Universal usability refers to the design of information and communications products and services that are usable for every citizen. The concept of universal usability is closely related to the concepts of universal accessibility and universal design.
#27144
Getting the Complete Picture with Usability Testing
Good usability testing definitely provides an opportunity for clear-cut improvements in the usability of Web sites. In order to increase the chances of success with usability testing, it is important to measure effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction–they all measure different aspects of the usability of a Web site. If only one or two of these measures are used, it would provide an incomplete or partial picture of the possible human performance and user satisfaction results.
Bailey, Robert. Usability.gov (2006). Articles>Usability>Testing
#23859
Giveaways to Thank Helpful Users--What's Best?
What is the best way to thank helpful users for participating in a usability study? Carl Myhill asked this question to a popular discussion group of the Usability community. The following are some of the replies.
Dick, David J. Usability Interface (2004). Articles>Usability>Testing
#27004
A Glimpse of China's Future at User Friendly 2005
After participating in UF2005, I'm left with the impression that the design and usability professions in China are developing at a breakneck speed.
Barlow-Busch, Robert. UXmatters (2006). Articles>Usability>Regional>China
#28585
Global Online Card Sort for World Usability Day 2006
World Usability Day has come and gone for 2006, and the results of the global online card sort are in. About five hundred people in 19 or 20 countries participated in the exercise. Find out what's next.
Bailie, Rahel Anne. Usability Interface (2007). Articles>Usability>Methods>Card Sorting
#19315
Globalisation: The Challenges to Usability 
English is the official language of approximately eight percent of the worlds population - a significant number, but still a small minority. Yet the majority of online content is presented in English. Naturally, many organisations will want to reach as many prospective worldwide clients and suppliers as possible, but the reality is that a user will always prefer an application that suits their own language and cultural environment. Globalisation refers to everything an organisation should do to ensure that its web presence meets the requirements of users in different countries. Successful globalisation requires tackling a host of both technical and content issues. Back-end systems that interact with your web presence must be reengineered so they can identify and process any language. The web interface and its content must also be translated and culturally modified for a specific language or target environment (a locale). Its a huge topic - here we highlight only some of the key challenges presented to usability by going global.
Gaine, Frank. Frontend Infocentre (2001). Design>Web Design>International>Usability
#11911
Goal Composition: Extending Task Analysis to Predict Things People May Want to Do
One of the basic questions during the development of a computer system and its user interface is what the users will want to do with the system. Unfortunately, a task analysis of users' current activities is not sufficient to predict what they will do in the future. It is well known that people's use of computers change over time and that new and unexpected uses are found for most new systems.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (1994). Articles>Web Design>Usability
#23980
Goal-Directed Content Management
Anecdotal evidence from within the CM industry indicates that CM implementations fail to meet corporate expectations about half of the time. Part of the reason for missed expectations could be poor usability.
Fore, David. Cooper Interaction Design (2002). Articles>Content Management>Usability
#19125
A Good Installation Guide Increases User Satisfaction and Reduces Support Costs 
In its first endeavor, the new Customer Documentation Group at SABRE Travel Information Network has shown that it adds value.
Blackwell, C. Al. Technical Communication Online (1995). Design>Documentation>Usability
#19124
A Good User's Guide Means Fewer Support Calls and Lower Support Costs
Good user documentation means fewer client support calls and lower support costs at GE Information Services in Rockville, Maryland.
Spencer, Cathy J. and Diana Kilbourn Yates. Technical Communication Online (1995). Design>Documentation>Usability
#21087
People using Microsoft's Internet Explorer are now being redirected to Microsoft's MSN when they make certain kinds of mistakes. This means that Microsoft is taking control of another part of the user experience. This article discusses how Google might be able to help users and solve a few other problems others along the way.
Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Design>Web Design>Usability>Search
#21271
Got Usability? Talking with Jakob Nielsen
Jakob Nielsen has brought usability to the attention of the general public, but within the user experience community he's been criticized by those who say he emphasizes a view that excludes other dimensions of user experience. So is he the defender of ease-of-use or the enemy of creativity?
Thornton, Chad. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Articles>Usability>User Centered Design
#27442
When the philosophy of the 'skin interface' is applied to other applications, it becomes problematic. There is nothing wrong with that concept as long as it is clear that it only works with highly specialized applications such as Winamp. It is even culturally expected in the Winamp community that skins will be created and made available.
Spillers, Frank. Demystifying Usability (2004). Articles>Usability>Graphic Design
#29049
Traditional models of usability assume that usability is a quality that can be designed into a particular artifact. Yet constructivist theory implies that usability cannot be located in a single artifact; rather, it must be conceived as a quality of the entire activity in which the artifact is used. This article describes a distributed approach to usability, based on activity theory and genre theory. It then illustrates the approach with a four-decade examination of a traffic accident location and analysis system (ALAS). Using the theoretical framework of genre ecologies, the article demonstrates how usability is distributed across the many official and unofficial (ad hoc) genres employed by ALAS users.
Spinuzzi, Clay. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2001). Articles>Documentation>Usability>History
#30040
The Great Leap Forward: The Birth of the Usability Profession (1988-1993) 
In this editorial, I describe our birth and some personal experiences as I lived through those times. I present these observations, not as a historian, but as a usability professional viewing events of 15 years ago through my personal filter.
Dumas, Joe. Journal of Usability Studies (2007). Articles>Usability>History
#22900
Great Service. Full Service. Self Service.
Great customer service used to mean providing a memorable, high-touch, face-to-face experience for customers. Now, it's the opposite.
Janisch, Troy. Icon Interactive. Design>Web Design>Usability
#25115
The Greatest Design of all Time
After a while one of my dining companions asked me what I regarded as the greatest design of all time.
Jordan, Pat. uiGarden (2005). Design>Usability>User Interface
#21123
Ground Floor Perspective on the Usability Job Hunt
This is a guest written article by Berna Tural, a recent college graduate from Carleton University in Ottawa. She is looking for a job in the usability field. I asked her to tell me more about her experiences so that WebWord readers would understand what it is like to be on the ground floor in usability. Similarly, I wanted people to see the other side of the hunt.
Tural, Burna. WebWord (2001). Careers>Usability>Regional>Canada
#27942
Growing a Business Website: Fix the Basics First
Clear content, simple navigation, and answers to customer questions have the biggest impact on business value. Advanced technology matters much less.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2006). Articles>Web Design>User Centered Design>Usability
#19432
The Growing Popularity of Usability
Why is computer system usability becoming so popular? Times have changed. With most new systems being Web sites, hiding poor interfaces is no longer possible.
Bailey, Robert. Web Usability (2002). Articles>Usability>History
#25189
If you find yourself in a facilitator role and you're beginning to doubt conventional methods, here are a few things that I suggest might help.
Battista, Ronnie. Usability Professionals Association (2005). Articles>Usability>Methods
#20825
Guerrilla HCI: Using Discount Usability Engineering to Penetrate the Intimidation Barrier
When asking how many usability specialists it takes to change a light bulb, the answer might well be four: Two to conduct a field study and task analysis to determine whether people really need light, one to observe the user who actually screws in the light bulb, and one to control the video camera filming the event. It is certainly true that one should study user needs before implementing supposed solutions to those problems. Even so, the perception that anybody touching usability will come down with a bad case of budget overruns is keeping many software projects from achieving the level of usability their users deserve.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (1994). Articles>Human Computer Interaction>Methods>Usability
#11777
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.
Johnson, Jeff. Usability Interface (2000). Articles>Usability>Software
#18726
Guía de Evaluación Heurística de Sitios Web
Este documento tiene por objeto servir de guía general para la evaluación de la usabilidad de sitios web. Es una versión resumida de la guía que nosotros utilizamos en nuestra actividad profesional, aunque lo suficientemente extensa y específica como para resultar de utilidad a aquellos profesionales que requieran de un documento base (que poder extender según sus propias necesidades) con el que empezar a trabajar en evaluación heurística. La Guía está estructurada en forma de checklist, para facilitar la práctica de la evaluación. Como se puede observar, todas las puntos están formulados como preguntas, dónde la respuesta afirmativa implica que que no existe un problema de usabilidad, y la negativa que si.
Hassan Montero, Yusef and Francisco Jesus Martin Fernandez. Nosolousabilidad.com (2003). (Spanish) Articles>Usability>Methods>Heuristic Evaluation
#18444
A Guide for Website Developers About How to Accommodate Users with Low Education, Low Motivation
Users with low education are users who have obtained limited level of education. These educationally disadvantaged people acquired and applied complex reasoning, but the lack of basic reading comprehension and communications skills hinder their success in education and skilled occupations. Low level of education effectively equals to functional illiteracy. Even though there is a significant increase in Internet use for individuals with elementary education (129%) from 1998 to 2000, only 9.1% of those with elementary education versus 75.5% with Bachelor's Degree or more uses the Internet [2]. More than one out of five adult Americans are functionally illiterate, and their ranks are swelling by about 2.3 million persons each year. Nearly 40 percent of minority youth and 30 percent of semiskilled and unskilled workers are illiterate [1]. It is hence necessary to address website accessibility issues pertaining to this group of users.
Lim, Ser Nam. Universal Usability (2001). Design>Usability>Accessibility
#23935
Guide Lines to Become Better than the Rest
The acronym GD stands for Group Discussion and has now become as interview in professional and academic circles. The basic aim of the Group Discussion is to evaluate the effectiveness of the candidate in a group activity. This effectiveness is judged through the leadership qualities and the communication skills displayed.
Kerala Education. Articles>Usability>Interviewing>Focus Groups
