Abstract
Knowledge gained from usability testing is often applied
merely to the immediate product under test and then forgotten—at least
at an organizational level. This article describes a usability knowledge
management system (KMS) based on principles of pattern language and use-case
writing that offers a way to turn lessons learned from usability testing
into organizational knowledge that can be leveraged across different projects
and different design teams.
Practitioner’s Take Away
- Usability Knowledge Management System does not have to be complicated;
it just has to be useful for informing design decisions. - Patterns are a practical way to abstract usability findings so they
can be generalized across other projects and other teams. - Use-case and scenario names can provide useful metadata structures
for retrieving usability patterns. - My KMS is not your KMS: Patterns and metadata that make my knowledge
useful in the kinds of applications I design might not be the same patterns
that make your knowledge useful. Create patterns that work for your design
needs.