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Few would deny that the user experience is a critical component of e-Business Web site success．Usability testing is one method of assessing the user experience．Usability refers to how easily users can accomplish their tasks．In addition to influencing conversion rates，usability can impact revisit rates，acquisition costs，and order size．^②Recent estimates indicate that by improving usability，on average，Web sites improved their conversion rates by 100 percent，their traffic by 150 percent and the visitors' use of target features by over 200 percent．

There are multiple guidelines for establishing usable Web sites．Among the most important are that Web sites be quick to load，easy to use，searchable，transparent，and consistent．

A site should be relatively quick to load．One recommendation is that a page take less than 10 seconds to load through a 28.8 modem using a public ISP like AOL or MSN．^③Waiting for a page to download，however，need not always result in negative Web site evaluation．Managing users' expectations by reducing uncertainty about the wait(e.g．，providing a countdown or duration time or informing users that loading a page will requite a wait)can help．

Others recommend having small and/or few graphics in order to reduce the download time．Yet graphics as well as the effective use of plug-ins(e.g．，Flash，RealOne) can increase users' revisit and purchase intentions by providing an engaging user experience．Rather than adopting a onesite-fits-all approach，companies should allow users to select whether they want a graphics-intensive，flash-enabled，or text site．Indeed，allowing users to customize the Web site experience can elicit such positive results as feelings of alignment with the company and beliefs that it is a trustworthy source．^④

Regardless of how graphic-and technology-intensive the site is，it should also be easy for a user to scan a Web page—this means chunking information into meaningful categories，as well as using light-colored，solid backgrounds．Patterned backgrounds merely compete with the text and graphics for the users' attention．In general，be careful with your page real estate．Avoid crowding the page with information，graphics，and advertisements．It will make the page slow to load and difficult to scan，both of which will likely drive your visitors away．

The site should reduce the degree to which users must learn how to use it．To gauge how difficult your site is，consider how much you must explain to the user the steps needed to effectively use the site．^⑤Although instructions for using the site(e.g．，a frequently-asked-questions(FAQ)page)should be available and clearly visible from every page，you must ask yourself whether the complexities of the site could be reduced．Furthermore，the site should rely on the users' recognizing rather than recalling where features are and what they are．For instance，links to FAQs，the homepage，contact information，and search engine should be available on every page．Otherwise，the user must learn and recall how to find needed information(e.g．，the firm's contact information is available from the home page by clicking on“About Us”and the envelope icon)．

Navigation consists of interactive tools that allow individuals to move freely through a site at their own discretion through a series of self-initiated searching，accessing，and retrieving activities．Navigational instruments include search engines，search agents，and site indexes．The availability of navigational tools for compiling and sorting information has positive effects on consumers' attitudes，regardless of whether the user has visited the site to browse or to search．^⑥Browsers need navigational tools to move fluidly through the site，uninterrupted，whereas searchers need them to find information quickly．Having the tools is not enough，however．For instance，having a search engine is insufficient．It should include simple guided search forms and display the more popular items first．Allowing the user to sort the results by different criteria(e.g．，date，relevance)also facilitates the search process．Furthermore，users often remark that they are“lost”during a Web site visit．To reduce this feeling，each page should show the user where they are(how deep they went into the Web site)，where they came from(e.g．，how they got there)，and where they can go next(e.g．，at the same level，up a level or even deeper)．

Such navigational instruments are especially critical because，by being associated with information access，the Web heightens users' need for understanding，causing them to think more about a product and to want more information about it than they would in traditional media environments．Thus，in addition to having a site rich with information，the site must be easy to search．

Transparent Web sites are those that speak the language of their users．One common mistake that disrupts the transparency of a site is to list products by their model numbers．For instance，most people likely do not know the difference between Samsung's HPL 6315 and their HPL 5025D．However，they likely know the difference between a 63”and a 50”plasma TV．Web sites should also follow conversations that are familiar to users，such as avoiding underlining and icon navigation．On the Internet，underlining represents a hyperlink rather than emphasizing a word．Likewise，icons rarely mean the same thing to all users．There are a few exceptions，such as the company's logo located at the top of the page(often used to redirect the user to the homepage)and a shopping cart(often used for adding something to the cart)．

The site should look and feel consistent．This includes the size of the pages．If some pages are small(fast to download)and others are large(slow to download)，users will feel that they have lost control over the experience．Likewise，the same words and images should be used throughout the site．Because most Web sites are comprised of pages developed by different people within and outside the company，an inconsistent site is a common usability problem．^⑦

Testing a site's usability is a relatively simple endeavor．An initial step is to recruit five impartial individuals who are comparable in terms of their age，expertise，Web site proficiency，and etcetera．Research has shown that five users find 85 percent of usability problems．At this point，the best course of action is to stop，redesign the site，and conduct another test with five different users．These new users will likely capture many of the remaining problems unidentified from the first round，as well as identify any new problems arising from the redesign．^⑧

During the usability test，each individual should view the site alone to avoid contamination．Although many firms conduct these experiments in usability labs，another approach is to observe users in their natural environments．This provides insight into how most users experience the Web site(e.g．，through a dial-up connection rather than an internal server and via a smaller monitor)．The participant should be given a meaningful task that reflects how people typically use the site．Furthermore，it should be complex enough that it would take at least a few minutes to complete．Examples include researching a product，comparing two products，filling out a form for a newsletter，or purchasing a product．

To assess the users' thought processes as they click through the site，participants should talk aloud．Furthermore，the person administering the test must resist the strong urge to help the user complete their task．^⑨Instead，she/he should remain behind the scenes and capture what the users are saying as well as what they are not saying．Are they leaning forward，sighing and shaking their head?Do they often end up on a page they did not want and need to return to a previous page?How many clicks did it take them to complete the task?From this，look for overall trends and suggest design changes．In the case of Samsung，by promoting this product in offline media，the company should ensure that it is easy to find the product by referring to it on the homepage and making sure that the search engine results contain current pages of it．At the Samsung site，the majority of results were outdated press releases，which are unlikely to meet the needs of the majority of buyers using the search engine．A guided search would help solve this problem．For instance，my search could be limited to products at the site posted in the last year．Consequently，the search engine would do the work for me of filtering out the press releases and other less relevant pages．

Much has been said about satisfying and delighting customers on the Web．Yet，doing so is impossible if the Web site's usability is weak．Highly usable sites are quick to load，easy to use，searchable，consistent，and transparent．Use of graphics and plug-ins can increase the time it takes to load a Web site，but they may be necessary to create an engaging user experience．As broadband adoption increases，concerns about whether user will wait for Web sites to load become less relevant．^⑩In the meantime，allowing users to customize the site to their own software，hardware，and information needs should fulfill the goals of satisfying the needs of those with dial-up connections，while also delighting those with broadband access and the desire for more engaging experiences．

New Words and Expressions

2．feature(n．)a prominent or distinctive aspect，quality，or characteristic特征

5．Flash:由Macromedia公司推出的交互式矢量图和Web动画的标准。网页设计者使用Flash技术能创作出既漂亮又可改变尺寸的导航界面以及其他奇特的效果。

6．RealOne:一种播放软件，能用于欣赏网上在线音频和视频资料。

8．customize(v．)to make or alter to individual or personal specifications改制

9．alignment(n．)the act of aligning or the condition of being aligned结盟，联合

12．pattern(v．)to cover or ornament with a design or pattern(以图案)装饰，覆盖

17．heighten(v．)to raise or increase the quantity or degree of intensify增加，增强

24．impartial(a．)not partial or biased;unprejudiced不偏不倚的，没有偏见的

25．proficiency(n．)the state or quality of being proficient;competence熟练，精通

1．The text is taken from The E-Business Review．The author，Ann Scblosser，is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Washington Business School．She specializes in Internet marketing and consumer behavior，publishing numerous articles for The Journal of Consumer Research and The Journal of Consumer Psychology．本文选自《电子商务评论》，作者Ann Scblosser是华盛顿大学商学院的助理教授，她专门致力于互联网营销和消费者行为的研究，在《消费者研究》和《消费心理学》等刊物上发表了多篇论文。

3．One recommendation is that a page take less than 10 seconds to load through a 28.8 modem using a public ISP like AOL or MSN．本句中，that从句中的谓语是take+ time+to do sth．，而“using a public ISP like AOL or MSN”是一个现在分词短语作方式状语，修饰“to load”。

4．Indeed，allowing users to customize the Web site experience can elicit such positive results as feelings of alignment with the company and beliefs that it is a trustworthy source．本句中，“allowing users to customize the Web site experience”是一个现在分词短语作主语;句子的谓语部分的主干为“can elicit such results as feelings and beliefs”;其中“of alignment with the company”修饰“feelings”，从句“that it is a trustworthy source”修饰beliefs。

5．To gauge how difficult your site is，consider how much you must explain to the user the steps needed to effectively use the site．本句是祈使句。“how much you must explain to the user the steps needed to effectively use the site”是谓语动词“consider”的宾语。

6．The availability of navigational tools for compiling and sorting information has positive effects on consumers' attitudes，regardless of whether the user has visited the site to browse or to search．本句的主语中心词为“availability”，谓语是“has positive effects on”。“whether the user has visited the site to browse or to search”指明了人们浏览网页的两种可能的原因。

7．Because most Web sites are comprised of pages developed by different people within and outside the company，an inconsistent site is a common usability problem．本句中，“because”引导原因状语从句“most Web sites are comprised of pages developed by different people within and outside the company”。其中“developed by different people within and outside the company”是一个过去分词短语修饰pages。

8．These new users will likely capture many of the remaining problems unidentified from the first round，as well as identify any new problems arising from the redesign．本句中，“will likely capture．．．problems，as well as identify．．．problems”是两个并列的谓语，其中“unidentified from the first round”是一个过去分词短语修饰前一个“problems”，而“arising from the redesign”是一个现在分词短语修饰后一个“problems”。

9．Furthermore，the person administering the test must resist the strong urge to help the user complete their task．本句中，“administering the test”是一个现在分词短语，修饰主语“the person”。而“to help the user complete their task”是一个不定式结构，对宾语“the strong urge”的内容做出进一步的说明。

10．As broadband adoption increases，concerns about whether user will wait for Web sites to load become less relevant．本句中，“as”引导原因状语从句。主句中“about whether user will wait for Web sites to load”对主语中心词“concerns”的内容做出进一步的说明。