understanding usability: getting beyond “ease of use” · understanding usability: getting...

Whitney Quesenbery | [email protected] | www.WQusability.com

Understanding Usability:Getting Beyond “Ease of Use”

Whitney QuesenberyWhitney Interactive Design

e. [email protected]. www.wqusability.comp. 908-638-5467

AIGA – DENVER – SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

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What do youthinkusabilitymeans?


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“Usability”has fourdifferentmeanings

The skills, methods andtechniques we use

An approach to our work, alsocalled user-centered design”

A philosophy for approachingdesign

A result: design that works forpeople.

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There is a“standard”definition inISO 9241-11.

Usability:

The extent to which a productcan be used by specified users toachieve specified goals witheffectiveness, efficiency andsatisfaction in a specified contextof use.


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There aremany otherversions,tailored todifferentcontexts.

This version is focused oninformation products

Something is usable when thepeople who use it can:Find what they needRecognize what they findMake use of it to meet their

own goals

- Ginny Redish

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A user-centereddesignprocess helpsensureusability

An international standard forhuman-centered design outlinesan iterative process

ISO 13407


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A user-centereddesignprocess helpsensureusability

ISO 13407

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We have tolook at allof thedimensionsof usability


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Effective:completenessand accuracy

Questions about effectiveness

How do users define success? Is success the same for all

stakeholders? What are the goals; what are the

tasks? Are there hidden goals?

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Efficient:speed, withaccuracy

Questions about efficiency

How long do users expect a taskto take?

Is the task completed in a singlesession?

What styles of interaction dousers prefer?

What would make the interfacefeel efficient.


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Engagingpleasant,interesting orsatisfying

Questions about being engaging

What kind of work (or play) isthis?

What are the expectations forstyle and tone?

How often? How long? When, where, how and why?

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Error tolerant:prevent, andrecover from,mistakes

Questions about errors

How familiar is the domain? Theterminology?

What will users find difficult? What kinds of errors are likely? How serious is the consequence? Will they understand the problem,

or need explanation?


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Easy to learn:first time or1000th use

Questions about learning

Will users expect to have to learnto use it?

Are they learning somethingnew?

How complex is the task? How often will it be used? How important is it to get it right?

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It’s aquestion ofbalance


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Usabilitydepends onthe point ofview of auser

Son, MarcusHusband, Jason

Toni

Toni is a young mother with a hecticlife, with her job in a local shop,husband, home, and most of all herson, Marcus, a two-year-old bundle ofactivity.

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Jerilynn works in the passport office inher county. Much of the work isroutine, but she enjoys helping people,and hearing about the trips they areplanning.

Grandkids Tomand Jerome

Jerilynn

DaughterKimberlygraduatingfromcollege


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Let’s try it

For one of your current projects…

What would the users say abouteach of the 5Es?

Make the statements in the firstperson

Be concrete and specific


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Put the 5Es to use:

Start a conversation

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Use the 5Esto create aconversation

Find out how your team definesusability…. Collect their personal opinions about

usability Introduce and define the dimensions

of usability Explore each in relationship to

business goals Examine the broad requirements for

implications Discuss possible usability priorities

for the product


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Start withassumptions(and tacitknowledge)about users

What do (you think) users think? Collect examples of things a user

might say, and relate it to one of the5Es

Discuss how many different usergroups there might be, anddifferences between them

Capture what these examples arebased on, and gaps this mightreveal in the group’s knowledge

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Where doyou haveknowledge?

Where doyou needmoreinformation?

Repeat…with real users andcompare the results Does actual experience with users

match the assumptions in theprevious exercise?

Are there differences in perceptionsin different stakeholder groups?

Where are the gaps inunderstanding, and how can they befilled?


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Put the 5Es to use:

Plan usability activities

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Usabilitytests need:real users,real goals,real productsandan observer

A usability test is one user (or two) at a time working with a real product

(including wireframes or prototypes) on meaningful tasks and (usually) thinking out loud while one or more people observe

and take notes and use the results to improve the

design


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Usabilitytechniques fillthree roles ina project

Exploratory Learn about users’ attitudes,

behavior, preferences, goals Qualitative

Diagnostic Answer design questions Find and fix problems Understand how users see and use

the product Iterative

Summative Evaluate success in meeting

usability goals Metrics and task success

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Differenttechniquesanswerdifferentquestions

Exploratory

Many Users

Few Users

Paperprototyping

Summativetesting

Cardsorting

Satisfactionsurveys

Surveys

Evaluation

Ethnography

Contextualobservation

Trafficanalysis

Diagnostictesting

Exploratorytesting


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Map userresearch tothe 5Es

User concerns and issues set thebalance and priorities in creatingusability goals

efficient

effective

engaging

“I really hope that I’ve gotten theprivacy settings right so I don’t getemail”

“At least the text is big enough toread”

“This looks like a lot to read. Howlong will this take, anyway?”

errortolerant

“Can I make a change as often as Ilike? What if I get it wrong?”

easy tolearn

“I never understand the questionsthey are asking me in these forms!”

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The 5Essuggestdesignapproaches

User needs suggest interactionstyles

effective Provide feedback onall actions

accuracy

efficient Design for fastest pathsUse appropriateinteraction styles

operationalspeed

engaging Make interface helpfulMatch expected styleand tone

draw usersin

errortolerant

Change ‘errors’ intocorrective choices

validation

easy tolearn

Create guides for tasksand interactions

just in timeinstruction

Dimension Needs Design Approaches


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The 5Essuggesttypes ofusabilitytesting

Choose a test technique thatcollects the right information

evaluate tasks for success andaccuracy

effective

error-tolerant

easy tolearn

control how much instruction isgiven to test participants

construct task scenarios tocreate situations with potentialproblems

engaging user satisfaction surveys togauge acceptance

efficient time users completing realistictasks on working product

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How does usability fit into“user experience”?


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It takesmanydifferentskills tocreate a userexperience

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We can tellthe story thisway….

There once were two cats ofKilkenny

Each cat thought there wasone cat too many

So they scratchedand they fit

And they fought andthey bit

'Til instead of two catsthere ain’t any.


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…or we cantell it anotherway.

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More reading

Dimensions of Usabilityin Content and Complexityeds. Michael Albers, BethMazur.Erlbaum, 2003

And, additional articles on my web site:

http://www.WQusability.com

Personas and Narrativein The Persona Lifecycle:Keeping People in Mind DuringProduct Designby John Pruitt & Tamara AdlinMorgan Kaufmann Press,November 2005


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About Whitney

Whitney QuesenberyWhitney Interactive Designp: 908-638-5467e: [email protected]: www.WQusability.com

Whitney Quesenbery is a user interface designer andusability specialist with a passion for clearcommunication.

She is an expert in developing new concepts for productdesigns and has produced award winning multimediaproducts, web sites, and web & software applications.

Whitney is president of UPA - Usability Professionals’Association and is a leader in the STC Usability and UserExperience Community.

Before she was seduced by a little beige computer intothe world of usability, Whitney was a theatrical lightingdesigner on and off Broadway. The lessons and storiesfrom the theatre stay with her in creating userexperiences.

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