Usability in a Multidisciplinary Team Lisa Herrod Melbourne Web Standards Group November 2006

Usability in a multidisciplinary team Usability at every stage for every role

Usability at every stage for every role

Usability Why, What &… The Kebab Method

Why, What &…

The Kebab Method

In the past Software and desktop apps Nielsen’s 10 heuristics Different considerations Less complex requirements Usability practitioners had less technical knowledge

Software and desktop apps

Nielsen’s 10 heuristics

Different considerations

Less complex requirements

Usability practitioners had less technical knowledge

The web changed all that

The web changed all that

2 Dimensional Multidimensional

2 Dimensional Multidimensional

Site complexity increased Improving the User Experience became more complex

Site complexity increased

Improving the User Experience became more complex

The whole site impacts on the user experience

The whole site impacts on

the user experience

Interoperability Compatibility Accessibility Functionality Standards Speed Visual Design

Interoperability Compatibility Accessibility Functionality Standards Speed

Visual Design

These considerations were new in 1998 But they shouldn’t be new now

These considerations were new

in 1998

But they shouldn’t be new now

how did we cope? graceful degradation (hope it breaks well)

graceful degradation

(hope it breaks well)

how did we cope? Bugs & hacks “ best viewed with” (a top down approach)

Bugs & hacks

“ best viewed with”

(a top down approach)

current best practice Progressive Enhancement A bottom up approach

Progressive Enhancement

A bottom up approach

Progressive Enhancement Start with essential components and build up

Start with essential components and build up

Progressive Enhancement Behavioural layer Presentational layer Semantic Structure & Accessibility Content

Behavioural layer

Presentational layer

Semantic Structure & Accessibility

Content

so the web is maturing user focused development user centered design Compare with the past…

user focused development

user centered design

Compare with the past…

the web has matured Web standards Web usability Industry groups (left right and center)

Web standards

Web usability

Industry groups

(left right and center)

usability and web standards How are they related? WCAG 1 UCD = best practice

How are they related?

WCAG 1

UCD = best practice

usability and web standards Good examples of UCD incorporate web standards

Good examples of UCD incorporate web standards

accessible ==usable clear link labels matching page title matching headers

clear link labels

matching page title

matching headers

usability accessibility web standards

usability

accessibility

web standards

usability is mainstream More people Identify with this role Are involved in usability Are Interested in usability

More people

Identify with this role

Are involved in usability

Are Interested in usability

30 people used this tag

employment UI Developer Online Producer Senior Flash guru Web Developer Web Designer Team leader – Javascript

UI Developer

Online Producer

Senior Flash guru

Web Developer

Web Designer

Team leader – Javascript

The Experience Architect User research methods : contextual inquiry, paper prototyping, card sorting, personas and other ethnographic techniques Best practice information architecture principles Working with product teams to ensure that user research findings are tracked and acted on

User research methods : contextual inquiry, paper prototyping, card sorting, personas and other ethnographic techniques

Best practice information architecture principles

Working with product teams to ensure that user research findings are tracked and acted on

… the experience architect Design and analysis of experiments or surveys International user research or remote user studies Accessibility and universal design Analysis of web server log data Knowledge of Web design / HTML Eye-tracking

Design and analysis of

experiments or surveys

International user research or remote user studies

Accessibility and universal design

Analysis of web server log data

Knowledge of Web design / HTML

Eye-tracking

Web Usability is Design, not QA

Web Usability is Design,

not QA

the client Sanity check post build Testing iteratively Political motivation

Sanity check post build

Testing iteratively

Political motivation

the design agency The client requested testing The agency supports a user centered approach

The client

requested testing

The agency

supports a user centered approach

2.0 Web apps are richer and more complex Usability practitioners need to grow with it

Web apps are richer and more complex

Usability practitioners need to grow with it

the perpetual beta Confirmation we’re heading the right way?

Confirmation we’re heading the right way?

Thank-you [email_address]