Introduction to Usability

USABILITY 101 USABILITY 101 USABILITY 101 USABILITY 101 USABILITY 101 USABILITY 101 USABILITY 101 USABILITY 101 USABILITY 101 USABILITY 101 USABILITY 101
Usability!
it makes
people not
hate you!

USABILITY 101
• What is usability?
• Why it’s important
• Ten principles of usability
• Exercise
Agenda

USABILITY 101 USABILITY 101USABILITY 101USABILITY 101USABILITY 101USABILITY 101USABILITY 101USABILITY 101USABILITY 101USABILITY 101USABILITY 101
What is Usability?

A quality attribute used to evaluate
how easy interfaces are to use.
Usability

Also refers to methods of
improving ease-of-use
during design.
Usability

Usability Testing ≠ Focus Groups

what people do

what people do what people say

user experience
Usability is not...

user experience
Usability is not...
minimalism

user experience
Usability is not...
minimalism
customer opinions

user experience
Usability is not...
minimalism
customer opinions
common sense

user experience
Usability is not...
minimalism
customer opinions
common sense
good design

user experience
Usability is not...
minimalism
customer opinions
common sense
good design
a set of rules

→
→
→
→
→
Eﬃciency
Learnability
Error
Management
Satisfaction
Memorability
Usability is all about

Interaction
Design
Usability is 1/4 of UX
Usability
Information
Architecture
Visual
Design

Interaction
Design
Usability
Information
Architecture
Users Content
Context
Visual
Design

Interaction
Design
Usability
Information
Architecture
Users Content
Context
Principles of
Usability

Visual
Design

Why is usability important?

Is a good return on investment
Good Usability

is a competitive advantage
Good Usability

is a competitive advantage
makes design adequate
Good Usability

usability usability
visual design, content + development

usability usability
user
experience
visual design, content + development

makes people feel dumb
Bad Usability

Bad Usability
is disrespectful

Bad Usability
is disrespectful
damages our clients’ credibility

Where would you rather put your money?

the only usability equation that matters
Value > Pain

You are not the user

10 rules to design things that are perfectly adequate
Usability Principles

1 Recognition rather than recall
Place items on the page where and when users need
them as they move through the system.
Don’t force people to remember things.

Recognition rather than recall

2
Match between system and the real
world
Speak the user’s language.
Use familiar words, phrases and concepts,
rather than system- or business-oriented terms.

Match between system and the real world

3 Consistency and standards
People have used hundreds of interfaces before they
arrived at yours.
They’ll be expecting certain patterns of how things
should be named and how they work.

Consistency and standards

4 Error prevention
Help users not make errors in the ﬁrst place.
Provide guidance and helpful design.

Error prevention

5 Emergency exits
Users often make mistakes.
Help users avoid disaster by providing escape hatches
and “undo” functionality.

Emergency Exits

6
Help users recognize, diagnose, and
recover from errors
Error messages should be expressed in plain language,
precisely indicate the problem, and constructively
suggest a solution.

Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

7 Visibility of system status
The system should always keep users informed about
what is going on, through appropriate feedback within a
reasonable time.

Visibility of system status

8 You are here
Interfaces should answer the question:
where am I, and where am I not?
Process interfaces should show the number of steps,
progress, and the expected duration.

You are here

9 Flexibility and eﬃciency of use
Design a ﬂexible interface that can be used by both
novice and advanced users.
Allow users the freedom to explore content, and a
reasonable amount of control over their experience.

Flexibility and eﬃciency of use

10 Minimalist design
The elements of an interface’s design should not
obstruct its function.
Every extra piece of information competes with the
relevant bits of information and diminishes their
visibility.

Minimalist design

it’s peanut butter jelly time
Exercise

Introduction to Usability

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