LEARN ABOUT USABILITY
Introduction
Usability is an evolving field, so it is always a good idea to keep up to date with the latest and greatest in this profession. This can include anything from new techniques to modifications of existing theories and beliefs. If you are going to conduct a usability activity, it is advisable to find out whether there is any new research about the activity that interests you. If you are new to the field, you will want to do some research to learn about the fundamental practices of usability. In this appendix we point you to some of the key resources that will help keep you informed. You may also want to hire a professional to provide training or to consult on your project. Refer to Appendices B-D for lists of companies that offer training courses on user requirements gathering, companies that will help you build or rent facilities, as well as consultants that can do the work for you.
The Web
There are a plethora of websites that can provide information about usability and human factors research, or answer specific usability questions. Below is a sampling of some of the many valuable resources available on the web.
ACM Digital Library (http://portal.acm.org):
When you sign up for access to the ACM portal, you can search a database of abstracts, articles, conference proceedings, magazines, and newsletters in the HCI field.
CHI-WEB (http://sigchi.org):
The ACM’s Special Interest Group on Computer–Human Interaction (SIGCHI) provides an international, interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas about the field of human-computer interaction (HCI).
Cooper (http://www.cooper.com/content/insights/newsletters.asp):
This consulting organization offers a free newsletter featuring insights and tips on topics including design, personas, innovation, and training. Alan Cooper, the founder, is the author of two best-selling books: About Face: The Essentials of User Interface Design and The Inmates are Running the Asylum.
This no-frills search engine scours HCI articles, conference proceedings, and books in response to your search criteria.
Steve Krug’s (author of Don’t Make Me Think) website. You can read interviews he’s given and download useful documents like a sample test script and video consent form.
Jeff Johnson’s website; author of GUI Bloopers and Web Bloopers. The “Suggested Reading” section is an incredible repository of interface design and usability-related books.
This US Department of Health and Human Services website provides a vast array of usability information, including guidelines, checklists, accessibility resources, and usability methods.
Usability News by Software Usability Research Lab (SURL)
(http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl):
SURL is a service division to the Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) Laboratory at Wichita State University. It provides an online newsletter called Usability News.
This website states that it is no longer being updated, but it contains lists of links to different usability resources that are still useful.
Jakob Nielsen’s website. You can read current and previous editions of his newsletter Alertbox, as well as read about the latest usability news, book reviews, usability reports, and information about the Nielsen/Norman Tour.
“The UTEST community originally began as a space where a small group of colleagues could collaborate and share ideas about usability testing and user-centered design projects. The goal then and now was to create a ‘safe’ space where practicing professionals could work on the problems and issues they confronted in their professional experiences. Then and now, the list was intended to be a place where researchers could test out unpolished, inchoate ideas without fear that their ideas would be used out of context or attacked in other media. For this reason, it was decided very early on that UTEST’s messages would never be archived, that UTEST’s subscribers would not redistribute the list’s messages in other groups and/or media, that membership on the list would be closed to the general public, and that new members would be allowed to join by invitation only. These practices are still followed today. For subscription information, please contact Dr Tharon Howard at [email protected].”
Professional Societies, Journals, and Conferences
If you are interested in the latest research related to human factors, usability, and human–computer interaction (HCI), there are a variety of organizations that offer publications and conferences to keep you up to date. Below are organizations and publications found predominately in the US, as well as international resources.
Societies in the US
Some of the best known US-based societies are: Computer–Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI), Human-Computer Interaction International (HCII), Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), The Society for Technical Communication (STC), and the Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA). The URLs to each website are given below:
CHI (www.acm.org/sigchi):
This is the special interest group (SIG) for the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM). They hold an annual conference each year that primarily focuses on the latest research in the field, but also includes case studies from industry. Their publications – Interactions, Communications of the ACM, and SIGCHI Bulletin – are of great value and read by many in the usability field. Their academic journal is Transactions on Computer Human-Interactions (TOCHI).
The website and its URL changes every year to reflect the upcoming conference. We recommend that you conduct a general web search to find the most current URL. Their newsletter can be found at www.hci-international.org/press-room. It offers information about the upcoming conference and interesting usability articles published in a variety of sources.
HFES (www.hfes.org):
This organization focuses on human factors as a whole and includes all disciplines, such as HCI, ergonomics, communications, transportation, etc. It is more academic (research-oriented). It also has several technical groups, including Internet, communications, computer systems, and test and evaluation. Each technical group has their own publication. HFES also publishes the newsletter HFES Bulletin, the journal Human Factors, and the magazine Ergonomics in Design.
STC (www.stcsig.org/usability):
Most documentation writers belong to the STC. They also have several SIGs, including one for usability. They offer a great quarterly newsletter, Usability Interface, a list of the most recommended books on usability and design, a usability toolkit, and an annual conference.
UPA (www.upassoc.org):
This organization is focused on practitioners of usability, rather than academics. It is a smaller organization than the ones mentioned above, and the annual conference focuses on helping the community network and learn from each other. UPA publishes a newsletter, Common Ground, and an excellent magazine, User Experience.
International Societies
UPA, CHI, and HFES all have some international chapters. You can locate them from the websites provided above. There are some additional non-US usability and HCI organizations to be aware of. The largest one is the International Ergonomics Association – IEA (www.iea.cc/index.cfm). It is “the federation of ergonomics and human factors societies from around the world.” IEA holds a Triennial Congress (i.e., conference every three years) in a different country. The organization offers a quarterly newsletter, Ergonomics International, and you can view archived issues on the website.
Table A.1 lists a few more country-specific organizations. Visit their websites to learn more about their missions, memberships, events, and publications.
Table A.1
Partial list of usability and human factors (ergonomics) organizations, with their websites
We would also like to mention the journal International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, published three or four times a year by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. It isn’t sponsored by a particular usability or human factors organization but is recommended by many of them. You can find out more at www.catchword.com/erlbaum/10447318/contp1-1.htm.
Standards
The International Standards Organization and International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) have developed a number of standards that aim to improve the usability of a product under development. They range from usability of everyday products to mobile products to icons and dialogs. Below is a list of some key standards you should be familiar with. For more detail on any of them, visit the ISO website at www.iso.ch/iso/en/ISOOnline.frontpage.
The definition of usability: ISO 9241.
Human-centered design processes for interactive systems. This includes a standard for usability plans: ISO 13407.
Evaluation of software products: ISO/IEC 14598.
Usability methods supporting human-centered design: ISO TR 16982.