What is usability? Typical definitions of usability say that something is usable if your intended users can accomplish what they’re trying to do on your site or with your product. The standard definitions also say that usability has several components; it can mean learnable, memorable, efficient, and/or error-tolerant.

I don’t like the “standard” definitions much. They really don’t drive home the idea that usability is about uncovering peoples’ goals and motivations, and meeting their needs with products and/or services.

Here’s a better definition. See if you agree that this is better: usability is…getting people to what they want or need as quickly as possible, in a way that assures that they:

• Can figure out what to do next
• Understand why they should do it
• See how to do it
• Will do it
• (And will like doing it)

Why do I think this is a better way to think about usability? Because it aligns the goals of usability and marketing, and puts them on an equal footing.

John Rhodes of IMSimple.com put it really well when he defined marketing like this:

The fundamental purpose of marketing is to identify what people want and need, then satisfy those customers. (John Rhodes, http://bit.ly/BtfUF)

It’s no accident that marketing and usability seem more closely related when you conceptualize them like this.

So to sum up, I think about usability and its place in the marketing world in this way:

• Marketing – identify what they want.
• SEO – make it findable
• Design – give it to them
• Usability – ensure that you gave it to them

I’ll be covering these and other topics in my talk at OMS 2010 in San Diego. I look forward to seeing you there!

So putting it all together.