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Improving Software Usability Through Embedded User Assistance

Integrating user assistance into the software interface is one of the best ways to increase the usability of your software application and thus make your customers more satisfied and successful. However, embedded help has the reputation of being difficult to develop and execute. Let’s take a look at a solution that makes it possible to quickly include an embedded, dynamic help pane in a software interface.

Productivity Tips for IE, MS Word, Outlook

If we say that it was mainly because of the Windows operating system that a computer could become a personal computer it would not be an exaggeration. The revolution is still on. Windows is far beyond what a common man presently knows and uses.

If It’s Not Easy to Use, It’s Not Used

Debates about Microsoft Word vs. Adobe Framemaker appear with regular frequency on the tech-writing mailing lists I am subscribed to. Everyone agrees Frame is an awesome publishing tool. Yet, everyone keeps cribbing about it. So, why does a bright bunch of people who are masters at figuring out stuff, otherwise known as tech-writers, only hesitatingly agree Frame is “kind of great”? I think it’s mostly because Frame is so difficult to use.

A Review of Morae for Usability Testing

TechSmith's Morae is a powerful tool that is useful for any usability study. Its simplicity, efficiency, cost effectiveness and portability has redefined the data collection process and allows researchers to focus on the user experience rather than the data collection tools. This article discusses some of the features of this tool and proposes some enhancements to make it even more powerful to usability practitioners.

Usability in Open Source Software

Open source is a software licensing philosophy which believes the human readable code source of a software should be available for the public to freely install, modify, or redistribute. The term 'open source' can also refer to the community and development practices of thousands of free/libre/open source software (FLOSS) projects who subscribe to this philosophy and license their software under one of the many available software licenses.

Is Consistency Boring?

What do customers want from our software and documentation? They want to accomplish tasks, and to obtain information about tasks, as quickly and painlessly as possible. Do they also expect to be entertained along the way? No, not when there is work to be done. Years of usability analysis in the software industry indicates very clearly that clarity and ease-of-use is topmost on the minds of software users.

Evaluating the Effect of Iconic Linkage on the Usability of Software User Guides

This study investigates whether Iconic Linkage--the use of the identical wording to present the same information recurring in a text--can improve the usability of user guides. Iconic Linkage is a writing strategy that potentially allows users to work more quickly and effectively and which promotes better retention of information. The usefulness of Iconic Linkage was tested in a laboratory-based usability study that combined: 1) objective task-based evaluation; and 2) users' subjective evaluations of a software program used in recording parliamentary debates. A post-test survey designed to test subjects' retention of information contained in the user guides was also administered. The study shows that Iconic Linkage significantly improved usability of the user guide: in all tasks, subjects worked more effectively and made fewer mistakes; while in the three timed tasks, subjects completed the tasks much more quickly. Subjects also gave higher ratings for the software and their retention of information was noticeably improved.

A Breadth-First Survey of Eye Tracking Applications

Eye tracking applications are surveyed in a breadth-first manner, reporting on work from the following domains: Neuroscience, Psychology, Industrial Engineering and Human Factors, Marketing/Advertising, and Computer Science. Following a review of traditionally diagnostic uses, emphasis is placed on interactive applications, differentiating between selective and gaze-contingent approaches.

Software under the Microscope

Large companies have a big appetite for off-the-shelf software. For years these companies have suffered the effects of poor software--reduced productivity, increased user support from help desks, increased training costs, increased user stress and frustration. Now they have decided to put this software under the microscope to see if it comes up to scratch. Andrea Caws puts on a lab coat and finds out more.

The Human Impact of Software

Software is not just an abstraction that exists in isolation. When I write code, it's not just about me, the code, the operating system, and the database. The impact of what I do when I develop software reaches far beyond those things and into people's lives.

Trends in Transforming Communication: Response to STC Editorial

In stark contrast to the suggestion that software products are easier to use these days, I would have to say that in general they are _not_ any easier to use, _especially_ Microsoft products. While they have more features and deliver more performance, I would be careful about making a blanket statement about ease of use, especially when we know the resources to create usable products in most of the industry has been shrinking.

Adobe's Robert McDaniels Responds (Again) to Nielsen Criticisms of PDF

Many of the 'PDF Usability Crimes' Nielsen cites have nothing to do with Acrobat or PDF but are the result of poor design choices. Most of same arguments about poor navigation, large file sizes, and excessive text blocks can be used to describe poorly designed HTML as well. There are some very valid reasons for using PDF's online as opposed to HTML.

Jakob Nielsen's PDF Phobia is Seemingly Incurable

The noted usability guru strays outside his area of expertise once again in a new 'Alertbox' column denigrating any uses of PDF other than printing. We can't help but wonder -- due to the silliness of some of his comments and suggestions -- whether he's being serious. We're afraid he is. Nonetheless, to show our respect, we've christened a special Google Advanced Search setting in his honor.

PDF: Fit for Human Consumption If Designed Properly

Jakob Nielsen hit a nerve with some PDF enthusiasts when he recently wrote in his monthly usability column that, in terms of suitability for use on the Web, the format is allegedly 'unfit for human consumption.' We're publishing a rebuttal that another satisfied user recently sent to Nielsen -- and also shared with us. In addition, Steve Borsch provides several samples of PDFs designed to be read and navigated online.

Software Usability and Documentation

This article shows how a user-centred approach to software design can reduce the requirement for documentation. It lists Jakob Nielsen's usability heuristics, and for each one, shows how following the heuristic can reduce the requirement for user documentation.

From Good to Great—: The Finer Points of Writing User Documentation

A few years ago, the NeXT user publications group was handed a charter to create casual books with personality. We were also told to condense the user documentation for an entire operating system and several bundled applications into 300 pages. And of course we had the top priority of creating accurate, complete, and easy-to-use documentation. To our delight, these goals ended up being mutually compatible. The keys? Task orientation, flat hierarchy, carefully crafted page design, illustration, and a casual, intelligent tone. We also broke some 'rules'! (Caution: Some of the following material may seem radical to seasoned traditionalists.)

Poor Code Quality Contaminates Users' Conceptual Models

Software bugs and system crashes result in huge productivity losses and undermine users' ability to form good models of how computers work. Website designers can help improve user confidence by prioritizing quality and robustness over features and the latest technology.

Three HyperCard Stacks on CD-ROM: A Review

A review of the Macintosh CD-ROM versions of The Manhole, the Time Table of History, and the Electronic Whole Earth Catalog with emphasis on their usability and their support of hypertext navigation. Based on the discussion of these hypertexts the following general principles are found to be useful for analyzing hypertext user interfaces: Navigational dimensions and their explicitness, directionality and literalness, landmarks, locational orientation, history lists, and backtrack mechanisms.

Time to Make Tech Work

The IT industry is maturing. Hopefully, this maturity will result in a slower introduction of new features, which in turn will let companies focus their attention and resources on making existing technology work better for users.

At Oracle, Simplicity Rules All

To jump-start revenue growth, Mark Jarvis has insisted that simplicity be the foundation not only of Oracle's marketing but also of its product development. Programmers, salespeople, and marketing staff now work closely to satisfy real customer problems, not just deliver glitz. On Nov. 18, Mark Jarvis spoke with BusinessWeek Online Technology reporter Jane Black about his plans to improve Oracle's fortunes. Here are edited excerpts from that conversation.

How Do People Really Use Text Editors?

Keystroke statistics were collected on editing systems while people performed their normal work. Knowledge workers used an experimental editor, and secretaries used a word processor. Results show a consistent picture of free use patterns in both settings. Of the total number of keystrokes, text entry accounted for approximately 1/2, cursor movement for about 1/4, deletion for about 1/8, and all other functions for the remaining 1/8. Analysis of keystroke transitions and editing states is also presented. Implications for past research, editor design, keyboard layout, and benchmark tests are discussed.

Why Can't All Our Tools Be This Easy To Use?

Two years ago, a rather disconcerting thing happened to Mike Dunn, president and CEO of PolyVision, one of the world's leading manufacturers of electronic whiteboards. From his office Dunn could see into the meeting room across the hall, where one of the company's large-format whiteboards was mounted on the wall. What Dunn observed (or didn't) was that even though meetings were going on all the time, the whiteboard itself hardly ever got used. When he asked his staff why, they responded a bit sheepishly that the whiteboard was too much of a hassle to set up. Nobody wanted to go through the bother of up hooking their computer to it, and to use the board's interactive features, they'd have to bring in a projector as well. It wasn't worth the trouble, they confessed. This is not the sort of feedback the president of a company that makes electronic whiteboards likes to hear. In response, Dunn dedicated a computer to the whiteboard and installed a permanent projector in the room. Then he himself tried to give a presentation using this same equipment, the benefits of which his sales force was busily touting in the field. After 20 minutes of futzing he gave up – and had an epiphany instead. 'I thought, if the president of the company can't get his own products to work, what chance does the average person on the street have of getting them to work?' recalls Dunn. His conclusion: Almost no chance at all.

What Is Open Source Software And Is It Usable?

Open Source Software (OSS) is a software project where all the source code is freely available, usually according to a licensing agreement baring commercial gain on the source. The contributors to the project are usually part-time computing enthusiasts with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. Usability specialists are not generally part of the development process.

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.

GUI Bloopers: How Not to Design Software

Why are so many software products, electronic appliances, and online services difficult to learn and frustrating to use? Here’s one reason: most are designed and developed with little or no guidance from people professionally trained in making products and services usable. As a user-interface consultant, I am often called in to review or test software and suggest improvements. The problems I find are usually the result of the software having been designed by people who may be professionals at software engineering and programming, but are amateurs at user-interface design. Consequently, the software contains design errors that make it difficult to learn and use. Many of the errors are extremely common and can easily be avoided.

Improving User Documentation and Customer Care

In recent years, the Customer Care Survey of Service and Support Practices in the Software Industry has consistently reported that only about half of software publishers put their documentation through a formal test. We thought that these numbers were low, so we checked them at the Software Testing, Analysis & Review (STAR) conference (Orlando, May 16, 1996). During a plenary session, Kaner asked attendees (software testers) whether their groups tested their companies’ user manuals. Confirming the Customer Care data, at least half the room stood up to signify that their companies did not. This means that reputable companies are not testing their manuals – companies who don’t care about quality don’t spend money to send testers to STAR.

Finally: Progress in Internet Client Design

There has been no progress in client software for the last seven years: Mosaic defined the Web feature set in 1993, and since then there has only been more fancy page layouts, no better user interfaces. This sorry picture is finally changing. Several recent software products have introduced specialized applications with better user interfaces for special-purpose use. And there is even a new browser out with improved user control.