Usability refers to how easy user-friendly a product is for people to use. It is measured by how efficiently and satisfactorily users can accomplish their goals. Ensuring good usability is important as it leads to benefits like increased sales, lower support costs, and reduced rework. User-centered design is an approach that focuses on learning about users and involving them in the design process through activities like requirements analysis, prototyping, and testing. Following standards and methodologies helps implement user-centered design principles systematically.
3. 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.
4. Definitions of Usability
• "Usability is about human behavior. It recognizes that
humans are lazy, get emotional, are not interested in putting
a lot of effort into, say, getting a credit card and generally
prefer things that are easy to do vs. those that are hard to
do."
-- DavidMcQuillenin"TakingUsabilityOffline" DarwinMagazine, June2003
• After all, usability really just means that making sure that
something works well: that a person of average (or even
below average) ability and experience can use the thing -
whether it's a Web site, a fighter jet, or a revolving door - for
its intended purpose without getting hopelessly frustrated.
--SteveKrug
13. Internationally
Tho usands o f o rg anizatio ns such as
• Microsoft
• IBM
• Yahoo
• US Federal Government
• Singapore Government
• Nokia
• eBay
• Amazon
• Apple
• Oracle
14. Nationally
In India, so m e pio ne e ring ado pte rs o f usability are
• Yahoo! India
• Symantec
• Wipro
• PURE IT Usability Research
• People Group
• Kanbay
• Infosys
• ICICI Bank
• eBay India
• Human Factors International
15. This means that the technology
world is moving towards
Usability
30. Advantages
•Increased sales
• Longer market life
• Credible marketing claims
• Compelling product demonstrations
• Reduced need for customer support
• Simple, less costly documentation
• Fewer last minute design changes
• Reduced development time
• Minimized rework
34. User-centered design (UCD)
is an approach to design that grounds the process in
information about the people who will use the product.
UCD processes focus on users through the planning,
design and development of a product.
36. An International Standard
There is an international standard that is the basis formany UCDmethodologies. This
standard (ISO13407: Human-centered design process) defines a general process for
including human-centered activities throughout a development life-cycle, but does
not specify exact methods.
In this model, once the need to use a human centered design process has been
identified, fouractivities formthe main cycle of work:
•Specify the context of use
Identify the people who will use the product, what they will use it for, and under what
conditions they will use it.
•Specify requirements
Identify any business requirements or user goals that must be met for the product to
be successful.
•Create design solutions
This part of the process may be done in stages, building from a rough concept to a
complete design.
•Evaluate designs
The most important part of this process is that evaluation - ideally through usability
testing with actual users - is as integral as quality testing is to good software
development.
•The process ends - and the product can be released - once the requirements are met.
37. A Typical UCDMethodology
•Most user-centered design methodologies are more detailed in
suggesting specific activities, and the time within a process
when they should be completed. The UPA publishes a poster,
Designing the User Experience, showing a typical UCD process.
•In this version, the UCD activities are broken down into four
phases: Analysis, Design, Implementation and Deployment, with
suggested activities for each phase. They are:
•Analysis Phase
•Design Phase
•Implementation Phase
•Deployment Phase
38. Analysis Phase
•Meet with key stakeholders to set vision
•Include usability tasks in the project plan
•Assemble a multidisciplinary team to ensure complete
expertise
•Develop usability goals and objectives
•Conduct field studies
•Look at competitive products
•Create user profiles
•Develop a task analysis
•Document user scenarios
•Document user performance requirements
39. Design Phase
•Begin to brainstorm design concepts and metaphors
•Develop screen flow and navigation model
•Do walkthroughs of design concepts
•Begin design with paper and pencil
•Create low-fidelity prototypes
•Conduct usability testing on low-fidelity prototypes
•Create high-fidelity detailed design
•Do usability testing again
•Document standards and guidelines
•Create a design specification
40. Implementation Phase
•Do ongoing heuristic evaluations
•Work closely with delivery team as design is implemented
•Conduct usability testing as soon as possible
41. Deployment Phase
•Use surveys to get user feedback
•Conduct field studies to get info about actual use
•Check objectives using usability testing