Usability

Term from Web Design industry explained for recruiters

Usability refers to how easy and pleasant a website or app is to use. Think of it like making sure a store has clear signs, wide aisles, and helpful staff - but for digital products. When someone mentions usability in their resume, they're talking about their ability to make websites and apps that regular people can use without getting frustrated or confused. This includes things like making buttons easy to find, ensuring text is readable, and organizing information in a way that makes sense. Other terms for this include "user-friendliness," "ease of use," or "UX design."

Examples in Resumes

Improved Usability of company website, resulting in 40% increase in customer satisfaction

Conducted Usability testing with real users to identify and fix navigation problems

Led Usability reviews and created recommendations for 5 major client websites

Applied User Experience principles to enhance website Usability and conversion rates

Typical job title: "Usability Specialists"

Also try searching for:

UX Designer User Experience Designer Web Designer UI/UX Designer Usability Researcher User Interface Designer Interaction Designer

Where to Find Usability Specialists

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How do you measure the success of usability improvements?

Expected Answer: A strong answer should mention tracking metrics like user satisfaction scores, task completion rates, time spent on tasks, and conversion rates. They should also discuss before/after comparisons and user feedback analysis.

Q: How do you balance business goals with user needs?

Expected Answer: Look for examples of finding compromises between what the business wants and what users need, using data to support decisions, and creating solutions that work for both sides.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What methods do you use to test usability?

Expected Answer: Should mention user testing sessions, surveys, analytics review, heatmaps, and getting feedback from actual users. Should explain how they organize these tests and use the results.

Q: How do you make websites accessible to people with disabilities?

Expected Answer: Should discuss making sites work with screen readers, ensuring good color contrast, providing text alternatives for images, and making sure everything works with a keyboard.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What are the basic principles of good usability?

Expected Answer: Should mention clear navigation, consistent design, readable text, obvious buttons and links, and making things easy to find and use.

Q: How do you get feedback from users?

Expected Answer: Should discuss basic methods like user surveys, watching people use the website, asking for feedback, and looking at website analytics.

Experience Level Indicators

Junior (0-2 years)

  • Basic understanding of user-friendly design
  • Creating simple user surveys
  • Basic website testing
  • Following established design guidelines

Mid (2-5 years)

  • Running user testing sessions
  • Creating user personas
  • Analyzing user behavior data
  • Making improvement recommendations

Senior (5+ years)

  • Leading usability strategy
  • Managing large-scale user research
  • Training teams in usability best practices
  • Developing company-wide standards

Red Flags to Watch For

  • No experience with actual user testing or feedback collection
  • Focuses only on making things look pretty without considering how they work
  • Cannot provide examples of improvements based on user feedback
  • No knowledge of accessibility considerations