Slides from Papers We Love Seoul February2016 meetup on Designing for Usability.
"Designing for Usability: Key Principles and What Designers Think"
by JOHN D. GLOUD and CLAYTON LEWIS
Designing for usability: key principles and what designers think
1. Designing for Usability: Key
Principles and What Designers
Think
John D. Gloud And Clayton Lewis
PAPERS WE LOVE
Seoul Chapter
Victoria Bondarchuk @seoul_victoria
5. “Any system designed for people to use
should be EASY TO LEARN, USEFUL, that is,
contain functions people really need in their
work, and be EASY AND PLEASANT TO USE”
Preface
6. THREE PRINCIPLES FOR SYSTEM DESIGN
CONTRAST BETWEEN RECOMMENDED PRINCIPLES
AND WHAT DESIGNERS SUGGEST
WHY THE PRINCIPLES ARE UNDERVALUED
ELABORATION OF THE PRINCIPLES
CASE STUDY - IBM’S AUDIO DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Chapters
7. 1. EARLY FOCUS ON USERS & TASKS
2. EMPIRICAL MEASUREMENTS
3. ITERATIVE DESIGN
8. Designers must understand who the users will be.
By directly studying their cognitive and behavioral
characteristics, and the nature of the work
expected to be accomplished.
1. EARLY FOCUS ON USERS & TASKS
2. EMPIRICAL MEASUREMENTS
3. ITERATIVE DESIGN
9. Early in the development process, intended users
should use simulations and prototypes to carry
out real work, and their performance and
reactions should be observed, recorded, and
analyzed.
1. EARLY FOCUS ON USERS & TASKS
2. EMPIRICAL MEASUREMENTS
3. ITERATIVE DESIGN
10. Design must be iterative: There must be a cycle
of design, test and measure, and redesign,
repeated as often as necessary.
1. EARLY FOCUS ON USERS & TASKS
2. EMPIRICAL MEASUREMENTS
3. ITERATIVE DESIGN
11. 1. EARLY FOCUS ON USERS & TASKS
2. EMPIRICAL MEASUREMENTS
3. ITERATIVE DESIGN
19. THREE PRINCIPLES FOR SYSTEM DESIGN
CONTRAST BETWEEN RECOMMENDED PRINCIPLES
AND WHAT DESIGNERS SUGGEST
WHY THE PRINCIPLES ARE UNDERVALUED
ELABORATION OF THE PRINCIPLES
CASE STUDY - IBM’S AUDIO DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Chapters
21. VS.
Picture credit:I Dr. Morgan gives a pretest to children from the Philippines, http://www.uxbooth.com/
Comparing Understanding
of the Principles
“Bringing the
design team into
direct contact with
potential users”
“Hearing or reading
about users”VS
“Examination of user
profiles”
AUTHORS SURVEY RESPONSE
1. EARLY FOCUS ON USERS & TASKS
“Average users” “Group of a variety
of experts”
22. Comparing Understanding
of the Principles
VS.
“Conducting
behavioral
measurements
with real users”
VS
“A system test”
“Testing the
completed system-
use it by ourselves”
AUTHORS SURVEY RESPONSE
2. EMPIRICAL MEASUREMENTS
23. Comparing Understanding
of the Principles
VS.
“Conduct iterative
user testing early in
the development
process”
VS
“First designing the
system and then
and verifying the
design with users”
AUTHORS SURVEY RESPONSE
2. EMPIRICAL MEASUREMENTS
24. Comparing Understanding
of the Principles
VS.
“Design, build,
measure and iterate
as many times as
needed”
“If time permits
iterate the design”VS
“Build prototype,
code software,
review”
3. ITERATIVE DESIGN
AUTHORS SURVEY RESPONSE
25. THREE PRINCIPLES FOR SYSTEM DESIGN
CONTRAST BETWEEN RECOMMENDED PRINCIPLES
ANS WHAT DESIGNERS SUGGEST
WHY THE PRINCIPLES ARE UNDERVALUED
ELABORATION OF THE PRINCIPLES
CASE STUDY - IBM’S AUDIO DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Chapters
26. DESIGNERS UNDERESTIMATE USER DIVERSITY
Why the principals are undervalued
POSSIBLE EXPLANATION
ANSWER
NOVICE USERS ALWAYS HAVE TROUBLE WITH THE
PRODUCT THAT DESIGNERS NEVER ENCOUNTER
28. Why the principals are undervalued
DESIGNERS OVERESTIMATED USER DIVERSITY
IT IS MUCH BETTER TO IDENTIFY SOME
PROBLEMS THAT SOME USERS WILL HAVE THAN
NOT TO IDENTIFY ANY
POSSIBLE EXPLANATION
ANSWER
29. Why the principals are undervalued
DESIGNERS THINK USERS DON’T KNOW WHAT
THEY NEED
PRESENT NEW IDEAS IN A WAY THAT MAKES IT
EASIER FOR USER TO RELATE THEM TO THEIR
CONCERNS
POSSIBLE EXPLANATION
ANSWER
32. Why the principals are undervalued
DESIGNERS THINK THEIR JOB DOESN’T
REQUIRE IT OR PERMIT IT
COMPETITIVE NECESSITY WILL EVENTUALLY
BREAK DOWN THESE OBSTACLES AND
TRADITIONS
POSSIBLE EXPLANATION
ANSWER
33. Why the principals are undervalued
DESIGNERS BELIEF IN THE POWER OF REASON
ANALYTIC APPROACHES CANNOT SUBSTITUTE
EMPIRICAL METHODS
POSSIBLE EXPLANATION
ANSWER
36. Why the principals are undervalued
GOOD DESIGN MEANS GETTING IT RIGHT FIRST TIME
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FORECAST THE BEST USER
INTERFACE - IT CAN BE ONLY DETERMINED EMPIRICALLY
POSSIBLE EXPLANATION
ANSWER
37. Why the principals are undervalued
TIME CONSUMING AND EXPENSIVE
USER TESTING WILL HAPPEN ANYWAY, CHANGES THAT
MADE AFTER THE PRODUCT IS FINISHED MORE
EXPENSIVE THAN THOSE MADE IN DEVELOPMENT
POSSIBLE EXPLANATION
ANSWER
38. Why the principals are undervalued
DESIGNERS BELIEVE IN POWER OF TECHNOLOGY WILL
SUCCEED AND PEOPLE WILL BUY IN SPITE OF INTERFACE
USER INTERFACE IS THE PRODUCT
QUALITY WILL BE INCREASING WHICH WILL EXERT
POWERFUL EFFECTS IN THE MARKET PLACE
POSSIBLE EXPLANATION
ANSWER
39. THREE PRINCIPLES FOR SYSTEM DESIGN
CONTRAST BETWEEN RECOMMENDED PRINCIPLES
ANS WHAT DESIGNERS SUGGEST
WHY THE PRINCIPLES ARE UNDERVALUED
ELABORATION OF THE PRINCIPLES
CASE STUDY - IBM’S AUDIO DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Chapters
40. Principles Applied to Development
INITIAL DESIGN ITERATIVE DEVELOPMENT
BUILD
TEST
BEHAVIORAL
GOALS
IMPROVE
COLLECT CRITICAL
INFORMATION ABOUT
THE USERS
DEVELOP
BEHAVIORAL
GOALS ORGANIZE
THE WORK
PRELIMINARY UI
SPECIFICATION
48. TEST
BEHAVIORAL
GOALS
IMPROVE
COLLECT CRITICAL
INFORMATION ABOUT
THE USERS
DEVELOP
BEHAVIORAL
GOALS ORGANIZE
THE WORK
PRELIMINARY UI
SPECIFICATION
MEASUREMENT
CRITERIA
Principles Applied to Development
INITIAL DESIGN ITERATIVE DEVELOPMENT
TEST SCENARIO
DESCRIPTION OF
THE INTENDED
USER
54. THREE PRINCIPLES FOR SYSTEM DESIGN
CONTRAST BETWEEN RECOMMENDED PRINCIPLES
ANS WHAT DESIGNERS SUGGEST
WHY THE PRINCIPLES ARE UNDERVALUED
ELABORATION OF THE PRINCIPLES
CASE STUDY - IBM’S AUDIO DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Chapters
61. • MATCHING THE FUNCTIONS AS CLOSELY AS
POSSIBLE TO USER NEEDS
• MAKING THE USER INTERFACE AS SELF-
EXPLANATORY AS POSSIBLE
Develop Behavioral Goals
62. More User Research Insights
• From Enhanced Dictation System to Audio Distribution System (Voice
Messaging)
• Pushing a lot of keys
• Remember the digits for specific commands
• The necessity to read documentation or spend time for training
• Pending Message Box
MAIN FEATURE
USERS SUGGESTED
USERS DIDN’T LIKE
64. The architecture and the designers’ motivation, was
flexible enough to allow iterative design.
Organize the Work
FLEXIBILITY TOWARDS DESIGN CHANGE
ENTIRE SYSTEM DESIGNED BY A SIGLE GROUP
68. • Simulator incorporated as the actual user interface of the system
• Final IBM ADS was controlled by tables identical to those used in
“programming” the simulator
• Changes to the user interface of the actual system could be made with no
reprogramming whatsoever
Iterative Development
MODULAR DEVELOPMENT
73. Case Study
ADS asked users:
“Do you want to add a comment at the
beginning of the message, add a comment
where you stopped listening, or erase the
message and start over.”
75. Majority of new users learn ADS with no training, which is radically
different from what was found for the earliest ADS prototype and for
new users of most computer systems today.
Result
BEHAVIORAL GOALS ARCHIVED
79. Paper Conclusions
Suggested principles can improve usability
Survey data shows that these principle are not intuitive
There is one case history, which indicate that the
principles lead to usable systems.
80. Critics
• Designers should not assume that these principles are the
only ones to apply.
• Systems need to possess other attributes to ensure they are
feasible and maintainable, and the final design may have to
be a compromise as a result.
F. Terry Baker, Computing Reviews
81. Reading List
1.The 1984 Olympic Message System: A Test Of Behavioral
Principles Of System Design
Gould, Stephen J. Boies, Stephen Levy, John T. Richards, And Jim
Schoonard
2.Learning To Use Word Processors: Problems And Prospects
Mack.R., Lewis, C.H., And Carroll J.
3.The Lisa Computer System
Williams, G. Byte (1983), 33-50.