Don’t just test Usability – build it!

About me

I do not code.The rest is ok.

Instead of agenda

Does it matter?

"The extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness,

efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use." ISO 9241-11

Does it matter?

The meaning of design….

Not for color blinds

The meaning of design….Catch me if you can

The meaning of design….

Ups...

Elements of Usability

Utility = whether it provides the features you need.

Usability = how easy & pleasant these features are to use.

Useful = usability + utility.

Jakob Nielsen

Usability... accessibility

Who is the real user of your product?

Usability…ergonomy

Usability… utility

In case of errors....

Usability errors

• Hospital system:• 22 ways of dispensing the wrong medication to patients. • Most of these flaws are classic usability problems.

Medical Usability: How to Kill Patients Through Bad Design JAKOB NIELSEN

Poor ReadabilityPatient names in a small font

easy to select the wrong patient. Memory OverloadPatient’s medications presented on up to twenty screens 72% of staff uncertain about medications and dosages because of the

difficulties in reviewing a patient's total medications.

Date Description ErrorsSpecifying medications for „tomorrow” entering orders after midnight caused that patients would

miss a day's medication.

Bad usability = no customers

YesUsability matters

What is the problem?

You know the rules.You can recognize poor usability.

You are doing usability tests.

It’s enought, right?

ISO 9241 Ergonomics of Human System Interaction

Nielsen’s heuristics

Style guidelines

Krug’s laws

Not really

Too late to apologize…

Would testing help to improve it?

Too late to apologize…

Testing is not enough

„Prevention is better than cure.”― Desiderius Erasmus

„Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.”― Albert Einstein

Design for

usability

Evaluate for

usability

Planning and engineering

Usability is not just a matter of intuition.

Usability is not a „nice to have” factor.

Usability can be planned and designed.

Usability is an area of engineering.

Usability engineering

A field concerned with human-computer

interaction and specifically with making human-

computer interfaces that have high usability or user

friendliness

The proces of Usability Engineering

Concept Planning Understanding needs

Requirements

Analyse requirements

Design/ development

Concept

• Best practices:• Envisioning opportunities• Context of use of systems. • System concept.

• System scoping• The objectives of the system.• The scope of the context of use.

Envisioning opportunities

System scoping

Concept

Know your users.Know their goals, skills, preferences, and tendencies.

“Obsess over customers: when given the choice between obsessing over competitors or customers, always obsess over customers. Start with customers and work backward.”

– Jeff Bezos

ConceptEnvisioning opportunities

Future workshop

Preliminary field visit

Focus groups

Photo study

Simulations of future environments

Brainstorming

Planning

• Plan – how to achieve and maintain usability throughout the life of the system.• Plan – how to provide required specialist skills.

„If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” ― Benjamin Franklin

Understanding needs• Best practices• Context of use

• Stakeholders and users.• The environment.• The location and workplace

equipment.• Tasks

• Tasks and work system.• Usability needs

• Required system usability.• Design options

• Design options.• User-centered solutions.

Context of use

Tasks

Usability

needs

Design

options

Understanding needsContext of use

Stakeholder identification

Field observations

Participatory workshops

Work context

Context of use analysis

Understanding needs

Understanding needs

Understanding needsVisibility of system status

Match between system and the real world User control and freedomConsistency and standards

Error preventionRecognition rather than recallFlexibility and efficiency of use

Aesthetic and minimalist designHelp users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

Help and documentation

Requirements • Best practices• Context requirements • Implications of the context of use.

• User requirements• Statement of user requirements.• Measurable criteria for the system. Context requirements

User requirements

Requirements

Context requirements

Define the intended context of use including boundaries

Analyze requirements • Best practices• How usability criteria and requirements can be met by the proposed design?• Analyze the user requirements.• Present requirements to stakeholders for use in the development and operation of the

system.

Analyze requirements

Analyze requirements

Identify and analyse success critical stakeholder requirements

Common industry specification for usability requirements

SWOT analysis

Design/development• Best practices• High level design • Design options.• User-centered solutions.• Customization.

• Prototyping • Simulation or trial implementation.

• Usability evaluation• Human resources• Goals and tasks to be achieved.• Staff availability.• Skill requirements.

High level design

Prototypi

ng

Usability

evaluation

Human

resources

Design/developmentHigh level design

Function allocation

Physical ergonomics

Participatory design

User interface guidelines

Standards

Design/development

Design/development

Don’t make me think.It doesn’t matter how many times I have to click, as

long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice.

Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what is left.

Failed at first?

Don’t worry.

“No matter how thoroughly you plan, no matter how much you think you know, you've never thought of everything.”

― John Flanagan

Readings • http://www.usabilitybok.org/• http://www.usabilitynet.org • http://www.usabilityplanner.org/#methods

Q & A