Gomez Introduces Quantifiable Usability Measurement Offering.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 11, 2003

New Usability Benchmarking Assessment combines automated measurements with expert evaluation, extending company's Internet Channel Effectiveness solutions suite

Gomez, Inc., the industry's leading supplier of Internet Channel Effectiveness solutions, today unveiled a new usability benchmarking service that blends the best of automated measurements with the company's proven expertise in online customer experience.

Gomez's Usability Benchmark Assessment (UBA) measures the time an average Web user takes to complete tasks on competitive sites - defined as "User Effort." It also measures the functionality of comparative sites to put User Effort into context. The User Effort metric is collected via the use of an expert-guided software agent that simulates an average user's perception, cognition and response to Web-based elements along the task path.

"The use of a software agent ensures that user effort is measured objectively and consistently," noted Jennifer Cardello, Gomez's Vice President of Customer Experience. "Once these measurements are collected, analyzed and put into context, Gomez analysts can develop recommendations to improve the experience, enabling organizations to increase the business effectiveness of the Internet channel."

Gomez's usability agent is licensed from WebCriteria, Inc., a Portland, OR software developer. The agent is based on the GOMS modeling approach, which decomposes a task and associated user responses into a set of Goals, Operators, Methods and Selection rules.

Clients of the Usability Benchmark Assessment can benchmark up to three of their own online transactions and compare usability and functionality against three competitive or comparative sites. The UBA interface displays task flows of client and competitor sites, including screenshots, functionality criteria inventories and detailed analyst commentary and recommendations covering transaction flow, information architecture, functionality, visual design and content.

UBA is the latest product in the Gomez suite of benchmarking, monitoring and improvement strategy services. The benchmarking suite, including the UBA and PBA (Performance Benchmark Assessment), provides clients with competitive insight and helps them define goals for improving customer experience.

"Comparative metrics should be used to determine appropriate goals and thresholds," said Cardello, who founded Gomez's usability practice. "Quantifiable measurement, benchmarking and monitoring are key business tools that should be used to define budgets, focus resources and, ultimately, ensure a positive return on Internet investments."

About Gomez

Gomez serves companies that strategically depend on the effectiveness of their Internet channel to increase revenues and decrease expenses and provides the industry's only comprehensive set of integrated solutions that help firms maximize the performance, functionality, and usability of their Internet channel.

The Gomez Performance Network (GPN) synthetically monitors page and transactional responsiveness, availability and success rates from a network of 55 nodes located in all 50 states of the U.S. and in 65 countries. GPN offers the world's largest Internet measurement infrastructure, monitoring performance from the data center to the desktop, and profiles end-user connection rates, locations and ISP networks.

Gomez Scorecards measure the quality of e-commerce offerings, with a predominant focus on the Internet channel and a secondary focus on auxiliary channels and measures. Scorecards rank all firms in an industry that meet minimum standards of service (typically in terms of depth and breadth of product and national availability), and provide a snapshot of how industry players compare and contrast across user profiles and usage categories.

Gomez, Gomez.com, GomezPro, Gomez Scorecards, Gomez Performance Network and Internet Quality Measurement are trademarks and/or service marks of Gomez, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.