When hiring usability analyst, what should you be looking for?

Your Usability Analyst should be a strategic partner of the owners of the online organization. This strategic partner should not only be the keeper of the lore – of what has happened in the past with the web site AND why – but also someone who would help to improve the current site AND helps in the planning of future site improvements.

One must recognize that an Usability Analyst is NOT an entry level job. A true Usability Analyst needs to have in-depth knowledge of the following four areas to become a true strategic partner of an organization

1. Online Usability: Of course an analyst needs to understand the fundamental understanding of the website usability. Please do note, web usability is very different than product usability
2. Online marketing: A good web usability analyst has to understand how the different a visitor can come to the site and how these different reference channels work
3. Statistics (though Analyst is NOT a Data puller but an Analyst DOES start with Data)
4. Online technologies

At the same time, an Analyst must develop the following soft skills-

1. Ability to work with people with different backgrounds in the company. Such as: Website owners/managers, designers, Copy writers, Agency partners, upper management, etc.
2. Build and give meaningful presentation to ALL levels of individuals in a company
3. Be an advocate for the Customer / User / Visitor of the company in online space
4. Ability to gather and see trends in customer/industry research (Primary and Secondary)
5. Ability to incorporate other people’s ideas into their recommendations
6. Ability to accept the fact that their recommendations are just that, recommendations. Testing is required to validate them.
7. Ability to accept the fact that recommendations which have worked for one program may not work for another
8. Ability to constantly educate themselves to stay on top of the new and upcoming things
9. Ability to ask a question Why – even when it is to yourself and your own preconceived notions of what are the best practices and what will or will not work.