Conducting International Usability

As business on the Web matures, organizations increasingly pay attention to the first two Ws in WWW -- World Wide. Companies with international sales offices crave a distinct Web presence in each locale to demonstrate seriousness in that local market. Multi-national companies often use intranets to unify global teams. Maintaining global consistency requires centralizing these Web efforts (usually within corporate headquarters), yet this must accommodate distinct approaches to working which vary from region to region. User testing is a valuable tool in such situations, but how does one conduct user tests internationally? This essay draws from my experience leading an international user testing project, and I hope you can learn from my mistakes and successes.

Merholz, Peter. Adaptive Path (2002). Articles>Usability>International

Conducting Mail, Telephone, and Online Surveys: 1998  

While surveys appear surprisingly easy to plan and conduct, they are fraught with pitfalls for the unwary. That said, technical communicators can use surveys as a tool to enhance their understanding of audiences, assess the effectiveness of their communication products, and determine the value of technical communications to their company--if they follow wellestablished social science and communication science methodologies. This workshop will provide you with the foundations you need for developing, conducting, and managing surveys; analyzing the data, interpreting surveys and reporting your results.

Zimmerman, Donald E. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Usability>Methods>Surveys

Conducting Mail, Telephone, and Online Surveys: 1999  

While surveys appear surprisingly easy to plan and conduct, they are fraught with pitfalls for the unwary. That said, technical communicators can use surveys as a tool to enhance their understanding of audiences, assess the effectiveness of their communication products, and determine the value of technical communication to their company--if they follow well-established social science and communication science methodologies. This workshop will provide you with the foundations you need for developing, conducting, and managing surveys; analyzing the data, interpreting surveys and reporting your results.

Zimmerman, Donald E. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Usability>Methods>Surveys

Conducting Surveys Over the World Wide Web  

The World Wide Web presents a new medium for conducting user surveys. Using this new medium requires that survey designers pay attention not only to the time honored rules for survey construction and administration, but to new rules stemming from the new web-based technology. This paper will present suggestions and ideas for conducting web-based surveys that are based on actual survey experiences.

Gould, Emilie W., Mark Gurevich and Peter D. Pagerey. STC Proceedings (1998). Presentations>Usability>Methods

Conducting Usability Studies at User Group Meetings  

In this day and age, getting closer to your user base is imperative for creating user-centric documentation. This paper discusses how the Technical Publications group at Mentor Graphics tapped into their annual User Group meeting (MUG) to conduct usability studies. We cover: Convincing management of the ROI of participating in the User Group meeting; establishing relationships with meeting organizers; defining proper "protocol" for interacting with users and other meeting attendees; planning for and dealing with equipment setup; recruiting users to the usability lab; considering and acquiring incentives for usability lab participants.

Yaspo, Catherine and Sarah E. Leritz-Higgins. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Usability>Testing>User Centered Design

Conducting Usability Studies with Users Who Are Elderly or Have Disabilities    

Many disabled or elderly users have embraced the Web as a way to get easier access to information, services, contacts with others, and entertainment. But very often, Web sites are creating barriers for them, at the same time as they are reducing barriers of access. We can safely assume that Web sites are made by designers who have no intention to exclude groups of users from using the site. Our studies, however, have proved that good intentions are not enough to create Web content that is accessible and also usable for people with various kinds of physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. Web designers need to familiarize themselves with accessibility guidelines and apply them properly, but that goal is seldom achieved. Even when the guidelines are applied, a site's ease of use for people with disabilities needs to be confirmed in a usability test with actual users who have disabilities. This article describes how to conduct user-focused tests with test participants who are elderly or who have disabilities.

van der Geest, Thea. Technical Communication Online (2006). Articles>Usability>Testing>Elderly

Conducting Usability Tests to Upgrade Your Web Sites  

Usability testing can be planned and executed at various levels of complexity to enhance your Web site throughout stages of development. Include usability testing in the front-end planning and set Web site usability goals. Test early prototypes and then test again to quantify improvements. Assemble a team to plan the testing even if it is just two people. If you follow a planning and testing checklist, you should be rewarded with valuable data to analyze and upgrade your Web site. The process and outcome can enhance your company¶s reputation or improve your credibility as an information designer or developer.

Lester, Susan M.J. STC Proceedings (1999). Presentations>Web Design>Usability

Consider as Many Design Alternatives as Possible: The Value of Parallel Design

Several years ago I taught several 'hands-on' courses on Web user interface design. In one exercise, students were given user and system requirements, and used a prototyping tool to create a simple system. After the design solutions were completed, each individual in the class used everyone else's proposed systems to complete a task. Having experienced everyone else's ideas, the students then made changes to their original prototypes. The same process was repeated a second time. The results were amazing. By having students work independently to create unique ideas, and then effectively sharing these ideas, the final interfaces always were significantly better than the originals.

Bailey, Robert. Usability.gov (2006). Articles>Usability

Considering Product Usability Along with Information Usability  

In this progression we will examine ways that technical communicators can improve both information usability and product usability. The presentation will center around two major points.

Grice, Roger A. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Usability>Information Design

The Constant Design Balance

Usability is about understanding your users, and designing and testing with and for those users. However, there are other competing needs that need to be considered to ensure product success. In architectural and technical drawings, different layers or transparencies are often overlaid to assemble the complete design solution. A similar "design transparency" approach can ensure that product teams are working towards a common goal, gaining a balanced view, and increasing the chance of success.

Szuc, Daniel and Gerry Gaffney. Apogee (2005). Design>Web Design>Usability

Constructing User-Centered Websites: Design Implications for Content Organization

The designer can construct and place the contents on the website with a good degree of confidence that it will reflect the mental model of the representative user. The placement of the content on the website, however, is critical to a site's eventual success. For this reason, this article is intended to address some of the more important human factors issues in the design of the content within a website.

Bernard, Michael. Usability News (2000). Design>Web Design>Usability

Consumers on the Web: Identification of Usage Patterns  

This article analyzes consumer behavior on the Web. The purpose is to research patterns that characterize consumer actions in this environment. The study employs Nielsen//NetRatings Internet panel data in Finland. The four-month data for 65 panelists suggest three interrelated Web usage patterns that are highlighted here. The text will outline how these conclusions were reached and present other observations.

Koiso-Kanttila, Nina. First Monday (2003). Articles>Usability>E Commerce

Content with Style

Content with Style will try to find balance between specifics and inspiration and keep you on track with what we feel is a good approach to our daily business: Styling up information for the web!

Content with Style. Design>Web Design>Usability>Blogs

Contextual Inquiry

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.

UsabilityNet. Resources>Usability>Methods>Contextual Inquiry

Contextual Inquiry

Contextual inquiry is basically a structured field interviewing method, based on a few core principles that differentiate this method from plain, journalistic interviewing. Contextual inquiry is more a discovery process than an evaluative process; more like learning than testing. Contextual inquiry is based on three core principles: that understanding the context in which a product is used (the work being performed) is essential for elegant design, that the user is a partner in the design process, and that the usability design process, including assessment methods like contextual inquiry and usability testing, must have a focus. For example, suppose you need to assess the usability of a wrench for automotive repair. Using contextual inquiry, you'd visit mechanics at auto repair shops and see how they work. You'd take in not only physical arrangements such as the location of the tool chests, or cramped conditions inside engine compartments, but also environmental concerns, such as the level of cleanliness of their hands, or the noise level in the shop, or the tight schedules imposed by their bosses. All of these would help define a context for their work--and thus a context for the usage of your product, the wrench. You'd also listen to their gripes about your product; how it slips out of their hands if they've been working on greasy stuff, how it gnaws the corners off stubborn bolts. You'd ask them what would make their jobs easier; what design changes would help them. They're a partner in the design process. Of course, you'd conduct all this research centering on the one thing you're analyzing: the wrench. This focus is important--it sets the goals for the visit ('We need to know how they store their wrenches'). Once you're done with your site visit, you can assess from your notes whether you found out what you needed to know.

Hom, James. VWH.net. Articles>Usability>Methods>Contextual Inquiry

Converting Visitors to Buyers

Converting visitors to buyers can be easily achieved by following some basic rules of conversion.

Townes, Frederick. Webcredible (2007). Design>Web Design>Usability>E Commerce

Convincing Clients to Pay for Usability

Professionally run design agencies user test their designs to increase the value they deliver to their clients. The challenge is getting clients to understand the benefits of a solid development methodology.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2003). Articles>Usability>Consulting

Convincing the Skeptics

People unfamiliar with usability think that it's cosmetic and can be combined with other phases of development when time is available. It's often difficult to educate them, especially if they are more senior than you are and consider it a waste of time. They will not be convinced by statistics from anywhere other than outside the organization. What should you do next? You may be able to say something like 'It seems your only objection is [whatever], so if we can resolve this issue, do you have any other reasons why we shouldn't do usability testing?' This way, you have their agreement to do usability just as soon as you have resolved the issue.

Dick, David J. Usability Interface (1999). Careers>Usability>Management

Corporate Usability Maturity: Stages 1-4

As their usability approach matures, organizations typically progress through the same sequence of stages, from initial hostility to widespread reliance on user research.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2006). Articles>Usability>Workplace

Corporate Usability Maturity: Stages 5-8

An organization that reaches the managed usability stage still has far to go to reach usability nirvana. Attaining these higher maturity levels requires many years of effort.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2006). Articles>Usability>Workplace

Corporate Websites Get a 'D' in PR

Few corporations would discount the value of positive press. You would never know this given the results of our recent usability study. In our study, 20 journalists attempted to use the press areas of 10 corporate websites to gather information for story assignments. Among other tasks, the journalists tried to find basic information about each company's financials, management, and commitment to social responsibility, along with a PR telephone number. On average, journalists found the answer to each of these simple questions only 60% of the time. If these sites were being graded in a U.S. school, the average grade would be no higher than a D.

Nielsen, Jakob and Kara Pernice Coyne. Alertbox (2001). Articles>Usability>Public Relations

Correlating Web-User Data

Everything served to a visitor -- from the first page through marketing, sales, and product fulfillment -- generates data about the customer. Web marketers can tap into this 'free' source of profile data for just the cost of converting existing data into a format that can be used by a data-analysis program.

Allen, Cliff. ClickZ (2001). Articles>Usability>Web Design>Log Analysis

Cost-Effective Website Acceleration

This three-part series outlines a common sense, cost-effective approach to Website acceleration according to the two simple laws of Web performance.

Powell, Thomas A. and Joe Lima. SitePoint (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability>Bandwidth

Crafting a User Research Plan

Every piece of user research is part of an ongoing research program, even if that program is informal. However, making a program formal provides a number of advantages: It gives you a set of goals, a schedule that stretches limited user-research resources, and results when they’re needed most. It also helps you avoid unnecessary, redundant, or hurried research.

Kuniavsky, Mike. uiGarden (2005). Articles>Usability>Methods