1. IS 214 Needs Assessment and Evaluation of Information Systems Managing Usability © Copyright 2001 Kevin McBride

2. Managing Usability Assessing usability in the organization Looking for usability opportunities Creating usability opportunities Implementing usability practices Expanding usability influence

3. Assessing Usability History – what has been done and by who Attitudes – what do people think of usability Process – how are things done Resources – who is working on usability Needs – how usable are the products

4. Interviewing the Organization Interview managers and technical leads (marketing, writing, support, graphics, etc.) What do they do? What are the pressures? Who are the decision makers in the org? What usability mistakes or successes made? Get their ideas for usability focus Who are potential allies for usability?

5. Myths, Beliefs, & Attitudes Usability doesn ’ t matter to sales Guidelines will create usable interfaces Usability begins with detailed design phase Usability is subjective Usability can be designed without testing

6. Software Development Process Learn how the current process works What is the decision making process? Where can or does usability fit in? When are resources allocated?

7. Usability Resources How many usability specialists? Writers, programmers, marketing, or support people with an active interest in usability? Few – you focus on quick successes Many – can focus on working earlier in the development cycle – field study, task analysis

8. Usability Needs How usable are the current products? Internal opinions about level of usability? Results of previous usability testing, trade press reviews, satisfaction surveys? New development underway or planned? Questions design teams have for users? Use the products yourself

9. Looking for Opportunities Pressures that usability can relieve Existing user relationships Reporting demands from executives Powerful allies or critical mass

10. Pressures that Usability Relieves Excess support costs User requested changes in Beta version Inadequate data for design teams Unresolved disputes on design teams Negative user feedback on usability Negative trade press feedback on usability

11. Existing User Relationships Beta customers User groups / technical conferences Customer councils / customer visits Marketing / sales contacts Technical support contacts

12. Usability Reporting to Executives Customer satisfaction tracking Support cost / call volume tracking Process measures Usability objectives and goals General status reporting

13. Powerful Allies / Critical Mass Technical writers – need task analysis Support – want to reduce ‘ user errors ’ Marketing – want user priorities and reactions Quality assurance – scenarios for test cases Designers – want to know how users work Many and wide-spread advocates can overcome lack of support at the top

14. Creating Usability Opportunities Volunteer for projects, testing, getting data Advertise usability events and successes Provide usability education to organization Form a UCD team to set goals and plan

15. Volunteer Work on any usability projects, no matter how small or how late in the process Guerilla testing for immediate results Help with any task the team needs Help with development or testing Write user interface specifications

16. Advertise Events & Successes Let everyone know when you are running a usability test and enable observers Provide food for observers Tout improvements in user performance or satisfaction resulting from usability work

17. Usability Education Informally educate potential allies on the benefits of usability to their work Informally educate management / executives on the business value of usability Teach formal short-courses or brown-bag seminars on usability methods

18. Form a UCD Team Formal team – representatives appointed from all disciplines & functional areas – Use this to gauge buy-in and set objectives Informal team – volunteers who care about usability and want to participate – Use this to get things done quickly

19. Implementing Usability Practices Choose the right project Leverage allies and the design team Ensure results are implemented Gather feedback on your processes Avoid pitfalls that alienate

20. Choose the Right Project Important project for the organization Definite buy-in from key design team members Support from management or tech lead Not too big or too long of a project Not too late to make a difference

21. Leverage Allies & Design Team Involve whole team in planning, execution, and analysis of results Address the needs of allies and get their help creating test materials Provide templates and guidance Get allies to record observations, identify problems, and assign severities

22. Ensure Results are Implemented Involve design team in observation and defining the recommendations Prioritize results with severity ratings Track problem resolutions as product defects, using same process as bugs Communicate progress relative to goals (% severity fixed, satisfaction ratings)

23. Gather Feedback on Your Process Survey or interview team on the process Is data being gathered helping design? Are the changes being made significant? Is the timing too late? Too early? What improvements can you make?

24. Avoid Pitfalls That Alienate Don ’ t fight for trivia – pick your battles Don ’ t take all the credit – emphasize team Don ’ t set unrealistic expectations Don ’ t rely on authority – test it with users Don ’ t remain ignorant – learn the technology

25. Expanding Usability Influence Move to methods earlier in the process Expand scope to total user experience Create resources for recruiting participants Create dedicated design / evaluation space Develop design guidelines and tools

26. Move to Earlier Methods Use feedback from team to emphasize the need for early user involvement Prototype fixes for next release and test them as early as possible Emphasize the gaps in knowledge about users and their tasks Perform field studies after product release

27. Expand Scope Work with marketing to understand their needs and educate them on usability Perform out-of-the-box experience tests Include marketing materials as the first thing users work with in usability tests Include documentation, support calls as part of usability tests

28. Create Resources for Recruiting Person dedicated to recruiting users Create relationships with agencies Separate budget for usability activities Bring in users on a regular basis (Build it, they will come approach)

29. Create Dedicated Usability Space Permanent testing lab to enable better observation and recording Design room for teams and for sharing designs with the larger organization Establish usability as a visible presence

30. Develop Guidelines & Tools Guidelines – Ensure consistency – Codify lessons learned from usability – Make design easier, less duplicate effort Tools conforming to guidelines – Make consistency easy – Make development easy

31. What ’ s Important Learn what is important to your organization Learn who has the power in your organization Choose opportunities where you can succeed Get the whole organization involved Once established, strive for best practices