http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Resources/Usability/Methods A listing of the most recently indexed works about Resources and Usability and Methods in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Resources/Usability/Methods http://tc.eserver.org/33345.html http://tc.eserver.org/33345.html The Software Usability Measurement Inventory is a rigorously tested and proven method of measuring software quality from the end user's point of view. SUMI is a consistent method for assessing the quality of use of a software product or prototype, and can assist with the detection of usability flaws before a product is shipped. It is backed by an extensive reference database embedded in an effective analysis and report generation tool. http://tc.eserver.org/26835.html http://tc.eserver.org/26835.html The contextual inquiry is a specific type of interview for gathering field data from users. It is usually done by one interviewer speaking to one interviewee (person being interviewed) at a time. The aim is to gather as much data as possible from the interviews for later analysis. http://tc.eserver.org/26839.html http://tc.eserver.org/26839.html Heuristic evaluation is a form of usability inspection where usability specialists judge whether each element of a user interface follows a list of established usability heuristics. Expert evaluation is similar, but does not use specific heuristics. Usually two to three analysts evaluate the system with reference to established guidelines or principles, noting down their observations and often ranking them in order of severity. The analysts are usually experts in human factors or HCI, but others, less experienced have also been shown to report valid problems. A heuristic or expert evaluation can be conducted at various stages of the development lifecycle, although it is preferable to have already performed some form of context analysis to help the experts focus on the circumstances of actual or intended product usage. http://tc.eserver.org/26834.html http://tc.eserver.org/26834.html User surveys are a means of finding out how the software or web site is likely to be used by a specific set of users, and who these users are likely to be. The answers user surveys provide must be relevant to the issues that are important to the design team. User surveys are traditionally carried out by post, but increasingly, the internet is used for this purpose. http://tc.eserver.org/26652.html http://tc.eserver.org/26652.html Critical incident technique is a method of gathering facts (incidents) from domain experts or less experienced users of the existing system to gain knowledge of how to improve the performance of the individuals involved. http://tc.eserver.org/26653.html http://tc.eserver.org/26653.html A focus group is a focused discussion where a moderator leads a group of participants through a set of questions on a particular topic. Focus groups are often used in the early stages of product planning and requirements gathering to obtain feedback about users, products, concepts, prototypes, tasks, strategies, and environments. Focus groups can also be used to obtain consensus about specific issues. http://tc.eserver.org/26654.html http://tc.eserver.org/26654.html A usability evaluation method in which one or more reviewers, preferably experts, compare a software, documentation, or hardware product to a list of design principles and list where the product does not follow those principles. http://tc.eserver.org/26656.html http://tc.eserver.org/26656.html A usability test method employed to generate early design evaluation by assigning a group of users a series of paper-based tasks that represent the proposed product interface and including participation from developers of that interface. http://tc.eserver.org/26657.html http://tc.eserver.org/26657.html The creation of low-cost representations of the user interface to a system as a method of brainstorming, creating, testing and communicating ideas about the system being developed. http://tc.eserver.org/20042.html http://tc.eserver.org/20042.html In het boek zijn vanaf pagina 375 in appendix A een aantal checklists opgenomen die kunnen dienen als controle bij het ontwerp van uw eigen gebruikersvriendelijke pagina's. U kunt deze checklists hier downloaden. http://tc.eserver.org/15082.html http://tc.eserver.org/15082.html This is a method of summarising a large body of fairly short statements into a small statistical table in a report. The method described here presupposes a spreadsheet; you can find specialised computer programs for doing the same thing. http://tc.eserver.org/15080.html http://tc.eserver.org/15080.html Questionnaires are the most frequently used tools for usability evaluation. This page is a list of usability questionnaire resources, extending the information presented on the questionnaires page of Usabilitynet. http://tc.eserver.org/11918.html http://tc.eserver.org/11918.html When you are screening the participants for a study, notice how they respond to your questions. Decide on a strategy for engaging the participant before they arrive for the usability study. Be careful of the social dynamics you set up with the participant.