Return of Investment (ROI) for applying usability technique

1. PresentationTopic: Return of Investment (ROI) for applying usability technique
Presenter : Ajay Jadhav
Place : Bangalore
Date : November 14’ 2006

2. To start with
 I would like to talk about ROI (Return on Investment) for applying usability methods.
 I would be more generic on this subject on Software Development.
 We have talked about World Usability Day today. So we know now the what is usability. So we
will discuss the returns on investment (ROI) on applying usability technic in design.

3. Definition ofUsability
Usability is an approach to product development that incorporates direct user feedback
throughout the development cycle in order to reduce costs and create products and tools that
meet user needs and ease of use.
Note:There are many definitions of usability from books by usability professionals.
Two international standards define usability and human-centered (or user-centered) design:
"[Usability refers to] the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve
specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use." -
ISO 9241-11
"Human-centered design is characterized by: the active involvement of users and a clear
understanding of user and task requirements; an appropriate allocation of function between
users and technology; the iteration of design solutions; multi-disciplinary design." - ISO 13407

4. What and How
In today’s world:
The interface design and usability field has matured to a point where we can measure the cost-benefits
and impact of conducting (or not conducting) usability and user-centered design.
So we will see question listed.
What is the Return on Investment (ROI) for Usability?
So in any organization the decision maker see what are the returns on investment. And the question
arises.
How do you measure project success by using the Usability Methods?
ROI is the way to determine if usability is worth the investment, by comparing the money spent on
usability activities with the savings that result from the process.

5. Benefits
Investing in usability technic in process in Product development (SDLC) there are only benefit as
a see that way.
Internal External Development
 Reduce training costs
 Decrease support costs
 Increase trust in systems
 Improve ease of use
 Reduce user errors
 Increase success rate
 Increase ease of learning
 Increase product sales
 Increase traffic
 Retain customers
 Attract more customers
 Increase market share
 Save development costs
 Save development time
 Reduce maintenance costs
 Save redesign costs

6. Constrain &Solution
Myth’s of investment of Usability in SDLC.
 Since budgetary constraints often result in software andWeb site development decision
makers and managers viewing usability costs as an added effort and expense.
 How do you convince the decision maker to invest in the Usability?
Solution
 The key is to help your organization realize that usability is an investment and a part and
SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle), not an added expense or effort.
 Usability increases customer (internal & external) satisfaction, productivity, and leads to
customer trust and loyalty.Consumers have become more demanding about usability.Applying
usability in the initial design can greatly reduce extensive redesign, maintenance, and customer
support.

7. When is the right time?
When to use Usability to get more ROI?
 Usability engineering is most effective at the beginning of the product development cycle.
Applying human factors in the initial design can greatly reduce extensive redesign,
maintenance, and customer support, which can substantially eat away profits.
 "The rule of thumb in many usability-aware organizations is that the cost-benefit ratio for
usability is $1:$10-$100.Once a system is in development phase, correcting a problem costs 10
times as much as fixing the same problem in design phase. If the system has been released, it
costs 100 times as much relative to fixing in design phase."

8. Conclusion
 The benefits of usability engineering can be achieved throughout the life of a product.
 By applying usability techniques to the production process, developers can make them more
efficient, which, in turn, can uniquely benefit the product’s life cycle.
 Efficient development methods can result in a faster release date allowing manufacturers to
unveil their products to the market prior to a competitor’s.
 A user-centered product can obtain positive media reviews leading to increased sales.
 An effective, user-friendly user interface can increase customer ease of learning, ease of use,
job satisfaction, and trust in the product.