Websites: Common user testing issues and how to fix them

It takes time to plan and create high-quality website content that's both relevant and interesting to website visitors.

But at the end of the day, we’re all left with the same questions: are users actually finding what they're looking for? And are we making it easy for them?

User testing is a great way to see how people actually use your website. You get to watch – in real-time – what navigation paths they choose, and why. And figure out what trips them up and/or surprises them.

Some of the things that confuse or surprise users might also surprise you.

Having run many user testing sessions for various clients, I've identified the top 3 things that most often cause surprise, confusion, or frustration for users. But first, a quick overview of what I mean by 'user testing'.

What is user testing?

User testing is exactly what it sounds like – you join a video call, lead a member of the public through a series of website-based tasks, and observe how they go about it. (Recording the results as you go.)

User testing can give you helpful insights more quickly than translating your analytics data. But it does take time – especially as running sessions with individuals tends to give clearer insight than a single session with multiple people. But it's time well spent as there’s no better way to get rich, meaningful – and actionable – real-life feedback.

The most common issues

We realise you probably don't have lots of spare time or budget to run in-depth user testing. But it’s so important that people can use your website easily. As mentioned, user testing can be quicker than a deep-dive into analytics for getting actionable insights – and it's often a small number of recurring issues that cause users the biggest headaches.

So, to help you focus on tackling users' primary frustrations, we’ve identified the top three most common issues that tend to crop up in user testing:

1. Broken links

One of the most frequent frustrations for users is hitting broken links – particularly within navigation. This kind of frustration can lead users to give up on your website entirely.

As an example, when expanding and improving the content of their Access page, one organisation forgot to update the on-page menu. This meant that users were clicking links expecting to jump-to relevant information, but instead, nothing happened. One user found this so disorientating, they thought there was no information about Wheelchair Accessibility. In fact, that section had been renamed ‘Step-free Access’.

When changing the content of a page, remember to update any on-page menu items and summary information too. And if you’re removing a page entirely, add a helpful 'redirect' – which sends users to a page telling them that old page has been removed, and gives them suggestions of other links to try.

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Check any new links that are added to your website to make sure they're working. And set aside time to run through common user journeys yourself – to make sure that all the links work, and work as expected.

2. Confusing language / use of jargon

This can be an easy trap to fall into. Some phrases that make perfect sense to us might be completely baffling to a newcomer. Jargon and unclear terms that have become familiar to us can make users – especially those new to your organisation – feel alienated and unwelcome. Not to mention frustrated!

During user testing for one organisation, it was clear that people were struggling to understand the difference between 'Collections', 'Catalogue', and 'Archives'. In this case, those names couldn’t be changed, but by adding brief explanations for each we helped users understand what content they’d find in each section.

Another user testing session for a different organisation revealed confusion around the main menu item 'Support'. The confusion was the assumption this was support for the user, rather than how to support the organisation! Changing the menu item to 'Support us' was a simple fix, and made the intended meaning much clearer.

For Membership schemes, stick with familiar terms like Bronze, Silver, and Gold to convey different levels of support. For Projects, use names that clearly describe what the project is and who it’s for. And if you don’t have control over these, add helpful supporting information – sub-headings, descriptions, images – to help give people the information they might need.

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The best fix for confusing language is to focus on keeping things simple and conventional, rather than being different for the sake of it.

3. Inconsistent User Interface (UI)

During user testing, we watch closely to see how people interact with different features and User Interface (UI) elements – and whether or not these work as the user expects them to.

For example, if a button opens a drop-down menu on one page, but links to a new page from another, it can be pretty confusing. Unpredictable navigation can be off-putting – a well-designed website should feel intuitive. In this case, the simplest fix is to ensure that the text on each button makes it clear what clicking that button will do e.g. 'Open menu' / 'Go to About Us'. Having a different visual design for each button could be of help to users too.

During one session we found that users were able to follow a link by either clicking an image or the text underneath it on some pages. But in another area of the website they could only click the text – the image was not a link. Updating the User Interface to make sure that images and text were both links across the website was the straight-forward fix. This made navigating the website as a whole much easier – therefore quicker.

Older websites can be prone to inconsistent UI – they’ve likely had things added and changed over the years. So, it’s worth taking some time to do a quick audit of the UI on your website's most visited pages. (And share any issues or inconsistencies with your web developer / digital agency to help with the fix.)

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A consistent and cohesive User Interface is important – be an advocate for your users to help keep your website quick, easy, and intuitive to use.

Quick recap

• Check your website's links – that they work, and that they go to the correct place!
• Stick to simple, easy to understand language – particularly for your navigation.
• Ensure your User Interface is clear and consistent – involve your web developers/digital agency, and be an advocate for your users.

Miriam, Client Services Consultant, Supercool

Additional resource from Supercool

Test ideas, your website structure and navigation, different devices, and user experience across your website – with real people. By watching people use your website to complete a task or series of tasks, you can better understand where they're getting stuck, and what changes might help to improve the website.

Go to User Testing Guide (PDF)