What is usability and why is it important?

Usability refers to how easy it is for your audience to navigate and gather information from your site. Since you are the one who created your site, you know exactly where everything is and how it works. This also means that other people may not be able to navigate your site as easily as you since they didn’t create it. . We recommend you have a friend go over your site or book a consultation with a DigiComm Tutor to give you professional usability feedback on your sites. If you don’t have time to work with a tutor or a friend, go through these questions and make sure your portfolio adheres to our recommendations!

Ask yourself the following:

• About Me Page
  • Does it highlight specific skills?
  • Does is reflect how you want your audience to perceive you? (professional, down to earth, artistic, etc)
  • Is it concise?
  • Did you use a professional photo of yourself?
• Resume
  • Is it easy to scan and clearly highlight your unique skill set?
  • Is your resume downloadable as a PDF that opens in a new page?
  • Does it demonstrate the same branding as your portfolio and other media outlets?
• Work Samples
  • Are your work samples divided into clear categories? (academic/non academic, design/writing/multimedia, etc)
  • Are there 3-4 projects for each category that you’re proud of?
  • Is there a clear description of each sample highlighting the skills it showcases?
  • Do the projects have buttons to see the full work samples as a PDF or external link?
• Contact Me Page
  • Send yourself a message through your contact form! Does it work?
  • Is the information up-to-date?
  • Is this an email you will check regularly after you graduate?
• Personal Branding
  • Do you have evidence of personal branding on your portfolio?
    • 2-3 consistent colors and fonts?
    • A consistent message about your most notable skills? (Sometimes three words or even phrases to describe yourself?)
    • Personal logo?
  • Is your branding consistent across all pages, including your resume?
  • Does your branding reflect your personality and your goals?
• After You Publish Your Site ...
  • Check the formatting and links on Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge to make sure your portfolio is functional across browsers.
  • Make sure all of the links, buttons, and documents work correctly.
  • Make sure it’s easy for your user to know your name and easily get in contact you from any page on your portfolio.
    • If there is contact info that you don’t want your audience to see (phone number, address, etc), make sure it’s not on your portfolio. (Hint: Make sure your resume doesn’t have it either!)