Does Usability Have a Role in Telecommunication?

The theme of this year’s annual conference is 'Global Communication Odyssey.' Wireless phones, the Internet, and e-commerce rely on telecommunication to deliver service to the customer. Our own Alice Preston and David Dick describe the role of usability in telecommunication.

Preston, Alice and David J. Dick. Usability Interface (2001). Articles>Usability>Technology

Remote Usability Testing Tools

Participants ask questions live (via a phone connection, audio via Internet, or typed chat session). There are some usability testing products (such as ErgoLight) that enable you to test remotely when you cannot make an online connection, but they are not covered in this survey. These products are classified as Remote Control, Support Desk/Customer Service, Telecommuting, System Administration, and Video Chat tools. Many of the products have a Recorder and/or Playback facility, which is probably a natural extension of remote viewing.

Preston, Alice. Usability Interface (1999). Articles>Usability>Methods>Software

Types of Usability Methods

We are all somewhat familiar with the range of methods that can be used to usability test our products or even early designs. But there may be more methods than you’ve thought about. How many of the following methods are you familiar with?

Preston, Alice. Usability Interface (2004). Articles>Usability>Methods