Understanding Principles of Usability, Part 1

In this podcast, Karen Bachmann, manager of the Usability and User Experience SIG, provides an overview of the user-centered design process. This is part one of a two part series.

Bachmann, Karen L. Tech Writer Voices (2006). Presentations>Usability>User Centered Design>Podcasts

Understanding Principles of Usability, Part 2

This is part two of Karen Bachmann's presentation on Usability. In this part of her presentation, Karen gets more in depth with principles and methods for usability.

Bachmann, Karen L. Tech Writer Voices (2006). Presentations>Usability>Methods>Podcasts

Understanding Users: Making the Transition from a Paper to an Electronic Reference System  

Online technical documentation can be used as an effective job aid if designed properly. However, in many instances designers put the paper documentation online without concern for usability. To design an effective online technical reference system, technical communicators should understand how users interact with the legacy system and how they will interact with the system once it is converted to an online form.

Steward, Sherry. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Web Design>Usability

Usability Bootcamp Session Plan  

The usability bootcamp is for developers of information technology products who want to implement low-cost usability assessment and customer-focusing tools to ensure that their product development plans meet unmet business needs and contribute efficiently to an overall enterprise architecture plan.

White, Basil J. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Education>Instructional Design>Usability

A Usability Case Study: Prospective Students Use of a University Web Page  

We conducted usability testing of a Web site designed to market the university to perspective high school students. Twenty-six high school juniors, many of them honors students, completed the usability tests. Accessing students through the high schools required adapting the usability testing because of high school policies. While the students were generally positive toward the Web site, they had trouble understanding university terminology and finding key information. They did not recognize the non-standard links, and the search engine did not find the information they were seeking. The article closes with 10 guidelines for practitioners in developing web sites. staff.' The gold links turned green when clicked. In addition, a left-hand sidebar had a series of gold links on a green background: 'About CSU, Apply, Athletics, Colleges & Departments, Events, Libraries, News, Outreach, Research, Contact us, Contents, CSU A-Z, Directories, Search, and Cam-o-Gram.' The Prospective Students link took students to a ne

Zimmerman, Donald E. and Terri Prickett. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Usability

Usability Means User-Centred Design  

To create usable products you must be user-centred throughout your development process: from setting goals to installation. Two case studies illustrate why this is important. User-centred design is about actively involving users and understanding their requirements. It is necessarily iterative and multi-disciplinary. User-centred design requires commitment from your organisation or your client and yourself. Choosing your activities to match the level of acceptance of usability in your audience will help to create that commitment.

Jarrett, Caroline. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Usability>Audience Analysis

Usability Progression: Catching the Main Currents in Usability  

This Progression explores usability issues and techniques for the novice usability professional. Topics covered include: how to identify usability test issues; usability issues for visual communication; the importance of starting your project with a usability test; rating the importance of user tasks; low-cost, high-return techniques for gathering usability data; selecting participants who accurately represent your target audience; effective usability testing for the Web; conducting a heuristic review; creating scenarios to direct design and development; “toys” of the trade; and special considerations for testing in a low-tech lab, room, or closet.

Ramey, Judith A. STC Proceedings (1999). Presentations>Usability

Usability Progression: Making Smart Choices in Usability Testing  

This Progression focuses on usability and usability research for the novice usability professional. Topics covered include special considerations for testing in a low-tech lab, room, or closet; how to identify usability test issues; heuristic evaluation vs. laboratory testing: when should you use these methods?; focusing on testing documentation; using a SuperTester for early error detection; using field research, and alternatives, in the design process; low-cost, high-return techniques for gathering usability data; questions you should ask when you’re interviewing for a usability position or thinking about trying to create a usability position; selecting participants who accurately represent your target audience; and usability testing as co-design.

Ramey, Judith A. STC Proceedings (1998). Presentations>Usability

Usability Studies: Oh, the Things That We’ve Learned  

Fitting in usability studies while maintaining project schedules is not as difficult a task to master as you might think. As technical writers, we were able to conduct valuable usability testing, without any formal training, in as little as two weeks.

Balch, Kim and Deb Sauerwald. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Usability

Usability: The Basics and Beyond  

Usability experts will lead a progression for technical communicators or managers who may have some usability responsibility. In this progression, session participants with some knowledge of usability principles and practices will expand their knowledge of usability.

Stovall, Julia C. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Usability>TC

Usability: Translating to Dollars  

The presentation provides an overview of performing ROI analyses and identifies the organizational customers to whom usability professionals should sell. It also offers several detailed examples.

Brooks, Douglas, David Skinner and Richard Finger. Usability Professionals Association (2002). Presentations>Usability

User Friendly, Friendly Users

An IBM Ease of Use poster with the message User Friendly, Friendly User.

IBM (1999). Design>Presentations>Posters>Usability

User-Centered Design of Lotus Notes Databases  

Lotus Notes databases can be used in a wide variety of applications. The Information Design group in DuPont has developed Notes databases for groups of a dozen to many thousand users. We find that a multidisciplinary approach to database design works well - combining the talents of information analysts, application developers, interface and graphic designers, usability specialists, and project leaders. Working with subject-matter experts and end-users, we develop databases that deliver business value, in terms of more accessible knowledge and streamlined work processes. I will present a behind-the-scenes look at how we work as a team to deliver useful, usable knowledge bases in a user-centered design process that involves the users in novel ways.

Knodel, Elinor L. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Web Design>Usability

Validating the Out-of-the-Box Experience: A Case Study  

This paper describes how the User Centered Design team investigated customers’ out-of-the-box needs and validated the design of the out-of-the-box elements described in the previous paper “Designing the OOBE: A Case Study” by Lee Anne Kowalski in these Proceedings.

Kopp, Eileen F. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>User Interface>Usability

The Value of Prototypes in Your Documentation Development Process  

Prototyping is one of the most powerful tools for gathering information, testing assumptions, and ensuring a useful, usable docunent. You can develop a more effective paper manual or on-line document by creating and testing a prototype early in the development process. In a traditional prototyping methodology, the writer creates a sample chapter or screen, the client reviews it, and any testing that is performed typically takes place late in the project. There’s a better way: a team develops the prototype and works with users to test it early in the project.

Hansen, Lauren Y. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Usability>Prototyping

Web Usability for the Rest of Us

Web developers, designers and community managers have a more challenging role than ever before. They are designing for and facilitating important online activities like communication, collaboration, sharing and socializing. However, it's hard to know how users are really interacting with websites. They can't easily observe users in their natural environments interacting with these systems. How many web developers actually get a focus group of target users in a room and watch them navigate their websites? We're obsessed with helping developers build better user experiences on the web, and we knew there had to be a better, cheaper and faster way than traditional usability testing.

Charland, Andre. SlideShare (2007). Presentations>Web Design>Usability

Web-Based Prototyping for User Sessions: Medium-Fidelity Prototyping  

Paper (low-fidelity) prototyping is a popular and useful method for gathering input on the usefulness of a user interface while the sofnvare product is in the early stages of development. Coded user intetiace (high-fidelity) prototypes givepotential users a better idea of the$nished product, but can be time consuming to create and diflcult to change. Using HTML (medium-fidelity) prototupes, we can quickly code polished user interface prototypes to use in customer sessions. These web-basedprototypes, which combine the strengths of both low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototvpes, can also be easily modtBed during the customer session, allowing customers to see and interact with their proposed changes.

Leone, Paul, Dana L. Gillihan and Thyra L. Rauch. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Web Design>Usability

What Have We Learned From Usability Testing?  

This panel repeats the form of our popular panel from the 40th STC annual conference. We enjoy presenting some of the guidelines we have been developing from our years of experience watching the performance of usability test subjects. This year we repeat the theme with new topics from our recent research and a concentration on documentation guidelines.

Hackos, JoAnn T., Janice S. James and Janice C. 'Ginny' Redish. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>Usability

What You Can Learn From Analyzing Artifacts and Outcroppings in Field Studies  

Two often overlooked sources of data in field studies reside in the physical dimension of the workplace: artifacts and outcroppings. Artifacts are physical objects in use at a site: tools, forms, reports, templates, etc. Outcroppings are noticeable physical traits that mark or characterize the site: size of cubicles, whiteboards and what’s written on them, uniforms worn by certain classes of personnel, etc. These two sources of data can greatly enrich the overall understanding of the site. This paper describes artifacts and outcroppings found in the workplace, what you can learn from them, how to collect data about them, how to analyze the data, and how to report what you’ve learned. The points are illustrated with examples from three case studies.

Ramey, Judith A., Denise Carlevato and Erin Leanne Schulz. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Usability>Assessment

Show and Tell: Building Usability into E-Learning

Most major producers of e-learning are not doing substantial usability testing. In fact, we don’t seem to even have a way to talk about usability in the context of e-learning.

Barnum, Carol M. STC Proceedings (2008). Presentations>Education>Online>Usability

Stripped Bear

An introduction to Usability: What's The Use? by Shaun Fensom from Manchester Digital, followed by a short primer to usability by Paul Rouke, User Experience Director at PRWD.

Fensom, Shaun and Paul Rouke. Vimeo (2009). Presentations>Usability>Streaming>Video

The Importance For Internal Business Systems

Talks about the importance of usability for internal business systems, specifically around staff productivity and process efficiency. The presentation touches on common barriers to staff productivity, some of the main reasons for these barriers, plus a short video of a manufacturing company who are embracing user-centered design as a way of combating the traditional software development issues on a companies productivity. The presentation also asks business owners a few key questions, such as do you listen to your staff, do you staff waste valuable company time doing repetitive tasks, and do you know what is the on-going cost to your business if you use un-usable software systems.

Rouke, Paul. Vimeo (2009). Presentations>Usability>Workflow>Video

The Importance for Customer Facing Websites

Talks about the importance of usability for businesses communicating with both new and potential customers. Featuring a case study of how a company improved their revenue-per-employee by 95% over a 2 year period, along with some attendee participation, this 17 minute presentation touches on a wide variety of websites and activities, such as lead generation sites, information portals and search engine marketing campaigns. Most significantly conversion rates for e-commerce websites are discussed, where usability can have a remarkable affect on a companies bottom line, if the right decisions are made in making improvements.

Rouke, Paul. Vimeo (2009). Presentations>Usability>Web Design>Video

Tips For Effective Usability Testing In India

An introduction to usability testing and 15 tips for effective usability testing in India. Created and presented by Abhay Rautela at the Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India during the second day of Bar Camp Delhi 6.

Rautela, Abhay. SlideShare (2009). Presentations>Usability>Testing>India

Fifteen Tips for Effective Usability Testing in India

An Introduction to Usability Testing and Tips for Effective Usability Testing in India. Created and presented by Abhay Rautela at Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India at Bar Camp Delhi 6

Rautela, Abhay. Cone Trees (2009). Presentations>Usability>Testing>India