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What is Usability?
Abstract and Figures
The paper relates different approaches to usability based on the product, the user, ease-of-use, actual usage and the context of use; and proposes that usability should be defined as the ease of use and acceptability of a product for a particular class of users carrying out specific tasks in a specific environment. Criterion levels for measure- ments of attitude and user performance determine whether the design of the product is successful in achieving usability. Diagnostic evaluation of usability problems may be based on analysis of user interaction or comparison of product attributes with guidelines.
... Four different views on human computer interaction to measure interactive qualities currently exists (cf. [1], [17]). (1) The interaction-oriented view: usability quality is measured in terms of how the user interacts with the product ("usability testing"). ...
... [1], [17]). (1) The interaction-oriented view: usability quality is measured in terms of how the user interacts with the product ("usability testing"). This view is the most common one. ...
... Tab. 1): (1) nominal scale (to classify or grouping interfaces), (2) ordinal scale (to compare different types of interfaces and to put categories in order), (3) interval scale (meaningful measure of the distance between categories), and (4) rational scale (interval scale with an absolute null) (cf. [12]). ...
... A method is made on this issue is that they experiment the user's behaviour when user search for According to this research usability issues overcome by replacing website according to user friendly design and by measuring the usability. Usability measure in three terms, first to determine what will be the attribute of the website, second usability measured by determining what will be user behavior and mental effort when use the website third usability checked how the user interact with the website,what will user perceive when using a website (Bevan, Kirakowski, & Maissel, 1991).To improve the usability of the website , regarding this research observers try to analyze the behavior of the user . ...
... A website cannot be consider best before it is evaluated by the user but have some features that determine the behavior of the user, including all the features that imagine useful for the user within the website design. Quality of the website is the key point for the user in best usable websites (Bevan, Kirakowski, & Maissel, 1991). ...
In this research we identify the usability issues, website does not meet the user need it is not best approach of web usability. Website that contain the structure of a particular domain, business but does not fulfil the user's objective it is major usability issue of website. These websites will also not fulfil the organizations need. For web usability first of all the website must be user friendly. The objectives of the website must be clearly define. Short links given for user to easily access the website. Website contain some features, to use the website and their features some key points must be clearly define to reduce the usability issue. Navigation bar must contain some common links that the user fined in all websites .All links must be cover their title which provide the user access to fulfil the needs. Website establishment must provide guidelines for writing styles, for navigation bar, page design and for short links that provide the better usability to user. In all website criteria maintenance is very important for better usability. Also monitoring helps to reduce the usability issues of a website
... There are many scholars gave their thought in defining the term of usability in the system design. Usability is originally derived from the word "user-friendly" [55] however, the term had gained a large group of vague and subjective intentions and accordingly the expression of "usability" was recommended to supplant this term [56]. Recently, the term of "usability" has been defined as the quality of use [57] which it can rather be measured as the result of interaction in a context that the resources, for example, time, cash or mental exertion that must be exhausted to accomplish the objectives (effectiveness) and the extent to which user finds the whole system worthy (satisfaction) [58]. ...
Recent years we have witnessed major advancements in technologies that support the children that have been diagnosed with the autism by the increasing number of the application to enhance their ability in communication, understanding and interface with others. There are increasing numbers of a new mobile application that can be found on the market today, unfortunately, many of them are difficult to use and learn by the autistic children. This is due to the lack of usability guidelines for mobile application and relatively unexplored and unproven. This research will propose usability guidelines for interface design of mobile application for autism. The objectives of this research are to identify existing usability factors that have been currently used to design the interface of mobile application for autism and to review the usability guideline to design the interface of mobile application for autism. This project will be conducted in three phases and mixed method involving observation and interview will be applied. The finding of this study is to identify compatible usability elements for designing mobile application user interface for autistic children.
... De même, nous voulons tester l'utilisabilité (Bevan et al., 1991) du système parce que si celle-ci n'est pas assurée dans le jeu, les efforts des joueurs porteront sur la manière d'utiliser l'interface et ne seront plus concentrés sur le contenu du jeu (Olsen et al., 2011). Pour tester l'utilisabilité, nous nous baserons sur un questionnaire distribué aux joueurs après avoir participé aux expériences (Brooke, 1996). ...
Nous proposons l’architecture ARGILE (Architecture for Representations, Games, Interactions, and Learning among Experts) adaptée au jeu sérieux « participatif et intensif en connaissances ». Elle s’adresse à la formation dans les domaines d’expertise et de pratique complexe, où les connaissances de référence ne sont ni stabilisées ni unanimes, mais au contraire dynamiques et en évolution continue. L’expert praticien ne prend pas ses décisions en fonction de recettes préétablies, mais il est amené à procéder par essais et erreurs, et à découvrir au fil de l’eau des solutions dans les situations complexes qui lui sont proposées. Cela amène à souhaiter que les règles et les objets du jeu puissent être facilement commentés, mis en discussion et modifiés par les formateurs et acteurs du domaine eux-mêmes. Nous présentons dans cet article un cadre de méthode pour atteindre ces objectifs. Nous exposons les lignes directrices de l’infrastructure technique de l’ensemble du dispositif, que nous souhaitons construire, pour à la fois gérer les actions des apprenants et leurs effets, et assurer la conception participative des objets et des règles, impliquant d’en débattre entre concepteurs. Nous illustrons concrètement les idées présentées sur deux exemples liés à des projets en cours, amenés à utiliser cette architecture, pour des notions complexes en développement durable (projet Defismed), et pour des situations de crise (projet Aidcrisis).
... The Star Tree showed even the tendency of advantages at larger data structures. The finding, that the subjective appraisal went the inverse way and subjects tended to assess the Tree Browser slightly better than the Star Tree is remarkable, since the subjective appraisal is seen as an important part of usability (Bevan, Kirakowski & Maissel, 1991). Amazing is also the finding, that experts did not show significantly better results than novices. ...
... Part 11 gives the following definition of usability: ,,Usability is measured by the extent to which the intended goals of use of the overall system are achieved (effectiveness); the resources that have to be expended to achieve the intended goals (efficiency); and the extent to which the user finds the overall system acceptable (satisfaction)." For a more detailed discussion of the term usability see (Bevan 1995). Effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction can be seen as quality factors of usability. ...
User interface design is a central issue for the usability of a software product. In this chapter, general requirements referring to the international software ergonomics stan-dardization and specific design features for the user interface of learning systems are pre-sented. Orientation and feedback for the learner are the most relevant issues of interface design of learning systems. Information presentation methods appropriate for learning are proposed. Contextualization of learner support by individualized interfaces, by active and sit-uated learning means, and contextual on-line help are proposed. Reflection during and after the design and development of an interface are recommended.
... The usability of the two pointing devices was assessed in terms of objective device performance and subjective device satisfaction based on the European ESPRIT MUSiC performance metrics method [3,11] and the recommendations outlined in the ISO 9241 Part 11 'Guidance on Usability' International Standard [18]. From these, performance was defined as 'The quality of interaction with the device and the time taken to perform that interaction' and satisfaction was defined as 'The subjective acceptability of the device, expressed in terms of user workload and comfort when using the device and the ease of use of the device'. ...
This paper examines and compares the usability problems associated with eye-based and head-based assistive technology pointing devices when used for direct manipulation on a standard graphical user interface. It discusses and examines the pros and cons of eye-based pointing in comparison to the established assistive technology technique of head-based pointing, and illustrates the usability factors responsible for the apparent low usage or 'unpopularity' of eye-based pointing. It shows that user experience and target size on the interface are the predominant factors affecting eye-based pointing and suggests that these could be overcome to enable eye-based pointing to be a viable and available direct manipulation interaction technique for the motor-disabled community.
... The usability of the mouse systems was assessed in terms of objective device efficiency and subjective user satisfaction based on the European ESPRIT MUSIC performance metrics method [3,15] and the recommendations outlined in the ISO 9241 Part 11 'Guidance on Usability' International Standard [ 19]. These metrics were defined as follows: ...
This paper quantifies the benefits and usability problems associated with eye-based pointing direct interaction on a standard graphical user interface. It shows where and how, with the addition of a second supporting modality, the typically poor performance and subjective assessment of eye-based pointing devices can be improved to match the performance of other assistive technology devices. It shows that target size is the overriding factor affecting device performance and that when target sizes are artificially increased by 'zooming in' on the interface under the control of a supporting modality then eye-based pointing becomes a viable and usable interaction methodology for people with high-level motor disabilities.
... Los términos usabilidad y calidad en uso han estado empleándose como sinónimos en la comunidad de Ingeniería de Software y Web por un largo período. En una encuesta donde se repasa el uso del término usabilidad bajo distintos enfoques Folmer et al [6] afirman, citando a Bevan et al [2], que el término usabilidad tiene su origen en el concepto de "user friendly", pero que esta frase fue adquiriendo un sentido vago y subjetivo, sugiriéndose el término usabilidad para reemplazarla. Luego usabilidad fue definida como una característica principal de la calidad de un producto de software en el estándar 9126 [10] y fue ampliada también en el estándar 9126-1, esta vez con calidad en uso, que ofrece una idea más amplia y completa de calidad que usabilidad. ...
En el artículo se propone un enfoque cuantitativo para medir y evaluar calidad en uso, o sea la calidad percibida por los usuarios en contextos reales de uso, para aplicaciones software/Web. La propuesta metodológica está guiada por un marco de medición y evaluación, que a su vez se basa en una ontología de métricas e indicadores. Se ilustra la propuesta con un caso de estudio de evaluación de calidad en uso para una aplicación e-Learning. Se analizan los datos obtenidos y se arrojan conclusiones finales.
... The application of usability to computer-mediated environments has primarily focused on users' ease of use, ease of navigation, efficiency and effectiveness in the computer-mediated environment (Nielsen, 2000). There has been considerable research done on identifying measures for evaluating the usability of websites and software products (Nielsen, 2000;Bevan et al., 1991;Chin et al., 1988;Lewis, 1995;Tullis and Stetson, 2004). ...
This paper reports on an exploratory study that examined the impact of patients' sociability and usability experience in an online health community and their impact on their attitude towards the healthcare organisation (HCO) that runs the online community. The study data was collected from the online community of a healthcare programme called Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS) run by the Centre for Health Enhancement Support Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The study results validate the hypotheses and show that it is important for any HCO to evaluate patients' sociability and usability experience in its online health community since the experience can impact patients' attitudes towards the HCO and its services.
Purpose
Language Impairment Testing in Multilingual Settings (LITMUS) instruments were developed to improve the identification of developmental language disorders in multilingual children. The current study investigated the usability and feasibility of the online Dutch version of several of these instruments (LITMUS-NL) according to speech-language pathologists (SLPs), thereby taking the first steps toward implementation in clinical practice.
Method
We first conducted a usability study in which 24 SLPs performed the LITMUS-NL tests while using a think-aloud protocol. They subsequently filled out a questionnaire to investigate the degree of usability and added value of LITMUS-NL. After adapting LITMUS-NL based on the results of the usability study, a feasibility study was carried out in which 25 other SLPs each used LITMUS-NL with three multilingual children. Afterward, they completed a feasibility questionnaire and questionnaires about the reactions of the children.
Results
In the first study, many usability issues emerged, mainly concerning technical problems, instructions, and test construction. Despite these issues, the SLPs evaluated the degree of usability and added value as positive. The feasibility study revealed a lower degree of usability and, despite the adaptations, feasibility issues in the same categories.
Conclusions
By involving the intended users in the process toward implementing a new product, we identified (and solved) many issues that would interfere with successful implementation in daily clinical practice. A systematic, iterative approach toward implementation helps identify what is deemed important by the intended users of a new product and bridges the gap between research and practice.
Supplemental Material
https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.26864344
Background
Black adults who smoke and have HIV experience immense stressors (eg, racial discrimination and HIV stigma) that impede smoking cessation success and perpetuate smoking-related health disparities. These stressors also place Black adults who smoke and have HIV at an increased risk of elevated interoceptive stress (eg, anxiety and uncomfortable bodily sensations) and smoking to manage symptoms. In turn, this population is more likely to smoke to manage interoceptive stress, which contributes to worse HIV-related outcomes in this group. However, no specialized treatment exists to address smoking cessation, interoceptive stress, and HIV management for Black smokers with HIV.
Objective
This study aims to test a culturally adapted and novel mobile intervention that targets combustible cigarette smoking, HIV treatment engagement and adherence, and anxiety sensitivity (a proxy for difficulty and responsivity to interoceptive stress) among Black smokers with HIV (ie, Mobile Anxiety Sensitivity Program for Smoking and HIV [MASP+]). Various culturally tailored components of the app are being evaluated for their ability to help users quit smoking, manage physiological stress, and improve health care management.
Methods
This study is a pilot randomized controlled trial in which Black combustible cigarette smokers with HIV (N=72) are being recruited and randomly assigned to use either (1) the National Cancer Institute’s QuitGuide app or (2) MASP+. Study procedures include a web-based prescreener; active intervention period for 6 weeks; smartphone-based assessments, including daily app-based ecological momentary assessments for 6 weeks (4 ecological momentary assessments each day); a video-based qualitative interview using Zoom Video Communications software at week 6 for participants in all study conditions; and smartphone-based follow-up assessments at 0, 1, 2 (quit date), 3, 4, 5, 6, and 28 weeks postbaseline (26 weeks postquitting date).
Results
Primary outcomes include biochemically verified 7-day point prevalence of abstinence, HIV-related quality of life, use of antiretroviral therapy, and HIV care appointment adherence at 26 weeks postquitting date. Qualitative data are also being collected and assessed to obtain feedback that will guide further tailoring of app content and evaluation of efficacy.
Conclusions
The results of this study will determine whether the MASP+ app serves as a successful aid for combustible cigarette smoking cessation, HIV treatment engagement, and physiological stress outcomes among Black people with HIV infection. If successful, this study will provide evidence for the efficacy of a new means of addressing major mental and physical health difficulties for this high-risk population. If the results are promising, the data from this study will be used to update and tailor the MASP+ app for testing in a fully powered randomized controlled trial that will evaluate its efficacy in real-world behavioral health and social service settings.
Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05709002; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05709002
International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)
PRR1-10.2196/52090
Background
Non-metastatic breast cancer treatment is mainly based on surgery, with or without chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or hormone therapy. To reduce the risk of hormone receptor positive (HR+) disease recurrence, hormone therapy is prescribed for at least 5 years. It may induce adverse drug reactions (ADRs) as joint pain, sexual dysfunction, weight increase, fatigue, mood disorders and vasomotor symptoms. Around 30–40% of patients withhold hormone therapy within 5 years after initiation. Based on encouraging results of mobile health in patient follow-up, we developed a web-application addressed for breast cancer patients initiating adjuvant hormonal therapy and aimed to assess its impact on hormone therapy adherence, ADRs management, and health-related quality of life.
Methods
The WEBAPPAC trial is a randomized, open-label, prospective, single-center phase 3 study aiming to assess the interest of a web-application support as compared to standard management among breast cancer patients initiating hormone therapy. The main endpoint is the proportion of patients with hormone therapy adherence failure within 18 months after treatment start, in each arm. Eligible patients will be 1:1 randomized between the WEBAPPAC web-application support (experimental arm,) or standard support (control arm), with stratification on type of hormone therapy (Aromatase inhibitor or Tamoxifen). We plan to enroll 438 patients overall. Failure to hormone therapy will be assessed using the Morisky 8-item self-questionnaire (MMSA8), patient adherence logbook, and medical consultations. Secondary outcomes include hormone therapy adherence at 6 months, pain (Visual Analogue Scale and Brief Pain Inventory), quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30 and BR23 self-questionnaires), anxiety and depression (Hospital and Depression Scale), and return to work and/or daily activities. The user experience with the WEBAPPAC web-application will be assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire.
Discussion
Hormone therapy discontinuation or adherence failure in breast cancer patients may be indirectly related to an increased risk of recurrence. A better control of medication adherence, through the detection of side effects and some proposed actions trying to reduce them, appears therefore essential to limit the risk of disease recurrence. The WEBAPPAC web-application thus aims better monitoring and allowing higher level of responsiveness in case of ADRs, thus improving treatment adherence.
Trial registration
NCT04554927, registered September 18, 2020.
Protocol version
Version 2.1 dated from December 21, 2021.
Despite the importance of usability in human-machine interaction (HMI), most commonly used devices are not usable by all potential users. In particular, users with low or null technological experience, or with special needs, require carefully designed systems and easy-to-use interfaces supporting recognition over recall. To this purpose, Natural User Interfaces (NUIs) represent an effective strategy as the user's learning is facilitated by features of the interface that mimic the human “natural” sensorimotor embodied interactions with the environment. This paper compares the usability of a new NUI (based on an eye-tracker and hand gesture recognition) with a traditional interface (keyboard) for the distal control of a simulated drone flying in a virtual environment. The whole interface relies on “dAIsy”, a new software allowing the flexible use of different input devices and the control of different robotic platforms. The 59 users involved in the study were required to complete two tasks with each interface, while their performance was recorded: (a) exploration: detecting trees embedded in an urban environment; (b) accuracy: guiding the drone as accurately and fast as possible along a predefined track. Then they were administered questionnaires regarding the user's background, the perceived embodiment of the device, and the perceived quality of the virtual experience while either using the NUI or the traditional interface. The results appear controversial and call for further investigation: (a) contrary to our hypothesis, the specific NUI used led to lower performance than the traditional interface; (b) however, the NUI was evaluated as more natural and embodied. The final part of the paper discusses the possible causes underlying these results that suggest possible future improvements of the NUI.
This chapter relates to the previous treatment of inpatients/clients in the research sample and their choice of TC, where they had been rehabilitated. The correlations between SUDs and treatment careers are also discussed here. The chapter also contains machine-generated summaries of five relevant scientific papers.
The main objective of this study is to analyse consumers’ behavioural intentions to use cardless banking technology in Malaysia. The intentions to use this technology are evaluated through an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework. The data were collected from 447 Maybank and Hong Leong Bank customers in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. The results show that self-efficacy (SE) had a positive impact on the perceived ease of use (PEOU), while perceived risk (PR) had a negative impact on perceived usefulness (PU) and intention to use (IU) cardless banking. Next, the perceived ease of use (PEOU) had a positive impact on perceived usefulness (PU). The results further support the idea that perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) had the strongest impacts on intention to use (IU). The practical implications of this study suggest that developers of cardless banking technology should introduce secure, less complicated, and easily accessible technology to improve consumers’ intentions to use. The perceived usefulness of this technology can be improved through promotional strategies and consumer training. Theoretically, this study has successfully extended TAM in the context of cardless banking technology in Malaysia. Moreover, this study will assist bankers in designing effective marketing strategies to attract more customers, which will add significant value to the overall business of the banking industry.
Background
Mobile technologies hold potential for improving the quality of care and engagement of patients. However, there are considerable challenges in ensuring that technologies are relevant, useful, and engaging. While end users such as patients and providers are increasingly involved in the design of health technologies, there are limited examples of their involvement in directly creating technologies for their personal use.
Objective
We aim to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of patients and providers creating mobile texting apps to support treatment goals.
Methods
In an 11-month usability study, we enrolled 4 providers and 28 patients in an intensive outpatient program for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Patients and providers created their own mobile texting apps using a visual app development platform. A subsample of 10 patients and 4 providers completed a usability measure.
Results
Participants created a total of 360 unique mobile text messages (1787 total messages sent). There were 4 types of messages identified, including personalized reminders, clinical exposures, interactive prompts, and encouraging/informational messages. A total of 9 out of 10 (90%) patients agreed that the messages were relevant to their recovery, and 8 out of 10 (80%) agreed that the messages were effective at helping complete treatment plans.
Conclusions
Enabling patients and providers to cocreate apps for their own use by using a visual application platform is feasible and holds potential for increasing the relevance, sustainability, and effectiveness of digital health technologies.
In this paper, a metaheuristic algorithm has been introduced for software usability feature selection and evaluation. Usability is becoming one of the most significant aspects of quality of software. The term ‘usability’ has already been defined by the authors in their previous work in a reference to the hierarchical software usability model. This model combines various usability factors and features in a hierarchical manner. Here, we introduced MBBAT (Modified Binary Bat Algorithm) for usability feature selection to get an optimal solution for the search of useful usability features out of a given set of usability features. MBBAT is an extension of Binary Bat Algorithm(BBA) which is based on the bat's behavior and to the best of our knowledge, this algorithm is introduced for the first time in software engineering practices. The selected number of features and accuracy of proposed MBBAT algorithm is compared with the original BBA and the proposed metaheuristic algorithm outperforms the original BBA as it generates a fewer number of selected features and having low accuracy.
Covers the basics of usability testing plus some statistical topics (sample size estimation, confidence intervals, and standardized usability questionnaires).
One of the main problems of standards (e.g., DIN 66234, ISO 9241) in the context of usability of software quality is, that they can not be measured in product features. We present a new approach to measure user interface quality in a quantitative way. First, we developed a concept to describe user interfaces on a granularity level, that is detailed enough to preserve important interface characteristics, and is general enough to cover most of known interface types. We distinguish between different types of ‘interaction points’. With these kinds of interaction points we can describe several types of interfaces (CUI: command, menu, form-fill-in; GUI: desktop, direct manipulation, multimedia, etc.). We carried out two different comparative usability studies to validate our quantitative measures. The results of one other published comparative usability study can be predicted. Results of six different interfaces are presented and discussed.
System usability scale.
Full text of the ten-item Leikart-style scale developed by John Brooke to quantify subjective usability of a device. Text includes explanation of the questionnaire and a sample of the scale at the end of the document.
(PDF)
This paper presents the evaluation results from evaluation of the Espírito Santo Federal University -
Ufes Student’s Portal, regarding the Usability and Information Quality. It was analyzed 900 answers
obtained through an electronic questionnaire given to 18,473 users, answered during the steps of
application and adjustment of registration for the semester 2014/1. In the proposed research model,
the Usability is composed of six dimensions (Learnability, Memorability, Efficiency, Satisfaction, Errors
Support and Utility). It was found that all dimensions, except for Learnability, affect the respondents’
perception in regards to Information Quality of the Portal. The Satisfaction was the most influential
dimension. Respondents were classified into three distinct groups, according to the evaluation of
the Usability of Portal, aiming to understand and meet to different demands of these users. It was
concluded that the Ufes Student’s Portal, although still has opportunities for improvement, was
rated above average as the Information Quality and Usability. Among the dimensions of Usability,
the Satisfaction dimension obtained good evaluation, which indicates that the Portal has fulfilled its
function to meet the information needs of students.
This work focuses on the concept of web usability. The objective of this research is to analyze, and improve on, currently available tools for measuring web usability, and propose a new evaluation methodology which will reduce the uncertainty that is inherent in the tools that currently exist. With this aim in mind, and taking as a starting point, the web usability evaluation framework proposed by Hassan and Martín (2003) and Suárez-Torrente (2011) a new collection of evaluation criteria with a high degree of disaggregation has been developed along with an associated metrics. We believe that the existing methodologies have been improved upon as the subjective elements of the evaluation process have been considerably reduced. The proposed improvements hold two main advantages: firstly, its use is less sensitive to a change of evaluator, thus offering greater robustness; secondly, expert evaluators are not necessary for its application. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York. All rights are reserved.
The number of Institutional Repositories (IRs) as part of universities’ Digital Libraries (DLs) has been growing in the past few years. However, most IRs are not widely used by the intended end users. To increase users’ acceptability, evaluating IRs interface is essential. In this research, the main focus is to evaluate the usability of one type of IR’s interface following the method of Nielsen’s heuristics to uncover usability problems for development purposes. To produce a reliable list of usability problems by applying the heuristic evaluation approach, we examine the impact of experts and novices on the reliability of the results. From the individual heuristic analyses (by both experts and novices), we distilled 66 usability problems. Those problems are classified by their severity. The results of applying the heuristic evaluation show that both experts and non-experts can uncover usability problems. We analyzed the differences between these types of assessors in this paper. Experts tend to reveal more serious problems while novices uncover less severe problems. Interestingly, the best evaluator is a novice who found 21% of the total number of problems. The ability to find difficult and easy problems are recorded with both types of evaluators. Therefore, we cannot rely on one evaluator even if the evaluator is an expert. Also, the frequency of each violated heuristic is used to assigned priority to the uncovered usability problems as well as the severity level. The result of the heuristic evaluation will benefit the university through improving the user interface and encouraging users to use the library services.
This study identified practitioner-reported barriers to and enablers of usability in the development of electronic consumer products. Barriers and enablers are properties, situations, or conditions in the product development process, team, or context that negatively or positively influence the usability of a product. Based on a review of literature on user-centered design (UCD) and exploratory expert interview, central concepts for studying usability in practice were identified. This was used as input for the case study, which was conducted at 5 product development groups in large multinationals, making 1) portable audio/video players, 2) personal navigation devices, 3) cellphones, 4) laundry care products, and 5) home control products. Data were primarily collected through interviews with 31 product development practitioners. Based on the data collected, case descriptions were created and more than 1500 barriers and enablers were identified, categorized, and analyzed. The results of the study are 23 sets of barriers and enablers, of which it is indicated in which of the cases they occur, and accompanied with illustrative quotations from the interviewees. In barriers and enablers, a predominantly “outside-in” relation was observed, from the more external properties of companies (market, company organization) to the more internal (process, team, project). This seems to indicate that the user-centeredness of a product development process is highly influenced by the context in which it is executed. The results also lead to the conclusion that if the goal is to make usable products, one cannot only address activities that are generally considered typical of UCD, such as conducting user research and user testing. One also has to take into account how these activities are integrated with and supported by the rest of the product development process, which in turn has to be supported by the product development organization.
The smartphone market is nowadays highly competitive. When buying a new device, users focus on visual esthetics, ergonomics, performance, and user experience, among others. Assessing usability issues allows improving these aspects. One popular method for detecting usability problems is heuristic evaluation, in which evaluators employ a set of usability heuristics as guide. Using proper heuristics is highly relevant. In this paper we present SMASH, a set of 12 usability heuristics for smartphones and mobile applications, developed iteratively. SMASH (previously named TMD: Usability heuristics for Touchscreen-based Mobile Devices) was experimentally validated. The results support its utility and effectiveness.
By examining the interface between consumer behavior and new product development, People and Products: Consumer Behavior and Product Design demonstrates the ways in which consumers contribute to product design, enhance product utility, and determine brand identity. With increased connectedness and advances in technology, consumers and marketers are more closely connected than ever before. Yet consumer behavior texts often overlook the application of the subject to product design, testing, and success. This is the first book to explore this interface in detail, exploring such issues as: • the attributes and qualities that consumers demand from products and services, and social and cultural forces to be aware of; • design and form and how they facilitate product usage; • technological developments and the ways they have changed how consumers interact with products; • product disposal and sustainability; • emerging and future trends in consumer behavior and product development and design. This exciting volume is relevant to anyone interested in marketing, consumer behavior, product development, technology, engineering, design, and brand management.
One of the most vital characteristic of a system is its ability to access the ease of use of the system. However, most of the software developers only focus on developing the system but not concern about the usability of the system. In reality, the usability of the system is an important aspect of system development. Poor usability will effects the utility of the system and will wasted the user's time, causes worry, frustration and discourages further to use the system. Therefore, Integrated Computer Management System (SPKB - Sistem Pengurusan Komputer Bersepadu) is one of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) project based on integrated logistics support concept (ILS) for asset management that developed for Royal Malaysian Air Force to support their supply chain management. This study is conducted to identify the usability factors that might affect on SPKB system routine. Using Nielsen Jakob Model of usability, the questionnaire is designed to evaluate the SPKB system. The questionnaire is based on five usability factors; efficiency, learnability, memorability, errors and satisfaction. The interview is conducted after analyzing the result from the questionnaire to identify and overcome the problem to enhance the SPKB system. Finally findings are presented to know the level of usability on SPKB system.
eLearning environments are rapidly evolving towards more a revolutionary computer and mobile-based scenario along with social technologies that will lead to the emergence of new kinds of learning applications that enhance communication and collaboration processes. The flexibility of the learning service provided by MOOCs allows students to learn at their own time, place and pace, enhancing continuous communication and interaction between all participants in knowledge and community building. This learning system especially benefits people with disabilities and can improve their social inclusion. However, access to the MOOC platform can also add extra difficulties such as the need to develop specific digital or even social skills. In this paper a set of specific strategies regarding the achievement of accessibility in all aspects of the overall MOOC system (from content to user preferences) along with references to the applicable standards.
The philosopher of science J. W. Grove (1989) once wrote, “There is, of course, nothing strange or scandalous about divisions of opinion among scientists. This is a condition for scientific progress” (p. 133). Over the past 30 years, usability, both as a practice and as an emerging science, has had its share of controversies. It has inherited some from its early roots in experimental psychology, measurement, and statistics. Others have emerged as the field of usability has matured and extended into user-centered design and user experience. In many ways, a field of inquiry is shaped by its controversies. This article reviews some of the persistent controversies in the field of usability, starting with their history, then assessing their current status from the perspective of a pragmatic practitioner. Put another way: Over the past three decades, what are some of the key lessons we have learned, and what remains to be learned? Some of the key lessons learned are:• When discussing usability, it is important to distinguish between the goals and practices of summative and formative usability.• There is compelling rational and empirical support for the practice of iterative formative usability testing—it appears to be effective in improving both objective and perceived usability.• When conducting usability studies, practitioners should use one of the currently available standardized usability questionnaires.• Because “magic number” rules of thumb for sample size requirements for usability tests are optimal only under very specific conditions, practitioners should use the tools that are available to guide sample size estimation rather than relying on “magic numbers.”
In the field of welding, the concern with ergonomic and usability factors due to the increasing incorporation of computer technologies and the consequent transformation of the activities performed by welders. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the usability of an interactive system for the robotic welding by applying methods and techniques of usability engineering. So were performed in the laboratory tests of interaction with the equipment in a specially constructed bench to simulate typical activities involving the configuration parameters and welding processes. The survey sample consisted of thirteen participants involved in welding research. To collect data specific questionnaires were used to assess participants' satisfaction with the usability of the system. Yet, to evaluate the performance of participants during the tasks were recorded times and completion rates. Thus, it was found that the interactive system met or exceeded the expectations of users regarding the usefulness, ease of use, ease of learning and quality of the interface. Finally, the usability evaluation has provided a diagnosis of the factors that represent obstacles for users, and information that may be used in improving future versions of the equipment.
This paper deals with issues on measuring scales. It begins with a discussion of an ongoing debate between measurement theorists regarding measurement of intangible variables in social sciences. The three measurement theories namely Representational, Operational and Classical measurement theories are presented. It then reviews several scales developed by researchers focusing on the ubiquitous Likert scale. Several shortcomings of the Likert scale are briefly elaborated. This paper then reviews attempts made by researchers to overcome the shortcomings. Finally it proposes a metric scale that is expected to be more in line with the operational measurement theory and hopefully more functional in measuring attitude. A number of features of the scale are discussed. A survey intending to find out the usability of the scale was conducted and results are presented. A future research to dig into other issues in measurement is recommended.
Information technology (IT) allows for large-scale data collection and data analysis, e.g. through logs of user behavior and online surveys. While the issue of structured access to data is extremely important, previous research has not sufficiently emphasized design of data export for research purposes. If researchers are to make their data accessible, they must be empowered to export data in a flexible manner. In this paper, we employ action design research to develop design principles for data export in an e-Health context. Design is in-formed by a sociomaterial world-view, object-oriented patterns and principles, and usability goals. Through three build-intervene-evaluate cycles in an empiri-cal setting where randomized controlled trials are designed, we propose nine design principles and a conceptual architecture for data export. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Mixed prototyping (MP) is an emerging approach for usability testing, thanks to its multimodal environment, which is able to involve sight, hearing and touch thus improving the ability to analyze the inter-relationships between the physical form and the behavior of the industrial products.This paper presents a method to perform usability tests in a mixed reality (MR) environment for analyzing human performance in target acquisition tasks while interacting with household appliances. The proposed method is based on the use of different kinds of digital and physical prototypes and, moreover, it introduces an experimental physical archetype for mixed prototyping that contributes to increase the efficiency of the usability evaluation process. Through this archetype the design of a user interface can be easily changed by the adoption of plug-and-play moving components (knobs and buttons) that allow to model in a few seconds any kind of control panel for washing machines, thus reducing the prototyping costs and enlarging the variety of MR interfaces that can be evaluated.The paper proposes also a validation of the use of the physical archetype through a case study in which three different control panel alternatives have been evaluated in a competitive usability study. The competitive testing allows to gather user behaviors with a broad range of design options before the development of a new control panel refined through iterative design.Experimental results show that the proposed method based on the physical archetype can be an effective support to improve the usability of the product interface.
In this article the authors review the definitions of website usability from the 1990s to the present day and several approaches that have been used for the evaluation of university websites. Building on this experience they have developed a survey instrument to explore student views at their own institution, the University of Dhaka. The responses from the student population are analyzed by demographics, use, and the usefulness of the website. Only a small proportion of the survey population reported always finding what they needed. From the result, five factors are considered important for achieving usability: Interactivity and functionality; Navigation, searching and interface attractiveness; Accuracy, currency and authority of information; Accessibility, understandability, learnability and operability; Efficiency and reliability. Most students are not satisfied with the Dhaka University website and essential development is needed to improve content quality and accuracy.
The unquestionable relevance of the web in our society has led to an enormous growth of websites offering all kinds of services to users. In this context, while usability is crucial in the development of successful websites, many barely consider the recommendations of experts in order to build usable designs. Including the measurement of usability as part of the development process stands out among these recommendations. One of the most accepted methods for usability evaluation by experts is heuristic evaluation. There is abundant literature on this method. However, there is a lack of clear and specific guidelines to be used in the development and evaluation process. This is probably an important factor contributing to the aforementioned generalized deficiency in web usability.We miss an evaluation method based on heuristics whose measure is adapted to the type of evaluated website. In this paper we define Sirius, an evaluation framework based on heuristics to perform expert evaluations that takes into account different types of websites. We also provide a specific set of evaluation criteria, and a usability metric that quantifies the usability level achieved by a website depending on its type.
In an effort to measure nursing satisfaction with a new point-of-care technology, a survey was distributed to gather demographic and computer experience information, and measure of the nurses' satisfaction prior to the installation of a point-of-care electronic patient records system. The results showed a somewhat positive overall satisfaction with the point-of-care technology. The outcome of this research reinforces the notion that the nurses are accepting of new electronic patient systems and are somewhat supportive of technology in general.
Virtual remote laboratory (VRL) is a powerful tool for an effective active learning in control engineering formation because it gives the opportunity of testing remotely control laws both by simulations within a virtual reality framework and by remote experiments. In this paper the virtual environment VRL is described and an application of a fault tolerant control law on an inverted pendulum is shown
Over the years the software engineering community has increasingly realized the important role software architecture plays in fulfilling the quality requirements of a system. The quality attributes of a software system are, to a large extent determined by the system’s software architecture. In recent years, the software engineering community has developed various tools and techniques that allow for design for quality attributes, such as performance or maintainability, at the software architecture level. We believe this design approach can be applied not only to “traditional” quality attributes such as performance or maintainability but also to usability. This survey explores the feasibility of such a design approach. Current practice is surveyed from the perspective of a software architect. Are there any design methods that allow for design for usability at the architectural level? Are there any evaluation tools that allow assessment of architectures for their support of usability? What is usability? A framework is presented which visualizes these three research questions. Usability should drive design at all stages, but current usability engineering practice fails to fully achieve this goal. Our survey shows that there are no design techniques or assessment tools that allow for design for usability at the architectural level.
Current evaluation methods are inappropriate for emerging HCI applications. In this paper, we give three examples of these applications and show that traditional evaluation methods fail. We identify trends in HCI development and discuss the issues that arise with evaluation. We aim at achieving increased awareness that evaluation too has to evolve in order to support the emerging trends in HCI systems.KeywordsUbiquitous ComputingAutomatic Speech RecognitionSmart HomeInteraction DesignApplication PurposeThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Public policy increasingly plays a role in influencing the work that we do as HCI researchers, interaction designers, and practitioners. "Public policy" is a broad term that includes both government policy and policy within non-governmental organizations, such as standards bodies. The Interacting with Public Policy forum focuses on topics at the intersection of human-computer interaction and public policy. Jonathan Lazar, Editor
The aim of this paper is to report the initiative of a research project called the
CSCW Lab. The CSCW Lab is an approach for applying evaluation methodologies in the
context of a groupware research group. We identify the major dimensions of groupware
evaluation and describe how the CSCW Lab addresses them. We also present an ontology for groupware evaluation where we establish the main concepts related to the evaluation processes and to the dimensions identi®ed.
This work has two principal goals. The first has been to put a little terminological order: the concept 'usability' and all those associated lack of perfectly based definitions and suitable translations to the Spanish. Here, it is not only wanted to explain what is each concept, It's wanted to offer a possible translation of the concepts to our language. The second objective has been to describe the different methodologies to evaluate user interfaces , always considering that the objective of all evaluation is to obtain the higher index of 'usability'. It has been tried to give to a brief and simple explanation to all these methods, detailing his advantages and disadvantages and offering practical cases. These practical cases had been looked for in the literature and in the world of the companies. All the studied cases follow the ideas exposed by Thimbleby in 1989. He commented that the physical component of an interface -hardware- only affects to the form in which the system is used, but not its concept. So, although the presented ideas are adaptable to all type of study and situations, the work does not pretend to explain referring methodologies of evaluation to hardware components, but software, seeking a 'temporary' classification specifying how, who and whichever times must make the evaluation depending on the moment of development of the interface.
The main problem of standards (e.g. ISO 9241) in the context of usability of software quality is that they cannot measure all relevant product features in a task independent way. We present a new approach to measure user interface quality in a quantitative way. First, we developed a concept to describe user interfaces on a granularity level, that is detailed enough to presence important interface characteristics, and is general enough to cover most of known interface types. We distinguish between different types of “interaction points”. With these kinds of interaction points we can describe several types of interfaces (CUI: command, menu, form-fill-in; GUI: desktop, direct manipulation, multimedia, etc.). We carried out two different comparative usability studies to validate our quantitative measures. The results of one other published comparative usability study can be predicted. Results of six different interfaces are presented and discussed. One of the most important result is that the dialog flexibility must exceed a threshold of 15-measured with two of our metrics-to increase significantly the usability
. The central task in practical problem solving is to identify and choose among alterative courses of action. Computer science has failed to provide adequate tools for supporting rational, effective and fair decision-making under the conditions which usually prevail. Especially, computer science has yet to develop models of rational decision-making in groups which adequately take into consideration resource limitations or conflicts of interest and opinion. This paper provides an informal overview of Zeno, a mediating system for supporting discussion, argumentation and decision-making in groups, which explicitly takes these considerations into account. Also, a new subfield of computer science is proposed, "computational dialectics". whose subject matter is computational models of norms for rational discourse. Zeno is a contribution to this field, based on the thesis that rationality can best be understood as theory construction regulated by discourse norms. Now is the time to sh...
One of the main problems of standards (e.g., DIN 66234, ISO 9241) in the context of usability of software quality is, that they can not be measured in product features. We present a new approach to measure user interface quality in a quantitative way. First, we developed a concept to describe user interfaces on a granularity level, that is detailed enough to preserve important interface characteristics, and is general enough to cover most of known interface types. We distinguish between different types of 'interaction points'. With these kinds of interaction points we can describe several types of interfaces (CUI: command, menu, form-fill-in; GUI: desktop, direct manipulation, multimedia, etc.). We carried out two different comparative usability studies to validate our quantitative measures. The results of one other published comparative usability study can be predicted. Results of six different interfaces are presented and discussed.
The analysis of software use can be applied to improve the design of new software applications. The orientation adopted is to analyse constraints of use through direct observations in real work situations. Problems of observation and protocol analysis are discussed. In order to give input to the design process as early as possible, analysis is conducted in existing situations, on prototypes and then on the new software. Three examples of ergonomics input to design projects are presented.
This report offers guidelines for design of user interface software in six functional areas: data entry, data display, sequence control, user guidance, data transmission, and data protection. This report revises and extends previous compilations of design guidelines (cf. Smith and Mosier, 1984a).
If you are a teacher, a student, a human factors practitioner or researcher, these guidelines can serve as a starting point for the development and application of expert knowledge. But that is not the primary objective of this compilation. The guidelines are proposed here as a potential tool for designers of user interface software.
If you are a system analyst, you can review these guidelines to establish design requirements. If you are a software designer, you can consult these guidelines to derive the specific design rules appropriate for your particular system application. That translation from general guidelines to specific rules will help focus attention on critical user interface design questions early in the design process.
If you are a manager responsible for user interface software design, you may find in these guidelines a means to make the design process more efficient. Guidelines can help establish rules for coordinating individual design contributions, can help to make design decisions just once rather than leaving them to be made over and over again by individual designers, can help to define detailed design requirements and to evaluate user interface software in comparison with those requirements.
The design of user interface software will often involve a considerable investment of time and effort. Design guidelines can help ensure the value of that investment.
A survey was conducted of people who had received a report on guidelines for designing user interface software. Analysis of questionnaire responses indicates that respondents considered guidelines useful, that they have used guidelines in various stages of design, and that they plan to use guidelines again. However, respondents also reported significant problems in the practical application of guidelines. Respondents had difficulty locating relevant guidelines within the report, choosing which guidelines would actually be used, establishing priorities among the selected guidelines, and translating generally worded guidelines into specific design rules.
This chapter discusses the user's experience and evolution of usability engineering. Usability engineering starts with a commitment to action in the world. It seeks to capture user experience within a context situated in user work and in a form useful for engineering. Usability engineering provides operationally defined criteria so that usability objectives can be used to drive an efficient and productive engineering effort, and it can lead to production of systems that are experienced by users as usable and that serve as a basis for the next generation of systems. When a system is built and delivered to users, interaction with it would affect user experience and would shift the background against which users evaluate that system in comparison with other systems. Therefore, as systems are built that provide new functionality with new levels of usability, the expectations of users would shift so that the whole cycle should begin again.
Techniques for predicting usability
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