Usability behaviors: Usability and the SDLC

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Usability and the SDLC

USABILITY BEHAVIORS

Usability & User Experience Design

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What are Patterns

What are Patterns? What are Usability Patterns?
• Patterns are a general • Usability / Interaction
reusable solutions to a Design Patterns are a way
commonly occurring to capture optimal solutions
problem to common usability or
accessibility problems in a
specific context.


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Benefits of Using Patterns

• Teaches novices best practices and common approaches
• Captures collective wisdom of designers across many uses and
scenarios
• Reduces misunderstandings that arise from different
vocabulary via a common language
• Makes best practices the "path of least resistance"
• Eliminates waste "reinventing the wheel"
• Ensures a consistent and predictable experience


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47 Usability Patterns Identified and
Documented
• Concept Video • Swimlanes • Paper Prototype
• Design the Box • Task Analysis • Site Map
• Tangible Futures • Affinity Diagram • Sketchboard
• Backcasting • Alignment Model • Wireflow
• Five Whys • Card Sort • Wireframe
• Scenario Planning • Controlled Vocabulary • A/B Testing
• Six Thinking Hats • Facets • GOMS
• Diary Study • Free Listing • Heuristic Evaluation
• Digital Ethnography • Tagging • Kano Analysis
• Ethnography • Taxonomy • Search Analytics
• Personas • Collaborative Inspection • Usability Capture Software
• Service Design • Conversation Sketching • Usability Testing
• User Scenario • Five Sketches™ • Web Analytics
• Concept Model • Participatory Design
• Ecosystem Visualization • Rapid Facilitation
• Experience Map • Design Pattern
• Process Flow • Page Description Diagram


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Mapping the Mess

Producing the Design
Design the Design
Planning the Design
Solution as The User The Design
Product The Process
Planning & Ecosystem The Design
Strategy The Deliverables
Information

Analytics & Quantification


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The Usable Design

PLANNING THE DESIGN


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Solution as Product

Things to Consider Patterns Associated
• Think of your solution as a

Solution as Product
Concept Video
product sold in a store
• Think of the finished Design the Box
product and how it makes
the user feel
Tangible Futures

Note: This is usually done at the Executive Level for the portfolio / company as a whole.


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Planning & Strategy

• Why am I doing this?

Planning & Strategy
Five Whys
• What do I need to worry
about? Backcasting
• How will I get it all done? Scenario Planning
• What should I plan for?
Six Thinking Hats


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The Usable Design

DESIGNING THE DESIGN


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The User

• Who are your users? User Scenario

The User
• What makes them tick? Diary Study
• How are they similar? Personas
• How are they different? Ethnography
Digital Ethnography
Service Design


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The Ecosystem

• Where do our users use our Concept Model

The Ecosystem
software? Ecosystem Visualization
• What other pieces of Experience Map
software will the user use?
Task Analysis
• How do I move from one
user to another? Process Flow
• How do I move from one Swimlanes
process to another?


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The Information

• How will I categorize the Facets

The Information
data I’m showing to my Card Sort
users?
Taxonomy
• How will I organize the
menus? Tagging
• How will I group things? Affinity Diagram
• How will I communicate Alignment Model
clearly to my users? Free Listing
Controlled Vocabulary


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The Usable Design

PRODUCING THE DESIGN


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The Design Process

• How will I make this design Participatory Design

The Design Process
work? Rapid Facilitation
• How will it all flow Collaborative Inspection
together?
Conversation Sketching
• How will I make sure
everyone’s ideas are Five Sketches™
addressed?


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The Design Deliverables

• What do I need to actually Wireflow

The Design Deliverables
deliver to my developers? Page Description
• How do I consolidate all the Diagram
decisions I’ve made into a Design Pattern
physical deliverable?
Sketchboard
• How do I document my
decisions about the design? Paper Prototype
Wireframe
Site Map


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The Usable Design

STATISTICS & ANALYTICS


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• Enough of this touchy feely Heuristic Evaluation

Quantification
Analytics &
stuff give me the numbers! Usability Capture
• How can I prove what I Software
need to do? A/B Testing
• How do I know which Kano Analysis
design is better? Web Analytics
Search Analytics
Usability Testing
GOMS


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SDLC – “V” Model Relationship
Planning Analysis Design Construction Test

User Acceptance Test Plan
Design the Design
Planning the Design

Producing the Design
Acceptance
BRD Test

SRD System Test Plan System
& PLA Test

Logical Integration
Integration Test Plan
Design Test

Physical UT Plan Unit
Design Test

Construct


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Card Sort Card Sort

What:
Activity where a participant
sorts labeled cards into similar
groups. May be an open
sort, where piles are created
based on only on perceived
similarity of cards, or a closed
sort where piles are grouped
according to provided
categories.
Why:
Often used to guide navigation
design, card sorting analysis Used By:
shows how often participants
grouped specific cards
together. Discussing why the
cards are placed in a particular
pile yields deeper insight into
user expectations for content.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nedrichards/


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Design the Box Design the Box

What
Project teams create a box for the
project as if it is going to be sold at
retail. Typical box elements include
product name, tagline, key benefits,
and features. Can also include visual
tone and initial preferences for design
direction. May create actually physical
boxes, or just digital renderings. The
“Box” might also be a poster or other
sales material.
Why
Forces conversation about what really
matters about the project. Constrains
conversation to a specific format to
boost productivity of discussion. Used By:
Creates a common, tangible
touchstone that communicates
shared product vision to many
different viewpoints.


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Digital Ethnography Digital Ethnography

What
In-game or online observation
of user activities and
conversation. May also include
interviews with participants.
Documents activities, context,
environment, use of specific
vocabulary, and other
characteristics of digital
experiences.
Why
Understand users hopes,
needs, priorities and desires
when designing for people who
use virtual spaces like World of Used By:
Warcraft, Xbox Live games, or
Second Life, or participate in
communities with strong
activity on forums, photo and
video sharing sites.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettinatizzy/


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Kano Analysis Kano Analysis

What
Survey method that
determines how people value
features and attributes in a
known product domain. Shows
what features are basic must-
haves, which features create
user satisfaction, and which
features delight.
Why
Allows quantitative analysis of
feature priority to guide
development efforts and Used By:
specifications. Ensures that
organization understands what
is valued by users. Less
effective for new product
categories


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Personas Personas

What
A composite character created
to personify a specific segment
of users. Includes a name,
picture, user quotes and other
info with a focus on goals,
motivation, and behavior.
Based on user research,
personas are often paired with
representative scenarios.
Why
Creates empathy for the
specific user and avoids self- Used By:
referential design. Focus on
accomplishing specific goals
allows the product to satisfy
many people with that goal,
whether or not they match a
specific market segment.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brycej/


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Rapid Facilitation Rapid Facilitation

What
Workshop approach that focuses
on framing the right problems at
the start of a project. Relies on
user, business, and market
discovery to prepare for
intensive sessions with decision
makers. Creates touchstones to
bridge competing viewpoints and
create shared vision.
Why
Many projects sunk by lack of
unity, unclear
objectives, business unit Used By:
infighting, and people trying to
solve different problems with the
same initiatives. Rapid facilitation
mitigates these risks.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hectoralejandro/


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Alignment Model Alignment Model

What
Diagram that breaks down user
activities into discrete tasks,
arranges these activities in
columns, and then uses the same
columns to align the product
features, functions, and content
that support these activities. May
also align business objectives.

Why
Provides gap analysis, shows
product opportunities, and helps
develop task-based information Used By:
architecture. Serves as a
roadmap, and anchors
conversations about future
features and content in actual
user needs instead of individual
stakeholder agendas.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosenfeldmedia/


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Facets Facets

What
Classification approach that
assigns values for a set of
mutually exclusive categories (or
facets) to a specific content item
in a group of similar objects. For
used car listings, such facets
would include
price, color, make, model, year,
mileage, and location.
Why
Facets allow more flexible
classification and navigation
rather than only finding a specific Used By:
content item through a fixed
path (as in a taxonomy) users can
browse by the facets that matter
the most to them. Facets are
often used to refine search
queries as well.


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Page Description Diagram Page Description Diagram

What
Comprehensive inventory of all
design elements, content, and
interface components on a page,
arranged in three columns of
high, medium, and low priority.
Each element is described, and
may include a sketch or design
for individual components.
Why
Documents the elements of each
page without specifying layout.
May be used instead of
wireframes, or preceding Used By:
wireframes. Allows greater
collaboration between team
members responsible for visual
design and functional
specification.


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Process Flow Process Flow

What
Diagram to show process that
includes
conditions, branching, and
logic. Focus on defining
possible user behavior and
corresponding business rules.
Why
Documents how a person can
use the system to accomplish
different tasks. Ensures that
error conditions and alternate Used By:
paths are considered.


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Site Map Site Map

What
Diagram to show overall site
structure and relationships of
content. For large sites may
document patterns of
organization that are applied
across similar sections, instead
of accounting for every single
page.
Why
Document site structure to
ensure that all content is
accounted for. Guides Used By:
navigation design, site index,
and content migration. Good
for hierarchical organization,
less effective visualizing very
large sites, facets or tags.


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Swimlanes Swimlanes

What
Diagram that shows parallel
streams for user, business, and
technical process flows. May
also include a storyboard
stream. Arranged for each core
product scenario or activity.
Provides foundation for use
cases
Why
Ensures alignment and
integration of task flow with
business process and technical Used By:
requirements. Allows
understanding of all
components of a specific
process in one document,
while allowing clearer
separation, responsibility, and
delegation.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mastermaq/


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Tagging Tagging

What
Classification approach that relies
on users adding freeform
keywords to content. Used on
popular sites such as Flickr,
Del.icio.us, and 43Things. Often
displayed using a tag cloud that
scales the font size of a tag with
its popularity.
Why
Metadata for the masses. Allows
users to add any term without
complying with a controlled
vocabulary. Facilitates pivoting & Used By:
discovery of similar content with
the same tag, or related tags
applied to the same content.
Complements other classification
approaches.


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Wireframe Wireframe

What
One step past sketching shows
the layout of an interface screen.
Describes each element and
behavior. Focus is on layout,
labels, and interactions. Avoids
finished design elements such as
color and photos, instead using
placeholders for images, and
sometimes copy.
Why
Communicate the specifications
for individual pages or templates.
Also used as prototype for Used By:
usability testing. Prevents
premature conversations about
surface issues like color, instead
focuses discussion on correct and
complete content and
functionality.


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Web Analytics Web Analytics

What
Measurement tool that
analyzes user behavior based
on logs of activity on a website.
Includes information such as
entry and exit pages, most
popular pages, paths through
the site, links from other sites,
and search terms.
Why
Allows real time view of user
behavior on websites.
Particularly strong for Used By:
measuring user intent through
search terms, trouble spots
where users leave, and
conversion goals for marketing
and sales.


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Usability Testing Usability Testing

What
Real users test drive a
prototype or production
system. Usually one-on-one,
with a participant and
moderator, the participant
thinks out loud as they
complete representative tasks.
Typically 6-8 participants per
user segment.
Why
Understand what works and
what doesn’t. Often included in Used By:
iterative development with
each cycle so that the product
continually improves. Excels at
finding specific interface
problems, including layout,
labeling, and interaction.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/l-i-n-k/


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Taxonomy Taxonomy

What
A hierarchical classification
scheme that relates broader
parent terms to narrower child
terms. Often created as part of
a thesaurus that also shows
related terms and preferred
terms.
Why
Can structure a set of content
such as a website by assigning
individual taxonomy terms to
specific content or pages or Used By:
vice versa. Works in
conjunction with other
classification and findability
systems like
facets, tagging, and search.


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Ethnography Ethnography

What
Anthropological approach
focused on individual and
group behavior in context. Uses
contextual observation,
interviews, diaries, and artifact
collection to investigate
customs, rituals, and myths.
Why
Provides rich insights into
behavior, experience, and
expectations within a system Used By:
and can reveal unmet needs
and opportunities for teams to
differentiate their products and
services.


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Wireflow Wireflow

What
This lovechild of wireframes and
flowcharts visualizes interaction
within a system by laying out the
screens of an application in one large
document and drawing the
connections between related screen
elements.
Why
Provides comprehensive canonical
picture of system interaction in one
document. Can see key interactions
and relationships at a glance. Caution:
very labor-intensive to maintain as
the system changes through
iterations. Used By:
Resources
Wireflows come from the Flow Map
work of Richard Fulcher, Bryce Glass,
and Matt Leacock while at AOL.
http://www.leacock.com/deliverables/index.html


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Backcasting Backcasting

What
Planning tool that works
backwards from an ideal
scenario to visualize necessary
actions, outcomes, and
underlying assumptions.
Why
Teams are better at picturing
the future by working
backwards from an ideal
instead of forwards from the
current state of things. Used By:
Backcasting provides a boost
for innovation and planning
efforts compared to starting
from the status quo.


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User Scenario User Scenario

What
Storytelling approach to design
that captures user motivations
and actions in short, focused,
narrative form. Each scenario
captures the moment for a
particular set of actions focused
on meeting a specific need for a
user. Typically written,
sometimes captured through
pictures or video.
Why
Brings users to life while keeping
focus on tasks and behavior. Used By:
Scenarios can link together to tell
the entire story of a product or
service. Easy to explore and
iterate, scenarios complement
personas, and can lead to more
detailed use cases.


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Experience Map Experience Map

What
Visualization of experience
across locations, time, and
channels. Captures interactions
between touch points. Little
industry consensus on exact
format or content.
Why
A holistic view of experience
through time with specific
touch points promotes better
coordination of cross-channel Used By:
design and reveals
opportunities for new or
improved interactions.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sethandalexa/


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Paper Prototype Paper Prototype

What
Prototype of a system with
screens sketched using
markers, sheets of paper,
stickies, transparencies, and
other simple materials.
Why
Explore many alternative
solutions with low costs and
little risk. Low fidelity format
encourages experimentation,
honest critique, rapid iteration. Used By:
Keeps teams from getting too
attached to one solution. Used
in early usability testing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cesarastudillo/


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Ecosystem Visualization Ecosystem Visualization

What
Model of connections between
elements of the whole system
that an offering lives
in, including
products, services, competitors
, partners, contributors, and
channels.
Why
Overall ecosystem view
illustrates
niches, threats, opportunities, Used By:
and necessary connections.
New offerings need to
integrate, replicate, or route
around ecosystem elements to
gain user adoption and market
share.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7855449@N02/


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Search Analytics Search Analytics

What
Log analysis and visualization of
search queries of active
websites, for both incoming
search terms from search
engines and for users searching
using internal site search.
Why
Search queries help reveal user
intentions on the website,
show content that is missing or
hard to find, and help teams Used By:
optimize the information SCE.com
architecture and design of the
Edison.com
site to improve findability and
provide a better experience.


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Conversation Sketching Conversation Sketching

What
Participatory method for
workshop participants to
iteratively sketch their thoughts
about possible solutions, discuss
reasons for drawing a particular
solution, and then sketch revised
versions. May iterate several
times to explore different
approaches and work towards a
common vision.
Why
Provides a framework for
participants to articulate their Used By:
ideas. Explores underlying
motivations that drive feature
suggestions. Looking at root
causes offers more opportunities
for real solutions than simply
adopting requested features.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/philhawksworth/


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Free Listing Free Listing

What
Classification research method.
Participants write down as
many terms related to a given
category or topic within a
restricted timeframe. These
terms are then analyzed for co-
occurrence and ordering across
participants.
Why
Alternative to card sorting,
shows what terms have
strongest associations within Used By:
the category for participants.
Debriefing with participants
afterwards can reveal patterns,
preferences, and expectations
related to content categories.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucamascaro/


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Design Pattern Design Pattern

What
Repeatable, bite-sized solution
for a known design problem.
Shows context with usage
scenarios and examples of
pattern in practice. Taken
collectively, multiple patterns
form the basis for a pattern
language used to create
consistent solutions.
Why
Avoids re-inventing the wheel.
Improves re-use and consistency
of solutions while capturing Used By:
knowledge and best practice
from multiple teams in a
structured, modular format that
makes it easy to reference and
find for future projects.


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Service Design Service Design

What
Design approach that focuses
on service offerings. Considers
touch points across channels,
interactions at those points,
and the connections between
them. Also integrates
complementary products in a
service ecosystem.
Why
Applies many of the tools from
product design to creating
human-centered services. Used By:
Lower barrier to entry for
innovation for services
compared to mature product
categories. Uncovers new
markets for business and new
value for users.


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Usability Capture Software Usability Capture Software

What
Software that records video and
other data from usability testing
sessions and provides tools to
analyze data and create video
highlight reels of test findings.
May use local computer or
remote screen sharing over a
broadband connection.
Why
Turns an ordinary PC and
webcam into a usability lab.
Provides lower cost options for
bolstering the impact of study Used By:
findings by showing video of
users struggling with specific
issues. Remote capability allows
for usability testing from across
the street or across the
continent.


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Sketchboard Sketchboard
What
Collaborative sketching technique
layering may design options onto one
very large sheet of paper. Starts by
posting criteria like discovery findings
and then sketching and arranging
potential solutions nearby--first as
thumbnail sketches and then as
detailed screens.
Why
Design the big picture of a site or
application without getting bogged
down in incremental detail like
wireframes can. Collaborative low-fi
format keeps project criteria at hand
to build common ground. Large paper
background offers "roll up and go"
portability to take the work to others Used By:
on the team.
Resources
Sketchboards are a technique
pioneered by Brandon Schauer and
Leah Buley at Adaptive Path.
http://www.adaptivepath.com/ideas/ess
ays/archives/000863.php

http://www.flickr.com/photos/indiyoung/


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Controlled Vocabulary Controlled Vocabulary

What
A set of canonical terms used
to describe content. Typically
includes preferred terms. Often
the foundation for a full-
fledged thesaurus and
taxonomy.
Why
Guides uniform use of
descriptive vocabulary in an
organization to facilitate
findability and make metadata Used By:
more consistent. Works in
tandem with other
classification tools like tags and
facets.


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A / B Testing A / B Testing
What
A testing procedure in which two (or
more) different designs are evaluated
in order to see which one is the most
effective. Alternate designs are served
to different users on the live website.
Why
Can be valuable in refining elements
on a web page. Altering the
size, placement, or color of a single
element, or the wording of a single
phrase can have dramatic effects. A /
B Testing measures the results of
these changes.
Resources
A/B testing is covered in depth in the
book Always Be Testing: The
Complete Guide to Google Website Used By:
Optimizer by Bryan Eisenberg and
John Quarto-von Tivadar.
http://www.testingtoolbox.com/
You can also check out the free A/B
testing tool Google Optimizer.
https://www.google.com/analytics/siteo
pt/preview

http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielwaisberg/


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Affinity Diagram Affinity Diagram
What
A method for sorting and making
sense of data. Data points can be
recorded on sticky notes (the UX
practitioner's Swiss army knife) and
sorted into logical groups. Could be
employed as an individual or group
exercise.
Why
Participants can experiment with
different arrangements to see which
makes the most sense. Affinity
Diagramming helps to expose crucial
relationships and patterns in data that
may not be initially apparent.
Resources
Affinity diagram tutorial from Mind
Tools. Used By:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/art
icle/newTMC_86.htm
Beyer & Holtzblatt's book Contextual
Design also talks about affinity
diagrams.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kowitz/


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Collaborative Inspection Collaborative Inspection

What
A group usability review that
includes
stakeholders, designers, develop
ers, domain experts, and end
users. Sessions involve walking
through key tasks or screens, and
are moderated by a lead
reviewer, recorder, time
keeper, and continuity inspector.
Why
Because many points of view are
represented, collaborative
inspections can be more Used By:
thorough and efficient than
expert reviews. Collaborative
sessions also allow for
discussions between
stakeholders that might reveal
deeper insights.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/


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Concept Model Concept Model
What
A diagram that visualizes relationships
between different concepts. Nodes
containing concepts are linked with
labeled lines and arrows in order to
explain how they are associated.
Why
Can help to explain how a series of
complex, interrelated ideas correspond
to one another. Builds an understanding
of a body of knowledge, and helps to
uncover misunderstandings.
Resources
Dan Brown gives a great explanation of
Concept Models in this UIE article and
also devotes an entire chapter to them
in his book Communicating Design.
http://www.uie.com/articles/concept_m
odels Used By:
http://www.communicatingdesign.com/
The diagram on the card is the work of
Bryce Glass.
http://soldierant.net/archives/2005/10/f
lickr_user_mod.html


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Diary Study Diary Study

What
A data collection method in
which participants record their
actions and thoughts in a journal
over several days or weeks. Diary
Studies may be structured (based
on specific, pre-defined tasks) or
they may be unstructured
(nonspecific and participant
driven).
Why
Can help to unearth motivations
and processes that participants
would be unable to articulate in Used By:
more conventional interviews.
Gives participants the
opportunity to reflect on what
they do over time, and why they
do it & something many don’t do
on a regular basis.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bryce/


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Five Sketches™ Five Sketches™

What
A structured, group method for
exploring and analyzing design
solutions. Focusing on a specific
problem statement, each participant
sketches five solutions. Ideas are
shared, combined and iterated.
Further analysis and resketching helps
in selecting a single way forward.
Why
This is a simple method for engaging
developers and other 'non-designers'
in discussion. It's a fast way to explore
multiple solutions, facilitate
discussion, and build consensus.
Resources Used By:
Five Sketches™ was formalized and
trademarked by Jerome Ryckborst,
who offers his insight along with a lot
of info on the actual approach at
www.FiveSketches.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rohdesign/


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GOMS GOMS
(Goals, Operators, Methods & Selection Rules)
(Goals, Operators, Methods & Selection Rules)

What
An HCI task analysis method that
reduces a user's interaction to its
most basic actions. Operators (steps
that a user performs) combine to
form Methods, which are used to
achieve Goals. Selection Rules
determine the proper Method, when
more than one could be used.
Why
Quantitatively, GOMS gives good
predictions of performance time and
learning. Qualitatively, a GOMS model
is a description of the knowledge
needed to perform a given
task, essentially describing the Used By:
content needed for task-oriented
documentation.
Resources:
Jef Raskin describes GOMS in Chapter
4 of his book The Humane Interface.


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Concept Video Concept Video

What
A method for exploring design
possibilities by making short
films about how people might
use a technology in the future.
Concept videos often focus on
the context and benefits of
use, rather than on specific
interaction details.
Why
Some prototyping methods
concentrate on the granular
details of a design — what Used By:
functions and controls to
include, and how to lay them
out. Because concept videos
tell stories and avoid minutiae,
they are better suited to
explaining a new vision.


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Participatory Design Participatory Design

What
An approach to design that actively
involves stakeholders in the design
process. Exercises help the group to
explore the problem space, current
and ideal experiences, and ways of
achieving the ideal.
Why
Participatory Design sessions enable
people with different expertise and
skills to contribute equally. Can be an
efficient way to get a wide range of
input. May enhance user buy-in by
making them feel more included, and
giving them a greater sense of
ownership. Used By:
Resources
Liz Sanders is a seminal figure in
participatory design and generative
research.
http://www.maketools.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brycej/


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Scenario Planning Scenario Planning

What
A story-telling method for learning
about and planning for the future.
Allows teams to explore a range of
circumstances that could impact
future decisions, and encourages
exploration of unexpected
possibilities.
Why
Many planning techniques focus on
current data and fail to address the
unpredictability of future events.
Divergent stories help to increase our
understanding of our operating
environment, and expose our basic
assumptions about how the world Used By:
works.
Resources
Global Business Network is the
leading scenario planning
consultancy.
http://www.gbn.com/consulting/artic
le_details.php?id=24

http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystalcampbell/


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Six Thinking Hats Six Thinking Hats
What
A tactic that helps you look at decisions
from a number of different perspectives.
The white hat focuses on data; the red
on emotion; the black on caution; the
yellow on optimism; the green on
creativity; and the blue on process.
Why
Can enable better decisions by
encouraging individuals or teams to
abandon old habits and think in new or
unfamiliar ways. Can provide insight into
the full complexity of a decision, and
highlight issues or opportunities which
might otherwise go unnoticed.
Resources
Lateral thinking pioneer Edward de Bono
created the Six Thinking Hats method.
http://www.edwdebono.com/ Used By:
An explination from Mind Tools.
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/articl
e/newTED_07.htm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daijihirata/


SM

Heuristic Evaluation Heuristic Evaluation
What
A form of usability inspection where
specialists assess how well an
interface complies with recognized
usability principles (heuristics).
Usually two or three experts review a
system, noting and ranking problems.
Why
Provides quick, inexpensive usability
feedback. Can be a good method early
in a development process, as it
concentrates on the basics, ensuring
that an interface is fundamentally
sound before more in-depth testing
with real users.
Resources
Rolf Molich and Jakob Nielsen created
heuristic evaluation in 1990 as part of Used By:
an effort to lower the costs of
usability evaluation. Jakob has quite a
few articles on it; this one is a good
start.
http://www.useit.com/papers/heurist
ic/heuristic_evaluation.html


SM

Tangible Futures Tangible Futures
What
Artifacts created to represent the
state of affairs at a future point in
time. Examples might include press
releases, movie posters, newspaper
articles, or product package designs.
Why
Artifacts can be more effective in
communicating future trends than
text-heavy reports. Their concrete
nature may provoke people to think
about what they really believe, and
about how technology interacts with
social, economic, and cultural factors.
Resources
Victor Lombardi published a series of
blog posts about this approach
starting in 2006, and continues to Used By:
write about concept design and
tangible futures today. The image
Victor’s website:
http://noisebetweenstations.com/per
sonal/weblogs/?cat=131


SM

Five Whys Five Whys
What
A technique used to probe the root
causes of a problem. Popularized by
Toyota in the 1970s, this strategy
involves looking at any problem and
asking: "Why?" and "What caused this
problem?" The answer to the first
"why" prompts another "why" and
then another, and so on.
Why x 5
It's not uncommon for a project to
focus on the symptoms of a
problem, rather than exposing the
underlying causes. By asking why, and
why, and why again, we gain insight
that allows us to address real
problems in a way that will make a
real difference. Used By:
Resources
Formalized by Toyota in the
1970s, Five Whys was popularized by
Six Sigma.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Whys
http://software.isixsigma.com/library/
content/c020610a.asp


SM

Task Analysis Task Analysis
What
A study of the actions and cognitive
processes required in order for a
person to complete a given task. Task
Analysis is helpful when trying to
understand a system and its
information flows.
Why
Provides deep insight into the steps
needed to complete a task. Task
Analysis also helps in understanding
the mental model formed by people
performing the task.
Resources
Task analysis is a large component of
creating Indi Young style Mental
Models
http://www.rosenfeldmedia.com/boo Used By:
ks/mental-models/
Todd Warfel of Messagefirst also has
a Task Analysis Grid.
http://www.messagefirst.com/
http://toddwarfel.com/archives/the-
task-analysis-grid/


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