Half Title Page
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Contributors
PART 1. Defining Usability
CHAPTER 1.
What Is Usability? (Jakob Nielsen)
Usability and Other Considerations
Definition of Usability
Learnability
Efficiency of Use
Memorability
Few and Noncatastrophic Errors
Subjective Satisfaction
Example: Measuring the Usability of Icons
Usability Trade-Offs
Categories of Users and Individual User Differences
End Notes
CHAPTER 2.
User Needs Analysis (Tom Brinck, Darren Gergle, and Scott D. Wood)
Introduction
The Objectives of User Needs Analysis
Setting Your Objectives
The Stakeholders
Business Goals
User Goals
Define the Usability Objectives
Define the Functional Specifications
Background Research
Surveys
What to Ask About
How to Structure the Survey Responses?
Sampling
Avoiding Bias
When to Use Surveys
Competitive Analysis
Interviews and Focus Groups
Conducting the Interview or Focus Group
Organizations
Preparing for an Interview or Focus Group
Focus Groups
When to Conduct Interviews and Focus Groups
Informed Project Objectives
Task Analysis
What is Task Analysis?
Task Analysis for Web Site Design
Use Cases
Hierarchical Task Analysis
User-Level Goals and Procedures
Platform-Level Goals and Procedures
Application-Level Goals and Procedures
Understanding the Tasks and Their Context
Hierarchical Task Analysis for Web Site Design
Techniques for Understanding Tasks
Training Materials
Standard Operating Procedures
Observation
Interviews and Focus Groups
Think-Aloud Protocol
Instrumented Browsers
Contextual Inquiry
How Far Down Should You Decompose a Procedure?
A Hybrid Approach to Task Analysis
Start with Use Cases
Decompose Tasks Hierarchically
Determine Appropriate Technologies
Performance Improvements
Consistency
Brevity and Clarity
Combined Functionality and Fewer Server Requests
Example: Inefficient Tasks
Human-Error-Tolerant Design
Example: Error Recovery
CHAPTER 3.
Card Sorting (Catherine Courage and Kathy Baxter)
Introduction
When Should You Conduct a Card Sort?
Things to be Aware of When Conducting a Card Sort
Group or Individual Card Sort?
Preparing to Conduct a Card Sort
Preparation Timeline
Identify Objects and Definitions for Sorting
Activity Materials
Additional Data Collected in a Card Sort
Players in Your Activity
Preparing to Conduct a Card Sort
Inviting Observers
Conducting a Card Sort
Activity Timeline
Welcome the Participants
Practice
Card Review and Sorting
Labeling Groups
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Suggested Resources for Additional Reading
Analysis with a Card Sorting Program
Analysis with a Statistics Package
Analysis with a Spreadsheet Package
Data That Computer Programs Cannot Handle
Interpreting the Results
Communicate the Findings
Preparing to Communicate Your Findings
Modifications
Limit the Number of Groups
Electronic Card Sorting
Suggested Resources for Additional Reading
Prename the Groups
Lessons Learned
Pulling It All Together
How Card Sorting Changed a Web Site Team’s View of How the Site Should be Organized
Our Approach
Planning and Preparing for the Card Sorting
The Analysis
Main Findings
What Happened to the Web site?
Acknowledgments
PART 2. Generating Ideas
CHAPTER 4. Brainstorming (Chauncey Wilson)
Introduction
When Should You Use Brainstorming?
Strengths of Brainstorming
Weaknesses of Brainstorming
Procedures and Practical Advice on Brainstorming
Variations and Extensions to Brainstorming
Free Listing
Major Issues in the Use of Brainstorming
Data Analysis for Brainstorming
What Do You Need for Brainstorming?
Recommended Readings
CHAPTER 5.
Sketching: A Key to Good Design (Bill Buxton)
The Question of Design
We Are Not All Designers
The Anatomy of Sketching
From Thinking on to Acting on
CHAPTER 6.
Persona Conception and Gestation (John Pruitt and Tamara Adlin)
Setting the Scene: What’s Going on in Your Organization Now?
What is Conception and Gestation for Personas?
The Six-Step Conception and Gestation Process
How Long Does Conception and Gestation Take?
How Many Personas Should You Create?
Persona Conception: Steps 1, 2, and 3
Step 1: Identify Important Categories of Users
Step 2: Process the Data
Plan Your Assimilation Meeting
Describe the Goal and Outcome of the Meeting
Identify Key Data Points (Factoids) in the Data Sources
Transfer Factoids to Sticky Notes
Post User Category Labels Around the Room
Assimilate the Factoids
Label the Clusters of Factoids
Step 3: Identify Subcategories of Users and Create Skeletons
Persona Gestation: Steps 4, 5, and 6
Step 4: Prioritize the Skeletons
Step 5: Develop Selected Skeletons into Personas
Step 6: Validate Your Personas
How to Know You are Ready for Birth and Maturation
Summary
CHAPTER 7.
Verify Prototype Assumptions and Requirements (Jonathan Arnowitz, Michael Arent, and Nevin Berger)
Introduction
Prototyping Requirements are not Software Requirements
Transformation of Assumptions to Requirements
Step 1: Gather Requirements
Step 2: Inventory the Requirements and Assumptions
Step 3: Prioritize Requirements and Assumptions
Requirements and the Big Picture
Iteration 1: From Idea to First Visualization
Iteration 2: From Quick Wireframe to Wireframe
Iteration 3: From Wireframe to Storyboard
Iteration 4: From Storyboard to Paper Prototype
Iteration 5: From Paper Prototype to Coded Prototype
Iteration 6: From Coded Prototype to Software Requirements
Summary
PART 3.
Designing Your Site
CHAPTER 8.
Designing for the Web (Debbie Stone, Caroline Jarrett, Mark Woodroffe, and Shailey Minocha)
Introduction
The Lovely Rooms Hotel Booking Service
Domain
Users
Tasks
Environment
Technology
Conceptual Design
Design Principles for Web Sites
High-Quality Content
Often Updated
Minimal Download Time
Ease of Use
Relevant to User’s Needs
Unique to the Online Medium
Net-centric Corporate Culture
Designing Web Sites
Designing the Web Site Structure
Helping the Users Know Where They Are
Helping the Users Navigate around the Site
Navigation Aids
Designing Home Pages and Interior Pages
Designing the Home Page
Designing Interior Pages
Design Issues for Web Pages
Widgets on Web Pages
Scrolling
Designing for Different Screens and Platforms
Using the Screen Area Effectively
Improving the Download Time
Using Style Sheets
Designing for Accessibility
Writing the Content of Web Pages
Keep Text to a Minimum
Help Users to Scan
Dividing Long Blocks of Text into Separate Sections
Summary
PART 4.
Evaluation, Analysis
CHAPTER 9.
Final Preparations for the Evaluation (Debbie Stone, Caroline Jarrett, Mark Woodroffe, and Shailey Minocha)
Introduction
Roles for Evaluators
Facilitator
Notetaker
Equipment Operator
Observer
Meeter and Greeter
Recruiter
The Lone Evaluator
Creating an Evaluation Script
An Example of an Evaluation Script
Forms to Use When Asking for Permission to Record
Nondisclosure Agreements
The Pilot Test
Participants for Your Pilot Test
Design and Assemble the Test Environment
Run the Pilot Test
Summary
CHAPTER 10.
Usability Tests (Michael Kuniavsky)
Usability Tests
When to Test
Example of an Iterative Testing Process: Webmonkey 2.0 Global Navigation
How to Do it
Preparation
Conducting The Interview
The Physical Layout
How to Analyze it
Collecting Observations
Organizing Observations
Extracting Trends
Example
CHAPTER 11. Analysis and Interpretation of User Observation Evaluation Data (Debbie Stone, Caroline Jarrett, Mark Woodroffe, and Shailey Minocha)
Introduction: How to Analyze and Interpret Data from Your Evaluation
Collating the Data
Summarizing the Data
Reviewing the Data to Identify Usability Problems
Working with Quantitative Data
Working with Qualitative Data
An Example of Data from Global Warming
Making Decisions with Qualitative Data
Interpretation of User-Observation Data
Assigning Severities
Recommending Changes
Writing the Evaluation Report
Should You Describe Your Method?
Describing Your Results
Summary
CHAPTER 12. Inspections of the User Interface (Debbie Stone, Caroline Jarrett, Mark Woodroffe, and Shailey Minocha)
Introduction
Creating the Evaluation Plan for Heuristic Inspection
Choosing the Heuristics
The Inspectors
Conducting a Heuristic Inspection
Task Descriptions
The Location of the Evaluation Session
Collecting Evaluation Data
Analysis of Heuristic Inspection Data
Interpretation of Heuristic Inspection Data
Benefits and Limitations of Heuristic Evaluations
Variations of Usability Inspection
Participatory Heuristic Evaluations
Guideline Reviews
Standards Inspections
Cognitive Walkthrough
Peer Reviews
Summary
REFERENCES
INDEX