The only usability services firm contracted to provide usability program design and high-volume usability services for Agilent.com, Agilent's corporate Web site -- Agilent's customers' #1 source for product and services information.

During its first few months Breakthrough Usability built a global online usability testing framework designed for Agilent.com’s explicit needs. The following objectives were achieved immediately:

• Agilent.com usability testing was made faster, cheaper, better and more systematic.
• Built an Agilent.com global usability framework that scales to all areas of the corporate Web site.
• Developed custom metrics that match Agilent.com’s business goals.
• Created a navigation-focused global online framework "area".
• Ran 8 Global Online Framework navigation usability tests.
• Developed a systematic reporting system with comparative tracking of multiple areas of the Web site as new UI's are proposed and released.
• Designed and drafted an internal Agilent.com Usability Program Web site for 24x7 global access to usability findings and recommendations for multiple areas of the Web site.
• Developed an Agilent.com Usability Dashboard for the Home Page of the internal Web site, for immediate visibility of current user performance and satisfaction on the Web site.
• Created a Usability Inspection System for UI developers that applies the combined findings from Agilent.com framework usability tests, to immediately improve new user interface designs.
• Creating a UI Comparison-focused global online framework "area" to rapidly increase user success throughout pre-release development of new UI's for the Web site.
• Provided other usability services, as needed.

Within a short period, Agilent.com obtained a Global Usability Framework with an initial range of framework usability tests, internal corporate-wide reporting and coordination systems, new UI usability inspections and other tools that rapidly expanded this program's ability to deliver user success throughout its Web site.

To Agilent.com, framework tests are more valuable than individual, custom studies because many more can be run for a smaller budget, with faster turnaround times, while producing a broad range of directly comparable metrics and data that fit a steadily growing, consistent understanding of Web site performance and user needs.

Breakthrough Usability continues to provide Agilent.com's future usability services. Among other areas, this includes new Usability Framework "Areas" for core components of Agilent's Web site such as E-Commerce and Support.

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