About Usability

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Usability assesses the user's view of an information service or product. Is the use of the product obvious or is an instruction manual needed to explain how it works? Are users raving fans, merely satisfied, or are they unwilling to use the product again?

The concept of usability is easy to grasp, achieving usability is more difficult. In general, the people who design a product are often more concerned with functionality than with usability. Usability Engineers help designers create better products and help users to carry out tasks more productively.

Usability Engineering is a mix of Human Factors Design, Ergonomics, and Cognitive Psychology. It is an accumulated body of knowledge about how humans process information and the way that users can best receive it.

It is, however, essential to evaluate designs. An independent third party is valuable in representing the user's perspective. Usability Evaluation involves trying out a prototype or current version of the design on a selected number of typical users. Participants are screened to ensure that they are representative of users. This controlled evaluation seeks to eliminate extraneous variables. Where a design is not yet finished an evaluation of a model can be valuable.