Studied by 9 people
Research
Business and User problems and requirements are analysed.
The user, task and environment are considered
This can be done with a multi-disciplinary teams of ethnographer, anthropologists and psychologists
NB the above diagram for Research
Concept
Initial ideas are put forward
Concept modelling takes place, including paper models
Allows for tactile and appearance evaluations
Evaluation is fed back into the design cycle
It is quick and cheap to carry out.
A multi-disciplinary team of designers, various engineers and psychologists.
NB the above diagram for Concept
Design
Development of ideas
Scaled models such as prototypes, mock ups etc are made
Monitoring of performance against usability requirements
Allows for more continued evaluation by the user and design team.
Evaluation is fed back into the design cycle
NB the above diagram for Design
Implementation
Various testing and evaluations are carried out with a wide range of end users
Evaluation is fed back into the design cycle
A multi-disciplinary team is used to measure the end-users psychological and physiological experience.
NB the above diagram for Implementation
Launch
The end product is launched
Continuos evaluation is carried out
Monitoring of performance against usability requirements
NB the above diagram for Launch
The design of mainstream products and/or services so that they are accessible and usable by as many people as possible without the need for adaptation or specialised design.
Welcoming to everyone
Responsive to people’s needs
Intuitive to use
Flexible
Convenient so they can be used without undue effort or special separation and so that they maximise independence
Usefulness
Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?
Efficiently – fast and with minimum effort
Effectiveness
Use the design completely and accurately
Prevents errors
User can recover if errors occur.
Learnability
It is the ease at which the user can learn to use a product?
The intuitiveness to use a product, service or system design.
How easy is it for users to accomplish tasks the first time they encounter the design?
Memorable – when the user returns they do not have to re-learn how to use it.
Attitude
Satisfaction or likability when the client uses or interacts with the product, service or system design.
How pleasant is it to use the design?
Enhanced usability
Benefits of enhanced usability include:
improved product acceptance
improved user experience
improved productivity
reduces user error
reduces the need for training and support
The user does not need to have to memorise many features, how to use it, etc.
Do not have to relearn functions. Poor organization of a product imposes a memory burden on users, who have to learn and remember how the various functions work.
This results in them not using the full functionality of a product but focusing on a limited set of features and ignoring those that are difficult to remember.
Thinking about how intuitively the product features can be accessed by users can reduce memory burden and make the product more user-friendly.
Feedback is the provision of information, for example, an audible tone to a user, as a result of an action.
The tone on a telephone touchpad or the click of a key on a computer keyboard provides feedback to indicate that a key has been pressed.
The “egg timer” icon on a computer screen tells the user that an action is being undertaken.
Affordance is the property of an object that indicates how it can be used.
Buttons afford pushing, and knobs afford turning.
On a door, handles afford pulling, whereas push plates afford pushing.
Advantages:
Allows you to form assumptions and associations about of a group of people. D
Judgements and decisions can be made quickly. D
Possibly predict the behavior or possible use of a product or system. D & U
The user needs and behavior can be identified and thus usability considerations are met. U
Disadvantages:
Assumptions and associations of a particular stereotype may not fit all people of that population. D
Judgements and decisions could be incorrect. D
Not all people who ‘look alike act/think alike’ there fore behavior or way a product was intended to be used may be wrong. U & D
User population is a range of users for a particular product or system.
A product maybe design for a particular population.
Easy grip can opener for people with arthritis
Offer a physical and social context for different personae
A scenario is an imagined sequence of events in the daily life of a persona based on assumptions by researchers and designers.
Field Research
Advantages
Gain first hand knowledge
Gain first hand experience
Obtain detailed data of people and processes
It emphasizes the role and relevance of social context.
Disadvantages
Data will be very narrow
emotional taxing as the relationship between interviewer and client has to be established.
A common sampling method where users are selected to represent the extremes of a user population, typically the 2.5th and 97.5th percentile.
Advantages
greatest number of users are accommodated
Disadvantages
maybe sensitive for extreme groups to be involved
Essentially is a user trial where the intended client uses the product and the expert observes.
This can be in the field (natural environment) or in a lab (controlled environment)
Advantages
Help to unveil usability issues
Tested under conditions of use
Disadvantages
Data collected maybe difficult to analyse
A collection of responses from users, a trail of observation of users interacting with the product
Advantages
It is dynamic
Face to Face
Body language and gestures can be observed
Easily measure reactions
Clarifying questions can be asked
Disadvantages
Expensive as interviewees are often compensated
Participants may not wish to share sensitive issues
Small sample size may not be truly representative of the whole
Moderator bias
A series of questions to solicit information
Advantages
Cheap
Easy to administer
large numbers of questionnaires can be administered
sent easily to a wide local, national, global regions
Disadvantages
Static
poor number of responses
maybe only interested people fill out the survey thus perhaps a bias
A graphical tool that identifies a general theme to collect facts, opinions and ideas.
They express data and infromation in a common format by creating clusters and groups of common information.
Advantages
Simple
Cost effective
Easy to get data from a group
builds teamwork
Disadvantages
time-consuming
can get quite large
Is derived from social interaction.
Products and services can facilitate social interaction in a number of ways.
Is derived from the cognitive demands of using a product or service and the emotional reactions engendered through the experience of using it.
The outcome may also be more emotionally satisfying and less stressful.
Is derived from products that are aesthetically pleasing by appealing to the consumer’s values.
Values could be philosophical or religious or may relate to some particular issue such as the environment or a political movement.
Designing for emotion can increase:
User engagement
Product or brand loyalty
Satisfaction with a product by incorporating emotion and personality
Attract/Converse/Transact
The attract part of the model is aesthetics oriented.
The converse part of the model is interaction oriented.
The transact part of the model is function oriented.
When all three elements are addressed, products can become desirable, usable and useful.
