If you’re a small business owner, you’re likely no stranger to juggling as many hats as possible and learning new skills on the fly. And if you’re like most small business owners, one of the most challenging items on your to-do list is likely building and managing your website.
With more people turning to AI-assisted tools or AI development agents like Claude Code to build their websites, launching a website may seem easier than ever. However, these tools cannot reliably identify usability issues and often wind up complicating website experiences as a result.
In fact, I’ve found that close to 90% of businesses acknowledge delaying website updates. The reasons for these delays include budgetary constraints, conflicting advice, and an overall uncertainty as to what the “correct” approach should be.
Why are you struggling to improve your website?
Building an effective website is more than just making sure you have a pretty design. Your website needs to align with your business goals, meet your visitors’ expectations, and work seamlessly across different devices.
It isn’t that you lack the capability to build a good website; it’s that you don’t know what issues to look for or how to address them. The Website Assessment Framework is designed to change that.
How the Website Assessment Framework works
The Website Assessment Framework is based on 15 core usability principles that experts use when designing, building, and optimizing websites.
For each usability principle, you will:
- Receive an introduction to the definition of the principle and how it impacts your website and website visitors.
- Learn how to evaluate your website for each principle and identify any improvements your website needs related to the principle.
- Score your website for the impact of necessary improvements.
Once you have evaluated your website for each principle, you will:
- Calculate the total impact level of the usability improvements you identified throughout the evaluation.
- Walk through the process of creating a prioritized improvement plan to help you feel confident about moving forward.
Why the Website Assessment Framework is effective
The foundation of the Website Assessment Framework is based on my personal process of auditing websites, honed over 10 years as a professional user experience designer. It’s common to become laser-focused on individual aspects of your website, creating a disjointed experience or missing functional issues.
Users of this framework have discovered and corrected previously unknown usability issues in just a few hours.
Relying on AI design tools can make these issues even more pronounced. This Website Assessment Framework helps you learn how to step back and evaluate your website as a whole, and the decisions you make throughout it will be grounded in concrete usability principles instead of guesswork.
What does the Website Assessment Framework include?
The Website Assessment Framework includes easy-to-read definitions for 15 usability principles, guidance on how to critically evaluate your website, and a system for scoring the usability impact of your website. It is available in the following formats:
- Downloadable PDF
- Notion Template
The Website Assessment Framework is designed to be used across any type of website, personal or professional, and can be rerun on the same website to help measure the success of new content or functionality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I use this framework instead of asking AI?
This framework not only guides you through the process of auditing your website but also helps you learn why the included principles are strategically important. Relying on AI to evaluate your website’s usability can lead to conflicting feedback, advice that is not relevant to your business needs or use case, and ultimately make the process of improving your website more complex.
Can anyone use this framework?
Yes! The Website Assessment Framework is specifically designed for individuals with little to no technical experience.
How to get the Website Assessment Framework
The Website Assessment Framework is available as a one-time purchase. You can use it to evaluate any website on your own or in collaboration with your team.
- Lifetime access to the definitions and best practices of 15 usability principles.
- Step-by-step instructions for how to implement the framework, what to analyze, and how to score your website’s level of impact.
- My framework for prioritizing website improvements for immediate impact.
- Access to the framework via a PDF document and an interactive Notion template.
The Website Assessment Framework
15 proven usability principles to help you uncover high-impact issues and create a prioritized roadmap for a better digital experience.