The page that we will analyze in this essay is the
electronic page for one of the principal Mexican banks which is part of a big international corporation. To access,
the client must sign a specific contract to obtain the service and receive an electronic key device, and the client is
recommended to access in a secure computer and not in public networks. For these requirements and also for lack of
acknowledgement or confidence, many clients do not use this resource; the ones that do use it recognize the benefits
they get from the resource. An analysis of this website was made from the heuristic point of view and with a test
with users, to determine the level of usability and the acceptation of the user, and also to offer some improvement
recommendations.
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, HEURISTIC ANALYSIS
ERGONOMIC CRITERIA FOR THE USER INTERFACE.
Guidance
Prompting
According with the criteria established by Bastien and Scapin (1993), the Internet pages must favor the new users by
orientation and guidance. Referring to the prompting, the sections of the evaluated page present clear titles and,
broadly, the entrances required let know, with no doubt, the required data; nevertheless, the prompting function is
not fully accomplished, because one of the first tasks a user has to do is to open an account and the necessary link is
a bit difficult to find because of its localization and color; this may well cause frustration in the user. The HELP op-
tion appears as an interrogation sign in most of the sections, excepting the one that refers to the electronic key de-
vice, which unfolds using a small triangular symbol, not the conventional help sign, which may be not obvious to
the new user.
Grouping and Distinction of Elements
The group of the different themes in the superior menu is suitable; it comprehends the user’s possible actions and
changes the background color of the one active at the moment. It also has a very good distinction toward other type
of elements.
Legibility
The page’s legibility has positive elements, such as the cleanness of the design and the contrast, a clear font over a
dark background and vice versa, also an adequate use of capital and small letters (see Figure 1); although, in some
menus that were not assigned a high hierarchy the font’s size is reduced, which may well increase the required time
to find them.
Figure 1. Appropriate contrast of colors. (Image from the analyzed website)
Immediate Feedback
The site basically has two types of feedback for the user: the first one when a process is taking place, the screen
turns into slightly clearer tone until the process is finished. The second one is referred to the system’s respond when
the process is finished, indicating that the process was successful and generating a register number for the operation
or, indicating if the operation was not successfully realized. The inconvenient is in the response of the system when
there was a problem caused by a user’s error, being this an error in the typing of the numerical passwords or client
numbers, or in the activation of the caps lock button during the initial password entry, because it does not inform the
user which was the problem, which makes the user repeat the process without knowledge of cause.
Workload
Brevity, concision and minimal actions
The system allows the user to save information that saves him time in ulterior actions, like account numbers, alias or
e-mail addresses of deposit beneficiaries, hence reducing the required mental effort. The numerical data format is
corrected automatically by the system. On the opposite, the difficulty to find determined links can eliminate the
brevity for a new user, by increasing the minimal actions.
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