Usability Checklist

Architecture and Navigation

• Does the structure fit the purpose?
• Is the navigation scheme clear?
• Where are you? How do you find what you want?
• Is it clear where to go next?
• Does interaction support informational retrieval tasks?
• Are there a reasonable number of nav-bar choices?
• Do link names match page names?
• Are links clearly marked?
• Is there a clearly marked link back to the home page?
• Is there an option to search for information?
• Is there a site map?
• Does every page have standard identification elements?
• Does the user have control over navigation?

Layout and design

• Is layout consistent on all pages?
• Is excessive scrolling required?
• Is there a main display area on each page?
• Does the layout work visually?
• Proper use of alignment and grouping?
• Proper use of contrast?
• Is it cluttered?

Content

• Is the text clear and concise?
• Is there excessive use of jargon or acronyms?
• Is text organised in small chunks?
• Are there spelling or grammar errors?

Forms

• Are dialog methods concise and consistent?
• Are there clear submit and reset buttons?

Platform and implementation

• Is download time fast enough - do pages load in 3-10 seconds?
• Do all the links work?
• Are there broken images?
• Are pages written to be found by search engines?
• Does the site work with all supported browsers?
• Does the site work on all platforms?
• Does the homepage display fully on a screen with 800 x 600 resolution?
• Does the site work on resolutions from 640 x 480 to 1024 x 768?
• Are non-standard plug-ins used?

• Provide alternative text for all image type buttons in forms.
• Provide text equivalents for every non-text element, including but not limited to images, scripts, animations, audio and video.
• Ensure that all information conveyed with colour is also available without colour, for example from context or markup.
• If an image conveys important information beyond what is in its alternative text, provide an extended description.
• For tables not used as layout, such as spreadsheets, identify headers for the table rows and columns.
• If the submit button is used as an image map, use separate buttons for each active region.
• If a data table has two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.
• Provide alternative content for each SCRIPT that conveys important information or functionality