11 August 2006

Regular testing to ensure that websites comply with standards, legal obligations and corporate branding is vital for businesses, an expert at Bloor Research has claimed.

Failure to comply with standards could result in a loss of accessibility, usability and function, claims the company's Practice Leader, Peter Abrahams.

These problems could result in various negative impacts on a business, such as loss of brand reputation and loyalty, loss of custom and legal challenges.

Mr Abrahams asserts that user feedback, manual inspection and automated testing are three ways to test the accessibility, usability and function of the website.

"The correct balance of user feedback, user testing and automated testing will create the best site and at a reasonable cost," Mr Abrahams comments.

Human testing, with users of different abilities and requirements, is "crucial" to ensuring its success.

"The ability of the different users to efficiently complete the tasks is the main measure of quality of the site," he concludes.

© Adfero Ltd

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