System Usability Scale (SUS)

The standard usability questionnaire: 10 statements, one score from 0 to 100 – comparable with thousands of studies. Includes the established German translation.

Start for free Book a demo
System Usability Scale (SUS) – questionnaire preview

The System Usability Scale has been the world's most-used usability questionnaire since the 1990s: 10 alternately positive and negative statements, answered on a five-point scale and combined into a score from 0 to 100. Its biggest advantage is comparability – few instruments have as many reference values: the average across thousands of studies is 68 points, and from about 80 a system counts as very good. John Brooke developed the scale at Digital Equipment in 1986 and released it for free use. This template contains the original English items and the established German translation, complemented by an overall rating and an open question.

When should you use this template?

This template is a great fit for:

  • After usability tests, beta phases or major releases
  • As a recurring UX metric per product or feature area
  • To compare against competitors or industry benchmarks

Every question in this template

  1. 1

    Your assessment of the system *

    Please rate the following statements. “System” means the product you just used.

    Matrix
    Strongly disagreeDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly agree
    I think that I would like to use this system frequently.
    I found the system unnecessarily complex.
    I thought the system was easy to use.
    I think that I would need the support of a technical person to be able to use this system.
    I found the various functions in this system were well integrated.
  2. 2

    All in all: how would you describe the user-friendliness of the system?

    Single choice
    • Worst imaginable
    • Poor
    • OK
    • Good
    • Excellent
    • Best imaginable
  3. 3

    How often do you use the system?

    Single choice
    • Today for the first time
    • Occasionally
    • Weekly
    • (Almost) daily
  4. 4

    What hindered you most while using the system?

    Long text

From questionnaire to dashboard

SUS scoring is precisely defined – in the DataLion dashboard it becomes your UX metric with benchmark context:

  • SUS score (0–100): A calculation tile implements the official formula: odd items minus 1, even items subtracted from 5, sum times 2.5 – your SUS score, live with every new response.
  • Benchmark gauge: The score as a gauge with the familiar thresholds: below 68 under average, from 68 good, from 80 excellent. Presentable at a glance.
  • Score distribution: The histogram shows whether your mean reflects a consistent experience – or enthusiastic and frustrated camps averaging each other out.
  • Item profile: Means per statement show where it hurts: complexity, consistency or learning effort. This turns the score into a to-do list.
  • Segment comparison: Box plots by usage frequency separate first-time from regular users – the real insight often sits between the two.

Related survey templates

Browse all survey templates →

Frequently asked questions

How is the SUS score calculated?
For the odd (positive) statements subtract 1 from the response value; for the even (negative) ones subtract the response value from 5. Multiply the sum of the ten contributions by 2.5 – giving a score from 0 to 100. Note: it is not a percentage but a scale value.
What is a good SUS score?
The average across many hundreds of studies is 68. Scores from 80 count as excellent, below 50 as critical. More meaningful than the absolute value is the comparison across releases – which is exactly what this template is for as a recurring measurement.
May we use the SUS commercially?
Yes. John Brooke released the scale for free use; only an acknowledgement is requested (Brooke, 1996: “SUS – A quick and dirty usability scale”). The German translation is established in the UX field and free to use as well.
How many participants do we need?
Experience shows 8 to 12 people are enough for a rough direction; from about 30 the mean stabilises. For segment comparisons aim for at least 20 responses per group.

Start with this template

Load the template into DataLion, adapt it to your brand and start collecting responses — GDPR-compliant, in minutes.

Start for free Book a demo