Wendy Sandstrom
Devin Doyle
Ensuring Usability
Topics included in this chapter are principles of usability testing, types of usabililty testing, conducting and reporting the results of usability testing and an important corollary of usability-accessibility.
Characterizing Usability
The goal of usability is to place user concerns, rather than the text features, at the center of the design and development processes. Text interacts with users in printed form in a manual, on a product package, or an insert in the product. Text can be written, visual, graphic, oral, etc. Usability is defined as the degree to which texts, regardless of their form, effectively and easily enables people to accomplish their goals.
Critical Principles
- Learnability-can people learn to use the text and product easily?
- Efficiency-are people productive using the text and product?
- Memorability-do people remember to use the text and product from one use to the next?
- Error Recovery-how many errors do people make using the text and the product? How serious are the errors
- Satisfaction-are people satisfied with the performance of the text and the product?
Characterizing Usability Testing
Usability Testing is a structured process that gathers information about specific use from people to the intended users. It provides a realistic look at how the text or product stands up to the 5 critical principles of usability. Test validity is a standard to go by, it looks at how the testing results measure against what the test claims to measure. A well-planned usability testing program program can provide invaluable information for revising and editing communication.
Types of Usability Testing
There are three broad categories of testing-text based, expert based, and user based testing. They are distinguished by the way information is collected and by the nature of the feedback. Text-based tests are useful for identifying specific errors and for establishing the presence or absence of common textual, visual, and design features. Microsoft Word can display two types of readability test scores: Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Expert-based testing includes several types of reviews: technical reviews by subject-matter experts, substantive editorial reviews and design reviews. User-based testing elicits information directly from the users. Concurrent testing collects information from users as they read and use a text. Retrospective testing collects information from users after they have finished using a text.
Conducting Usability Testing
Careful planning before testing will ensure usability. Preliminary steps for conducting testing can be modified for specific situations. As you plan for testing, consider your goals, criticality, constraints, schedule, involvement, timing, goodness of fit, ease of use, usable form, and updating test results. When designing documents, Web sites, and software interfaces it is important to assess the needs of the actual users, the demands of their particular situation, and the tasks and limitations of the users in those situations. Then it is time to implement the plan and report the results.
Ensuring Accessbility
Providing access to information and services, especially to people with disabilities, is a necessary pat of usability. Some users may have mobility, cognition, vision, and/or hearing limitations to designers need to consider. Principles of accessibility include consideration for use that is equitable, flexible, simple, intuitive, and perceptible. They should also minimize errors, require low physical effort and be appropriate in size, space, and approach and use. These principles also apply to Web-based applications and Web sites.
12 comments:
Honestly this chapter was a little tedious for me. After I had finished the chapter I felt a little more knowledgeable on, "ensuring usability." Before, I had never really thought much about usability when creating a document. My first thoughts usually go to the appearance of the intended document. So reading this chapter will help me remember to consider the usuability of a document.
The principles of characterizing usability will also be a helpful tool for me to use in the future. Giving thought to memorability, learnability, efficieny, etc. can alone change my thoughts or ideas about a project.
This chapter got much more in depth with the idea of usability for the intended audience in which a writer is trying to reach. I've been guilty of writing a paper that satisfied my own personal needs without giving much thought to how someone else would receive this information. In that regard this chapter can be used as a great reference tool in becoming more efficient in ensuring that your audience receives your information properly.
This was a pretty informative chapter on usability, although it seemed a bit dry it was still good information to know. I have experienced documents (directions/instructions) and websites that have had both good and bad “usability”. Especially when using instructions it’s important to have the document be clearly stated with no confusion. I had to put together a desk once and in the directions, both the pictures and text was unclear. So not all of the critical principles were met like “learnability”.
Before creating any document everyone should take into account the critical principles of usability. The ones that were most important to me were learnability, efficiency and satisfaction. To me, if I can’t even understand something quickly like directions, it becomes a frustration and gives lack of motivation. That’s why I thought that learnability was a crucial part. Clearly if a person isn’t satisfied with the text/document they’re not going to deal with it again.
The five critical principles applied to print and electronic texts are very informative. I found the chart in the text differentiating the usability principles to different genres eye-opening. The difference in the types of media one uses greatly impacts the way the document is created. Understanding how the information is interpreted via cognition, perception, affect, performance and behavior are a great way to measure quality and purpose of the texts.
Match the document to the audience. For example, if a business needs a Standard Operating Proceedure, then use a step/action table. This chapter reenforces the intentions of documents, keeping the readers in mind.
This chapter basically sums up to what you are giving an audience. A presenter needs to ensure that the appropriate information is given efficiently and in a way that can be useful for the audience. This is especially important when the intended subject can be misconstrewed with another subject, or when a specific bit of information is given.
This chapter was pretty boring, but the review that was given is great. Basically it says that you need to figure out what you are trying to say to the audience. It also talked about how different media has effects on the audience.
This chapter has a lot of information about usability. It is basically about how an audience can be able to use a product for example by following directions. A writer should write easy directions for the audience. Most of the writers do a good job ensuring usability. I find it easy reading instructions about how to use an ipod.
I thought this chapter was interesting. The things that are tested and why they are tested make complete sense, it's amazing to me how we will create an important document and not take the time to consider the usability. When I was taking my advertising classes we would use focus groups for our final projects. Focus groups allowed us to test the material and get a feel for what the audience preceived our project as. It seemed to have many similarities with the usability testing.
This chapter was pretty cool. I thought that everyones comments were interesting especially because the chapter took a unique stand on the value of usability and an associating asset of a documents accessibility. Although doesn't it seem natural that people want something that is easy to learn and remember, something that will be highly productive, satisfying, and enjoyable to use? These are not new concepts, but it certainly strengthens the weight that is put on these age old ideas. It seems like a simple connection that good writers should value what good readers want, but it's a very interesting topic.
Usability is very important for documents, and more particularly websites I think. I did a usability test for the MSU website and I think that it was helpful, because people shouldn't have to do a lot of work to navigate a webpage.
I think that the summary that you provided was full of great information and summed up the chapter very well. I like how you laid it out with headings and bullet points and whatnot. Great job!
I feel that this chapter did a very good job explaining how a person needs to incorporate usability in there technical documents. Sometimes I write things that make sense to me but im sure other people have no clue what I am trying to say. So over all if an audience can't use your technical document then it isn't good for much of anything.
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