Usability Is The Heart Of Development v1.0

Version 1.0 / 18 May 2004

Table of contents

• The flow of usability
• Usability methods
• Six simple steps to keep the pressure reasonable
• Users breath life into product development

Sophisticated and smart, most developers and managers know the importance of usability in product development. And almost everyone is familiar with usability testing - generally at the end of the development process, when there is something functional enough to test and evaluate. Sure, there might be the occasional bad aftertaste when months of hard work end in frustration, but in most cases the biggest problems are fixed and the products released on time. Or almost.

Maybe next time there's no need for your blood pressure to go through the roof trying to meet a deadline. What if, instead, you made one simple change to the familiar development process: implement usability right from the get go. Here are a few basic ground rules that will help you get started:

Do's	Don'ts
Ask for the user's input often	Don't take everything the user says as the absolute truth.
Let the user experiment.	Don't interrupt with your opinions.
Select users who represent your target group.	Don't use your friends for testing - they are easily affected by your presence or opinions.
Imagine the user's point of view.	Don't be blinded by your own expertise.

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The flow of usability

So you have an idea for a killer mobile application? You have listened to customers and you're convinced that there is a need out there, and you have the perfect answer. Your solution is cost-justified and it has the approval of both upper management and customers. Now all you have to do is build the application.

Growing competition in the mobile application market has increased the urgency of meeting user needs. Success in developing usable products requires that usability be designed into the product right from the start by using a methodical approach called usability engineering. Like basic software engineering, usability engineering is an iterative process that has several stages, all the way from getting to know the user to collecting feedback after actual use.

Throughout these stages, appropriate methods and tools can be used to meet phase requirements. The costs, work required, and results of the methods vary, and certain methods are more suitable for particular situations.

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Usability methods include

• Usability guidelines. A list of recommendations concerning the concept, user interface, and information architecture of mobile applications and devices. These guidelines have been developed through extensive user testing and provide a way of creating appropriate and consistent products. With guidelines, the most typical usability problems can be avoided. Check out the list of usability guidelines at Nokia Usability pages.
• Expert analysis. A usability specialist evaluates the product from the user's perspective. The result is a list of potential and existing problems and concrete recommendations for how to develop the product further. Expert analysis can reveal problems that are not covered by the guidelines.
• Single-user testing. Real end users use the product and are observed by usability analysts to find out where they encounter problems and if they use all the features. Single-user testing provides valuable data in a natural context and reveals problems that end users experience.
• Group testing (at UsabilityHUB). This is a fast, cost-effective way to test the applications with several users, but it lacks the personal approach of single-user testing. Nevertheless it provides information from real focus group users using the products and discussing them with their peers. An example of a group testing session is also described in previous Tip of the Month: Group Testing: The Best of Both Worlds.
• Satisfaction surveys. Such surveys provide statistical data in a standardized form, which can be used to evaluate the users' attitudes, feel of control and application interest in general. The effect of usability problems on the use experience can be assessed. If used in different phases of development, the impact of changes in the product can be estimated.
• End-user analysis.This consists of researching market data and user base segmentation and interviewing developers and end users of the product. The analysis helps developers design applications to fill the market's needs and locate possible openings for new product ideas. User groups should be identified at an early phase of the developing process. When the user groups are known, their demands in application development can be specified.
• Usability expert. At times, developers may encounter usability issues about which they hesitate to make decisions. A usability expert can provide valuable insights and help developers avoid a wrong decision that might prove costly.

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Six simple steps to keep the pressure reasonable

When developing game guidelines, mobile phone game developers were interviewed about product development and their needs and practices were integrated into a single model. This model can be applied to other mobile application development as well.

When applied to mobile application development, the usability implementation process is divided into six steps of unequal length:

Each of these phases has recommended methods to ensure that users remain at the center of development.

Requirements: In the requirements phase, the concept is defined and the idea of the application is tested. To validate that the concept is viable and that the product will be usable, the product concept should be evaluated against the guidelines. Some critical element of the application idea may need to be modified or the entire concept abandoned if it is demonstrated that users can't grasp the final product idea.

• End-user analysis: Find out if users are interested and if there is genuine need for the product in the market.
• Guidelines: Define the specific usability requirements that must be met in order to have a usable and potentially successful product.

Design and specifications: After the concept is validated, the requirements for its creation are defined. Specifications include both technical and usability specifications. The way the user interacts with the application is defined, as well as the entire navigation structure of the application.

• End-user analysis: Make sure that the product design fits the target group for which it is intended.
• Guidelines: Verify that the implementation does not violate existing standards and decrease the likelihood of making errors that have been identified by earlier research.

Implementation: In the implementation phase, the first version of the application is programmed, the user interface is implemented, and a better picture of the final product can be formed. In the first phase, the product is probably not good enough to be tested by real end users, but a usability specialist can evaluate the user interface and comment on it from the user’s perspective. This phase is returned to multiple times after the testing phase, until the product meets the requirements set for it.

• Consulting: Avoid delays in the development process by asking a usability expert about the implementation of certain features. Costly errors can be avoided with minimal cost.
• Guidelines: Find out standard ways of implementing certain methods and make sure the selected methods are not likely to be problems for the users.
• Expert analysis: Receive comments on how to improve the user interface and avoid designs that will likely pose problems for the users.

Testing: In this phase, the application is tested thoroughly to make sure it meets the requirements set at the beginning of the process. If it fails, the product is taken back to the implementation phase to be fixed. New requirements may have arisen during the development process and it must be verified that they are met as well as the original requirements. In usability issues, however, it may not be evident how to improve the user interface, even if the problematic part is identified.

This is the first phase where the product is sufficiently complete to show it to final end users and see how they react to it. Changes will probably be necessary after the first iteration of testing and quite likely after subsequent ones as well.

• Expert analysis: Make sure the user interface is functional, without severe flaws, and receive concrete suggestions on how to improve it.
• Individual testing: Find out how real end users use the application and where they have problems. Also, record information about which keys they prefer to press and which views they like.
• Group testing: By using the application in a real group situation, multiplayer features and the ways users use them can be tested. The results may be significantly different from what was expected. Also, users may find ways to cause errors in the application use.

Release: When the game has passed the testing phase, it is time to release version 1.0 to the public. Research is needed to find out about market acceptance, and what parts of the application can be improved for future releases.

• Satisfaction survey: To find out with any statistical accuracy which parts of the application users like and which need improvement, a satisfaction survey is needed. Also, the effects of possible usability problems can be evaluated.
• End-user analysis: See how well the product fits into the market for which it was intended.

Maintenance: In typical application development processes, a significant portion of the expenses occur after the release of the product. The product may require changes or updates, different language versions, porting to new devices, or a new episode.

• Group testing: How would users modify the application, what more do they want from it, what would get them to update or buy another version?
• Satisfaction survey: After the application has been in the market for a while, competition may affect users' attitudes and requirements. Also, they will have had a longer time to evaluate the application.
• End-user analysis: See how well the product fits into the market for which it was intended.

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Users breath life into product development

Although everyone should be involved in implementing usability, the key is user involvement and making sure users are at the center of the development process. Let users take part in testing early and often, using suitable techniques. Measure those aspects that have special value to users and track changes to these measures over the project's duration. Don't be afraid to try new things — you can't go wrong when users are your allies, so involve them in as many project phases as possible. It's the best way to assure a better user experience and product acceptance. Remember: the user is your secret asset.

References:

UsabilityHUB Game User Experience Library Game Playability Top 10 Tips Series 40 Games Usability Study

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