5. There is a conflict of interest in the world of
software development because the people
who build it are also the people who design it.
If carpenters designed houses, they would
certainly be easier or more interesting to
build, but not necessarily better to live in. The
architect, besides being trained in the art of
what works and what doesn't, is an advocate
for the client, for the user.
Alan Cooper. About Face, 1995
(http://www.cooper.com/)
13. “a discipline concerned with the
design
evaluation and
implementation
of interactive computing systems
for human use and with the study
of major phenomena surrounding
them."
ACM
17. Usability
The effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction
with which specified users achieve
specified goals in particular environments
This does not mean you have to create a “dry” design or something that is only good for novices
– it all depends on your goals
23. The economist – oct. 2004
To be truly successful, a
complex technology
needs to “disappear”
The real test is always
the mom test
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3307363
24. You are not the user!
(if you are the developer)
25. Four Myths
Only experts create good designs
Ä experts faster, simple and effective techniques anyone can apply
We can fix the user interface at the end
Ä good design is more than just user interface
Ä having right features, building those features right
Good design takes too long / costs too much
Ä simple and effective techniques can reduce total development time & cost
(finds problems early on)
Good design is just cool graphics
Ä graphics part of bigger picture of what to communicate & how
26. If the user does something
“wrong”, it is the fault of the
system designer!
27. “logical analysis is not a good way to
predict people's behavior (nor are focus
groups or surveys): observation is the
key”
“I caution that the time frame for
adoption of new technologies is measured
in decades, not the months everyone
would prefer”
Donald A. Norman
30. • Ben Shneiderman, Designing the
User Interface. Strategies for
Effective Human-Computer
Interaction.
• Jakob Nielsen, Designing Web
Usability.
• Jakob Nielsen & Marie Tahir,
Homepage Usability.
• Donald A. Norman, The Invisible
Computer & Emotional Design.
• Jef Raskin, The Humane Interface.
• Peter Morville, Ambient Findability.
• Jennu Preece, Yvonne Rogers,
David Benyon, Simon Holland &
Tom Carey, Human-Computer
Interaction.
• Alan Dix, Janet Finlay, Gregory
Abowd & Russell Beale, Human-
Computer Interaction.
