Investigations in Systems Design: Structure, Context, Failure and Usability

The purpose of this paper is to briefly review and discuss three books related to systems design. The first book is Design Paradigms: Case Histories of Error and Judgment in Engineering (Petroski, 1994), the second book is The Mythical Man-Month, Anniversary Edition: Essays on Software Engineering (Brooks, 1995), and the third book is Notes on the Synthesis of Form (Alexander, 1964). In this paper, an emphasis is placed on describing the core ideas of the books. Brief discussions of structure, context, failure, and usability engineering are included to highlight several themes found throughout the trio of books.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Resources>Bibliographies>Usability

Investing in Usability: Testing versus Training

Assume that you are in charge of a development project and you have about $10,000 to spend on usability. What is the best way to use the money? What is the right thing to do for the organization? What will be best for customers?

Rhodes, John S. Boxes and Arrows (2005). Articles>Usability

Is Google Advertising Evil?

Google's necessary focus on advertising can teach us a lot about playing the usability game. Specifically, this article will characterize a dilemma that is tied to Google's advice to publishers on how to place advertisements. The dilemma is resolved through usability, which in turn will teach us a lot about how to mix business and the user experience.

Rhodes, John S. uiGarden (2006). Articles>Web Design>Ethics>Search

Less Than Metcalfe's Law

Metcalfe's Law basically tells us that as you connect n number of machines you get n squared in potential value. So, with 2 machines you get a value of 4. When you connect 10 machines, you get a value of 100. When you connect 200 machines, you get a value of 40,000. People like to apply this idea to the internet. In particular, people claim that the strength of the internet is a direct result of so many machines being connected. I think that this is bullshit.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Articles>Collaboration>Online

Managing User Expectations

The more time you spend at a site, the easier it is to use. Your investment in that site pays higher and higher dividends. Here's another metaphor. Your site and your users form a relationship.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (1999). Design>Web Design>Usability

My Eight Favorite Usability Books

Below is a list of my favorite usability, human factors, and web design books. If I did not own these books, I would buy them. I find myself going back to these books again and again. A couple of them have been replaced because I've worn them out. These are the books that I recommend to other people all of the time. Simply put, if I did not have them available to reference and read, I would feel like my library was not complete.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2003). Resources>Bibliographies>Usability

The Next Development Platform

Technology is not stable. It changes over time; it is a moving target. In contrast, humans are quite stable. Each human might not be stable, but as a whole, humans are very constant. Stability and predictability are good things. Therefore, development and design should be based on humans. Specifically, development should be based on a human platform not a technological platform. 

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Articles>Technology

The Open Company Manifesto

Users can improve information flow. They can create robust markets, and they can help fix the problems that a company faces. This can happen at an astonishing speed. If the gateway is open, and the company allows users access, those users will quickly tell the company what they are doing wrong. When users are invited to wallow in the information flow, they will crack the company into shape.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (1999). Articles>Management>Collaboration

Perceived Information Architecture: User Feedback

The purpose of this article is to explain how the Perceived Information Architecture test was used by BBC New Media. The testing procedure is outlined, along with a list of pros and cons of the method. Several actual user diagrams are provided.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2002). Design>Information Design>Case Studies

The Permanent Sponsorship of Web Content

I asked folks if they wanted to permanently sponsor some of my web content on WebWord.com. The idea is rather simple. You give me money, and I give you ad space on some of my web pages forever. No one else will ever advertise on these pages at WebWord.com. Your ad is forever bound to that page. You get long lasting, and repeated value for your sponsorship dollars. I thought I had a good idea. But, I didn't get any responses.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (1999). Design>Web Design>Marketing

Portable Devices Can Cause Usability Problems

Take a moment and think about the various portable Internet devices available. You see everything from wireless hand held devices, to web-enabled pagers, to cellular phones with email access. The list goes on and on. Every day you can scan the technology headlines and read about several new Internet technologies being announced. Think about the nature of these portable Internet devices: they probably are not very usable.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (1999). Articles>Usability>Online>PDA

Preference Does Not Equal Performance

People will swear up and down that they love a particular product. They will tell you that the colors are right, the size is perfect, and the information is exactly what they needed. However, until you watch and test users you will not see how well the product works. You will not find out if they really would continue using the product, in the right amount, at the right time, under the conditions you expected. People have a funny way of deciding when, where and how they will using something.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2000). Articles>Usability>User Centered Design

A Proposal for Evaluating Usability Testing Methods: The Practical Review System (PRS)

The purpose of this article is to explain the Practical Review System (PRS). The PRS is an outline of 28 characteristics that can be used to understand any usability method, thereby allowing any individual to decide between methods. This solves many of the problems associated with understanding and explaining usability methods.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2003). Articles>Usability>Methods

Representations and Perceived Information Architecture (PIA)

This article discusses two key ideas. First, it briefly outlines four ways to represent the same information. Second, it provides a high-level overview of Perceived Information Architecture.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Articles>Intellectual Property>User Centered Design

Say Goodbye to "Webmaster", Say Hello to "Internet Strategist"

It is time to drop your title as Webmaster, and pick up something a bit more jazzy. How would you like to be an Internet Strategist or an Electronic Commerce Manager? The time is now to cast your new role. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the once ubiquitous 'Webmaster' position is a memory. There is a need for teams of people with broad skills, diverse knowledge, and an eye for the Internet future.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (1999). Design>Web Design>Workflow

Services First, Technology Second, People Third

Microsoft doesn't care much about shared source or Smart Tags and we are wasting our time following their marketing trail. We need to focus on Microsoft's true goal, which is to completely dominate the internet services market. We should pay attention to how they are building a services infrastructure, not a technology infrastructure. We should figure out how they are going to use tools like Passport and Microsoft Messenger to control our personal information and various internet transactions.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Articles>Internet>Software

Some Thoughts on Extranets

The purpose of this article is to help you understand some business and design issues related to extranets. This article will also get you thinking about the kinds of tools you might offer to your customers.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2002). Design>Web Design

Some Thoughts on Usability and the Economy

This short article answers a few questions about entering a career in usability given the poor market conditions, and it offers some general career advice.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Careers>Usability

Spanking Jakob Nielsen

The purpose of this article is to critically review Jakob Nielsen's article, Intranet Usability: The Trillion-Dollar Question. In summary, Jakob Nielsen makes some fantastic claims about intranet usability that must be weighed against other business needs and constraints. For example, there might be better ways to spend money than on usability, not all usability improvements are created equal, and it can be hard to apply the changes dictated by a usability study. The criticisms can be applied to many other usability articles.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2003). Articles>Usability

The Stench of Evil Users

Some users are out to destroy you. Some users want you to fail. Some users would like to crush your business. They hate you. They hate your web site. They don't like you. They don't like your company. They are poisonous, vengeful, and twisted. And they're smart.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (1999). Design>Web Design>Usability

Strategic Linking Techniques

Utilize hypertext to maximize the interactive experience of your site. Above all else, hypertext should be used to help your users find what they want, when they want it. You want your users to be able to get more information at just the right time and place in your pages. This isn't easy. Poor linking is a major problem on almost all Web sites.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (1999). Design>Web Design>Hypertext

Super Easy Usability Testing

Self-described as the absolute [sic] easiest introduction to usability testing you could possibly find anywhere.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (1999). Articles>Usability>Methods>Testing

Trouble in Paradise: Problems Facing the Usability Community

There are problems with usability and the usability community. This article is my attempt to raise some of the most important and interesting issues. In my opinion, usability as we know it is dying. It is outdated, misunderstood, and it faces very serious challenges in web and software development circles.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2000). Articles>Usability

Understanding Design Misfits

The purpose of this paper is to briefly discuss design misfits. A cursory overview of misfits is provided, along with a working definition. Eight types of design misfits are revealed. Three examples of each type of misfit are provided for clarification.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Design>User Centered Design>Usability

Usability Around the Globe: Resources

This page is meant to be a useful and well-rounded list of resources related to usability around the world. The topics range from appropriate design for global audiences to developing good local content to effective global usability testing. The reality is that there is not much information available. This is perhaps the most comprehensive list available on this topic.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Articles>Usability>International