The ROI of Usability
Usability is more than just frustrated users with clumps of hair in each hand or high-profile catastrophies. There are benefits to be had from understanding your users and their needs and providing solutions that support those needs.
Beneficial returns are possible for both internal and external projects.
Internal ROI
- Increased user productivity
- Decreased user errors
- Decreased training costs
- Decreased user support
External ROI
- Increased sales
- Decreased customer support costs
- Increased customer loyalty
A Sample of Usability Success
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. launched a newly designed website March 5, 2001 after substantial usability improvements, and posted a 53.6% increase in sales during the month of April. (Source: internetweek.com)
Sodala Software Company introduced the idea of "Use Case Scenarios" into their development process to capture preliminary requirements and design information. This resulted in a 79% reduction in the number of defects detected. Customer satisfaction also increased.
Sun Microsystems has shown how spending about $20,000 could yield a savings of $152 million dollars. Each and every dollar invested could return $7,500 in savings. (Source: Rhodes, 2003)