Check list on website usability of Kapruka.com

Nowadays with the complicated busy life styles, time has become a vital factor. Moreover due to fiercely competitive nature attracting and retaining customers is essential. Hence giving a good first impression on your site is crucial.  

In evaluating the user friendliness of a particular site or a web page many criteria’s can be used, among the many I will be using the 25 Point website usability checklist in order for the purpose of evaluating the site  http://www.lanka.info/

Accessibility

This category accommodate not just the conventional issues, but everything that would hold a visitor of entrance to the information on the site.

• Site load time is exceedingly quick and reasonable. Just within 3/5 seconds time after the first visit the whole site is loaded, not letting the viewer to skip going through the site.

• Adequate text to contrast background is in average level as its not like the best contrasting combination of black on white, yet white on blue does not ruin my eyesight to read the text.

•   Font size/spacing is easy to read where the most important wordings are in capital. Line spacing is also adequate. This criteria is quite important as the poor readability will result frustration and demotivate the user to actually read the content and use the site.

•   Flash & Add-ons are used sparingly as its not a very cluttered site with all other classifieds, live chats etc. the top banner keeps on changing in a manner that is not disturbed to the viewer which have only add value to the site.

• Images have appropriate ALT tags

          As seen above the applicable ALT tags are delegated to the relevant and by clicking ‘more details’ the detailed information can be found.

• Custom not found /404 page. This site does not contains a custom not found page yet it gives the correct direction to retain in the home page.

Identity

Keeping the company uniqueness is exceptional in order to make the viewer brand loyal.

• Company logo is prominently placed. People do except the company logo to be placed at upper-left of the screen and that is exactly how kapruka has followed as exposed below.

• Tagline makes company’s purpose clear. This is very much appropriately used in this site as it clearly delivers the purpose of the site in simple language without using any marketing jargons. The tag used by them is,’ Bringing Sri Lanka one step closer to you’ which delivers the message of closeness, bond towards the home country.

• Home page is digestible in 5 seconds. As seen in the above print view, ‘send gifts to anywhere in Sri Lanka’ is written in block letters to grab the attention and also in larger font size which makes the viewer understand the site within a glance of the site which is actually lesser than 5 seconds time.

• Clear path to company information is available in the right top corner of the page building up the confidence of the company and the service.

• Clear path to contact information is also available just next to the ‘About Kapruka’ giving the viewer contact details to keep in touch and render a service for clarifications and other needed.

Navigation

Once a customer visit your site he/she needs clear paths to the contents that interest them.

• Main navigation is easily identifiable. The site has a clear nagivation lined up on the side of the site and also in the middle of the page which is pretty much easy to find, read and use.

• Navigation labels are clear and concise. The navigation used in the site is short, to the point and easy to grasp.

• Number of buttons/links is not much reasonable yet with the different areas of service kapruka.com render the amount of buttons they have used is justifiable.

• Company logo is linked to home page as when the user click on the logo it will direct to the home page in a click without making the user complicated and deserted in the site.

• Links are consistent and easy to identify. Links should stand out and that’s what exactly how Kapruka have created it site by making the links either blue in color or underlined.

•   Site search is easy to access. Yes it is in easy access in the left top corner right below the company logo even though the usability guideline tend to prefer the right top corner.

Content

Content is said as the ‘king’ in a site and that king should be consistent, organized, and easy to skim through.

• Major headings are clear and descriptive. Headings are placed in blue backgroung in order to grab the attention which is one worded, clear and descriptive.

• Critical content is above the fold. As for Kapruka the major streams of its service is many they have not been successful to have all the critical content above the fold. Yet the most important elements fits into the first screen.

• Styles and colors are consistent. Kapruka has used they logo color Blue consistently in every page and in the content levels result in the viewer to know they are still on your site.

• Emphasis is used sparingly. As mentioned above the main categories of service and other important headings used in color Blue which draw the attention of the viewer.

• Ads & Pop-ups are unobtrusive. No ads and pop ups are used in this site which interrupt the viewer and deviate the attention.

• Main copy is concise and explanatory as at a glance the site convey its message without any confusion. The images gives more clearer thought about the main copy of the site.

• URL’s are meaningful and user friendly and clearly communicate the content in it.

• HTML page titles are explanatory as http://www.lanka.info/shops/cakes/cakesSelectPage.jsp is visble when click the ‘cakes’ section which is descriptive, unique and makes sense in simple.

In a nutshell Kapruka.com is a very attractive site and acceptable to use according to the evaluation done above and one of the top famous site in current context.