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Usability of Interactive Systems: It Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better

One would think that by now that software applications, online services, and electronic appliances that are poorly designed and difficult to learn and operate would be a thing of the past. After thirty years of CHI conferences, twenty years of UPA conferences, and countless books, articles, and websites about usability and interaction design, shouldn’t all software developers “get it” by now that careful task-focused design and usability are crucial for the success of interactive products and services? Alas, it is not so. In fact, more companies than ever still don’t get it: They are churning out bad interactive products and services with little or no awareness that they are doing so, and/or no idea how to do better. Certainly, the …

Abstract For tools that involve the creation of an artifact or document, reverse engineering potentially provides an interesting alternative to task-based usability testing. In this case study, participants were shown an artifact and asked to recreate it using a software tool. Would the reverse engineering testing method be as successful as traditional task-based methods in uncovering usability problems? Would test participants be comfortable using the method? Participants used both reverse engineering and task-based approaches to usability testing in counterbalanced order. Using an online tool for developing asthma action plans, the reverse engineering method uncovered more usability problems than the traditional task-based usability testing method. The 12 test participants had a positive attitude towards the reverse engineering method although it took …

Abstract This study provides an application of card sorting to address challenges resulting from curricular change. Card sorting and scenario-based usability testing were used to determine the organization of online course sites for a systems-based, integrated science curriculum. The newly implemented curriculum eliminates discipline-based boundaries and focuses on simultaneous investigation of the biochemistry, histology, anatomy, and physiology of organ systems. Two cohorts of students were recruited. A cohort of second-year students familiar with the traditional, discipline-based curriculum participated in a card sort to establish the initial site organization prior to implementation of the new curriculum. A second cohort consisting of first-year students participated in a card sorting activity after exposure to the new curriculum. Scenario-based usability testing demonstrated that all …

Inclusive Design Advisor: Understanding the Design Practice Before Developing Inclusivity Tools

This paper describes an exploratory study investigating ways to accommodate inclusive design techniques and tools within industrial design practices. The approach of our research is that by making only small changes in design features, designers end up with more inclusive products.

A System in the Wild: Deploying a Two Player Arm Rehabilitation System for Children With Cerebral Palsy in a School Environment

This paper outlines a system for arm rehabilitation for children with upper-limb hemiplegia resulting from cerebral palsy. Our research team designed a two-player, interactive (competitive or collaborative) computer play therapy system that provided powered assistance to children while they played specially designed games that promoted arm exercises…

Card Sort Analysis Best Practices

Abstract As user experience professionals, we often face objections that there is not enough time or resources to conduct usability testing during development. With the proliferation of Agile methods being used by development teams to compress the software lifecycle, the focus on time becomes even more critical. To meet the challenges of Agile development, we combined aspects of two discount usability methods: the Rapid Iterative Test and Evaluation method (RITE) and the approach to usability testing taken by Steve Krug. In this paper, we describe why we combined the methods and which elements we incorporated from each. The impact of using this new RITE+Krug combination has been remarkable. Test sessions are getting between 12 and 15 observers on a regular …

Usability of Interactive Systems: It Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better

Reverse Engineering of Content to Find Usability Problems: A Healthcare Case Study

Use of Card Sorting for Online Course Site Organization Within an Integrated Science Curriculum

Inclusive Design Advisor: Understanding the Design Practice Before Developing Inclusivity Tools

A System in the Wild: Deploying a Two Player Arm Rehabilitation System for Children With Cerebral Palsy in a School Environment

Card Sort Analysis Best Practices