Recap of IS214

Placing this course in context Creating information technology that helps people accomplish their goals, make the experience effective, pleasant >Requires a combination of design, technology, and understanding of users (individually and collectively) and their activities, preferences, needs >User-centered design; interaction design >Usability, “user experience” >Usability defined and understood >Usability methods >>collecting, interpreting info about users >>comparing design to users’ needs etc. >Incorporating findings into design

Some Basic Premises Usability is defined in relation to users Most usability measures are incomplete and ambiguous –Implies: caution in interpretation; use with understanding; account for limits Usability assessment starts before design Usability assessment never ends

Stages of design process RequirementsEvaluation Initial designEvaluation SpecificationEvaluation ImplementationEvaluation

High Order Topics What is usability? What kind of information do we need to determine needs and assess usability? –What kind of info is possible? What methods are available for collecting, analyzing, interpreting info? –Appropriate uses of each How do we interpret and report findings? The usability process in organizations –Role of usability, usability professionals –Managing usability –Justifying usability

High Order Topics What is usability? –Beyond “ease of use” –Matching tools and services to users’ practices, environment, needs… New technology/tools/services generally adopted within an existing array of tools, practices, incentives, operations… What kind of information do we need? –Users’ goals, tasks, practices, environment… –Users’ perceived needs, preferences –Existing tools, services (incl competitors) –Users’ activities in using proposed innovation –Users’ uses and evaluations of proposed, prototype, actual systems

Methods Data from and About Users Ethnographic Methods User and Task Analysis Contextual Inquiry Observation Interviews Focus Groups User Surveys Scenarios and Personae Prototype Evaluation Usability Testing Design Guidelines Heuristics and Other Inspection Methods Post-release Evaluation Monitoring, Web Logs User Satisfaction Surveys Other Issues Credibility Universal Usability Management Issues Data Analysis and Presentation Writing Usability Reports Ethics Usability in Organizations

Methods and Stages in Design Process