User experience is not the same as usability.

User experience, often abbreviated as UX, is a collection of practices that focus on the end-user perceptions of a product. Usability is the method of assessing the quality of a user experience.

User Experience

User experience integrates the three elements of product development, the so called “Golden Triangle”:

User experience design is a subset of the field of experience design that pertains to the creation of the architecture and interaction models that impact a user's perception of a device or system. The scope of the field is directed at affecting "all aspects of the user’s interaction with the product: how it is perceived, learned, and used."
- Wikipedia

User Experience takes into consideration:

• Ease of Use – Usability Review
• Structure – Information Architecture Reorganizations
• Functionality – Interaction Design
• Intuitiveness – Information Design
• Aesthetic – Visual Design

Usability

Usability is the degree to which something - software, hardware or anything else - is easy to use and a good fit for the people who use it. It is a quality or characteristic of a product. It is whether a product is efficient, effective and satisfying for those who use it. It is the name for a group of techniques developed by usability professionals to help create usable products. And, it is a shorthand term for a process or approach to creating those products, also called user-centered design.
- Usability Professionals' Association

There are a variety of methods for determining usability, but the common factor in all of them is that they in one way or another ask and/or watch the actual users. Some of the most popular methods are:

• Heuristic Evaluation - Often referred to as the discount usability inspection method. Normal Modes Website Usability Reviews are a form of heuristic evaluation.
• Paper Prototyping
• Ethnographic Research
• Card Sorting
• A/B Testing
• Eye Tracking
• Formal Lab Testing - Can also encompass a variety of techniques

The efficacy of these methods depends on the situation. A good usability professional will be able to identify the appropriate tool for the situation and to meet the goals of the test. Beware of one trick ponies.

For example, we recommend heuristic evaluations as the first tier usability inspection method for existing websites, especially ones with known usability problems. In most cases, our Comprehensive Usability Reviews can identify and prioritize fixes for problems at a far lower cost than other testing methods. Only when problems are more nuanced do we turn to more expensive usability testing methods, like full-scale eye tracking studies or 12-subject qualitative lab testing that can run from $30k-$50k.

Our studies are not substitutes for working with actual users; they can help you identify 80% of the problems with your website, but you will need to live user testing to tackle the remaining 20%. Our studies can help you get the most value out of live user testing by identifying that remaining 20% and the questions live users need to answer.