The ease with which users can navigate and interact with a product or system, particularly in the context of software products and websites.
Usability covers various factors that determine how easy and pleasant it is for people to use a product, website, or app to accomplish their goals without confusion or frustration.
It focuses on the user experience from start to finish, convering all touchpoints: from how quickly someone can figure out where to click to how easily they can complete tasks without getting lost or annoyed. Good usability means users don’t have to think too hard about how something works; it just makes sense.
In localization, usability becomes even more important because what works perfectly in one language and culture might completely fail in another. Text that’s clear in English could be confusing when translated, or a button that’s the right size for English words might be too small for German translations. This is why localization teams need to test how usable their product is in each target market, not just whether the translation is technically correct.