Usability: What's the Use?

by Tysa Fennern

User-centered design focuses on putting customers' needs first. Participatory design is one method for incorporating customers' experiences into the design process when developing a product, tool, or program. It is important to remember that easy-to-use software doesn't just happen; the customer's perspective is needed in order to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses in a product's design, development, or documentation process.

To have "total usability," you must "understand before you plan." (Fuzzy Front End, OGI presentation) Once you identify the user's needs, you will better understand how the product or the documentation can be improved. Meet customers' expectations, involve them in the design process, and utilize their input, and your company will produce a more competitive, user-friendly product. In other words, rather than designing a product your company thinks will work, you will be helping them design a product you know will work.

Beginning the User Task Analysis

User task analysis helps to determine when the product will be most often used. There are essentially six business goals and six user-centered design principles (IBM).

Overcoming Obstacles

There will be some obstacles to overcome before you can completely focus on documenting the user's experience.

Now That Management Is On Your Side

It is time to prepare for the customer's visit and engage in the details of your usability testing plan. Below are some considerations and suggested methods for recruiting users and proceeding in the participatory design process.

• Select the right audience member/customer: Consider the user, the main market, the competition, your proximity to the customer, and the cost of the study. Interviews can be performed with potential or current customers; or, if you plan to use an in-house customer, make sure that he or she has not been influenced by your company's existing culture.

• Determine the Number of Interviewers: Generally, one-two people attend together, one to interview the customer, and one to record the information and observe the visit and interaction of the user.

• Decide on the Length of the Visit: The average time for the initial visit to the user is approximately two hours. You want to ensure that you do not overload the interviewee, especially on the first visit.

• Keep in mind customer considerations, and maintain a neutral point of view. Make no promises during your visit, stay out of office politics, and always keep a handle on the quantity of information you impart to your user; you don't want to overwhelm your customer during your visit.

Interviewing, Recording and Collecting Data

Before beginning the interview, have all concerned parties sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) document or permissions paperwork to ensure that all parties have consented to the study.

Various methods can be used to record a customer visit. The most common recording devices used in interviews are:

• Manual note taking on paper
• Video recording
• Audio recording

Interview Question Preparation

Prepare your interview questions ahead of time, before the interview takes place. This helps to keep the interview focused and specific.

Always make sure to ask neutral questions to avoid disputes or accusations of favoritism. Open-ended questions tend to encourage honest responses and reactions and also to evoke discussion, whereas yes/no questions tend to elicit a guided response.

Good examples of questions to ask:

• How do you know when you have a good day or a bad day?
• How did you feel performing that function?
• How do you get an evaluation?

Pay attention to the user at all times. It is very important to be professional yet friendly when observing and working with the user. Here are some guidelines with tips and sample interview questions (PDF file) to use when you are trying to obtain specific results. (Greenleaf Agency, LLC)

Goals of the Customer Visit

Take note of the customers' surroundings. The machinery and mechanics of the setting will help you develop a complete picture of your user. Printers, lighting, sound, physical space, computer types, monitor sizes, and the interactions between programs and departments will be recordable. Be sure to take plenty of notes.

Collect artifacts from the customers' domain: documents, drawings, forms, internal documentation, cheat sheets and neutral copies of proprietary information, if possible. These artifacts will help you understand how various external factors influence your customers' opinion of your product. In addition, studying your customers' everyday documents will help you better understand your customers' terminology.

Interview Accomplished, Time to Organize the Results
Don't forget to take time to organize your data.

• Set aside approximately one - two hours after completing your visit to record any mental notes taken during the visit.

• Label all of the artifacts that you collected from the visit: drawings, sketches and documentation. Note the intended purpose of the document and how it is actually used.

• Write down any quotes you obtained during the interview. These quotes will help you address any personalized concerns or comments the user made during the session.

Data Analysis and Bookkeeping
Share the information you've collected with the team as soon as you have documented your interview. At this point, you will develop personas, map workflows, and begin to analyze the data.

• Personas: Convenient "sample" people who represent typical members of your audience.

• Mapping workflows: Accounting for task variations within various job settings. For example, you can find out how and when your customer employs your software during the course of the workday. This type of analysis is most commonly used when documenting use cases: tasks that include a description, actions, and goals. Needs and Values are one way of dividing up use cases; a need is something the system must do; a value is what the user hopes the product will do.

Time to Deliver the Results

Customer site visit data can be delivered by reporting or by presenting data walls and posters. Either of these methods can be successful as long as you follow these guidelines:

Use a "reporting" style:

• Don't overwrite; summarize on the 1st page
• Include user quotes
• Present quantitative data
• Use an appendix

Assembling data walls or posters:

• Use butcher paper for size purposes
• Paste collected artifacts up for review; include any forms that are used
• Write out personas developed
• Leave room and resources for team comments; include sticky notes and pencils

Feedback should be delivered based on the most effective method for your audience. (STC 3/20/03 Chapter Meeting).

In closing, we ask: Usability, what's the use? The answer: Constant customer feedback leads to better designed, successful products. (Neilsen Norman Group).

Additional Resources

Cited Sources

Greenleaf, Jenny. Greenleaf Agency, LLC (jenny@greenleafagency.com). 3/20/03.

IBM Ease of Use. www-3.ibm.com/ibm/easy/eou_ext.nsf/publish/558.

Neilson Norman Group. User Testing www.nngroup.com/services/testing.html.

OGI Seminars. "Taming the Fuzzy Front End." March 17, 2003 cpd.ogi.edu/schedule/seminars.htm.

STC Willamette Valley Chapter Meeting. "User-Centered Design for the Real World" March 20, 2003 (Presenters and Panelists: Carol Carmick, Matt Yurdana, Jenny Greenleaf, and Kris Dinkel).

About the Author

Tysa Fennern is currently employed as a full-time contractor with the Education Group at Intel Corporation. She is a graduate of the Technical and Professional Writing Certificate program at Portland Community College, and recently joined STC. You can contact her at: tysa_fennern@comcast.net.