Using the New Usability Guidelines Book Department of
Using the New Usability Guidelines Book Department of Energy inter. Lab 2006 October 25, 2006 ------------------------ Nicole Burton General Services Administration
Introduction o o My background How I became a usability specialist
Our Objective o o o To build practical design skills To enhance our community of practice Guidelines book should not be shelf-ware!
What We’ll Cover o o o Introduction to User-Centered Design and Guidelines book Selected guidelines Best Practices and Usability Resources The 4 “E’s” (plus the 5 th “E”) Discussion Raffle two Guidelines books
What Is Usability? o Usability: “Fitness to Purpose” The quality of a user's experience when interacting with a product or system — a website, a software application, mobile technology, or any useroperated product. o User-Centered Design UCD is a flexible yet structured development methodology driven by specified, task-oriented business goals, and the recognition of user needs, limitations, and preferences
What does Usability Measure? o Usefulness n o Ease of Use n o Ability of users to accomplish goals with speed & ease Ease of Learning n o Degree to which users can successfully achieve goals/complete tasks Ability to operate the system to some defined level of competence after some predetermined amount of training Satisfaction n Attitude of users, including perceptions, feelings and opinions of the product
User-Centered Design Model Design Define
The Traditional Development Process
Why Is Usability Important to Government? o o o Federal Government: largest single producer, collector, consumer, and disseminator of information in the world Government provides critical information…benefits, health info, safety alerts, commerce, education… 97 million adult Americans, or 77% of Internet users, took advantage of e-gov in 2003, whether that meant going to government websites or emailing government officials. This represented a growth of 50% from 2002. (Pew Internet in American Life, 2003)
Why Is Usability Important?
Fed. Biz. Ops. gov
Usability. gov
Research-Based Guidelines
Guideline Categories o. Design Process and Evaluation o. Optimizing Experience the User o. Accessibility o. Hardware o. The and Software Homepage o. Page Layout o. Links o. Text Appearance o. Lists o. Screen-Based (Widgets) o. Graphics, Images, & Multimedia o. Writing o. Navigation o. Content o. Scrolling o. Search and Paging o. Headings, Titles, & Labels Controls Web Content o. Usability Organization Testing
Chapter 1: Design Process and Evaluation
Importance Evidence 1: 1 Provide Useful Content Guideline: Provide content that is engaging, relevant, and appropriate to the audience.
1: 3 Understand Meet User’s Expectations Importance Evidence Guideline: Ensure the Web site format meets user expectations, especially related to navigation, content, and organization.
Importance 1: 4 Involve Users in Establishing User Requirements Evidence Sources: 7 • Field studies/Contextual interviews (watching users doing real work onsite) www. sitepoint. com/article/contextual-enquiry-primer • User interviews/user gatherings • Surveys & focus groups • Help desk logs & webmaster E-mail • Search logs and Web analytics
Importance 1: 5 Set and State Goals Evidence Sources: 3 Guideline: Identify and clearly articulate the primary goals of the website before beginning the design process. Before starting design work, identify primary goals of the website (educate, inform, entertain, sell, etc. ). Goals determine the audience, content, function, and the site’s unique look and feel. Communicate the goals to, and develop consensus for the site goals from, management and those working on the website.
Importance 1: 5 Set and State Goals Evidence Sources: 3 A technique for expressing this on your site: goal statement or tagline • Clearly explain what you do • Describe your primary audience • Describe what makes you unique amongst your competitors
Importance 1: 5 Set and State Goals Evidence Sources: 3
Importance 1: 5 Set and State Goals Evidence Sources: 3
Importance Evidence 1: 11 Use Personas Sources: 3
Importance Evidence 1: 11 Use Personas Sources: 3 Persona Information Categories: • Personal Characteristics (Name, Age, Sex, Marital Status, Vehicle, Photograph) • Experience and Education • Goals and Motivations • Job Role • User Needs & Design Implications
Importance Evidence 1: 11 Use Personas Sources: 3 • Personas focus attention on specific users • Personas reduce self-referential decisions • Personas are a good team-building exercise • Three to five personas is optimal • Designate a primary persona • Visibly display personas as posters
Chapter 2: Optimizing the User Experience
2: 2 Increase Web Site Credibility Importance Evidence Sources: 4 • A physical address is provided on the homepage and all major points of entry • Frequently asked questions are provided AND are useful
2: 2 Increase Web Site Credibility Importance Evidence Sources: 4 www. firstgov. gov/webcontent/getting_started/naming/sponsorship. shtml
2: 2 Increase Web Site Credibility Importance Evidence Sources: 4 • Organization providing the information is highly visible • Site is arranged in a logical way • Provides phone numbers • Dates are provided up-front and are kept current
Chapter 3: Accessibility
Government Best Practices www. firstgov. gov/webcontent/reqs_bestpractices. shtml
3: 3 Do Not Use Color Alone to Convey Information Importance Evidence Sources: 14
3: 3 Do Not Use Color Alone to Convey Information As seen by non-colorblind users. Importance Evidence Sources: 14
3: 3 Do Not Use Color Alone to Convey Information As seen by 5% of the population. Importance Evidence Sources: 14
Imporance Evidence 3. 3 Do Not Use Color Alone X This information is required. Sources: 14
Chapter 4: Hardware and Software
4: 1 Design for Common Browsers thecounter. com, August 2006 Importance Evidence Sources: 4
4: 1 Design for Common Browsers webusability. com Importance Evidence Sources: 4
4: 1 Design for Common Browsers Importance Evidence Sources: 4
Chapter 5: The Homepage
5: 2 Show All Major Options on the Homepage Importance Evidence All major topic areas and categories are presented at the homepage level. Sources: 4
5: 2 Show All Major Options on the Homepage Importance Evidence Sources: 4
5: 3 Create a Positive First Impression Importance Evidence Sources: 4 Updated as of 5/30/05
5: 3 Create A Positive First Impression Importance Evidence DOE Office of Health, Safety & Security Sources: 4
Chapter 6: Page Layout
6: 3 Place Important Items at Top Center Importance Evidence Sources: 10 1 3 2 4
6: 3 Place Important Items at Top Center Importance Evidence Sources: 10
Chapter 9: Headings, Titles, and Labels
Importance 9: 1 Use Clear Category Labels Link labels are clear and distinct, allowing users to distinguish paths quickly. Evidence Sources: 7
9: 1 Use Clear Category Labels Matching Labels Importance Evidence Sources: 7
Chapter 10: Links
Importance 10: 1 Use Meaningful Link Labels Evidence Sources: 7
Chapter 15: Writing Web Content
Importance Evidence 15: 3 Use Familiar Words Sources: 1
Chapter 16: Content Organization
16: 1 Organize Information Clearly Illustrates the ten steps Importance Evidence Sources: 18
16: 1 Organize Information Clearly Importance Evidence Sources: 18
16: 1 Organize Information Clearly Importance Evidence Sources: 18
16: 2 Facilitate Scanning Importance Evidence Sources: 16
Chapter 17: Search
Importance 1: 8 Be Easily Found in the Top 10 Evidence Sources: 16
17: 2 Ensure Usable Search Results Importance Evidence Sources: 7
17: 4 Provide a Search Option on Each Page Importance Evidence Sources: 7
17: 4 Provide a Search Option on Each Page Importance Evidence Sources: 7 Provide at least 36 characters in Search Box
18: 1 Use an Iterative Design Approach Importance Evidence Sources: 9 Guideline: Develop and test prototypes through an iterative design approach to create the most useful and usable website. Iterative design consists of creating paper and software prototypes, testing the prototypes, and then making changes based on the test results. The “test and make changes” process is repeated until the website meets performance benchmarks (“usability goals”). When these goals are met, the iterative process ends. Software tools are available to assist and facilitate the development of prototypes. Establish an ongoing evaluation strategy (customer satisfaction, usability testing, etc. ).
Usability Objectives Ease of Use Examples o o o At least 95% of typical users will complete a specific task (“find a clinical trial”) in less than three minutes At least 90% of users will find information on a specific topic (“risks related to taking aspirin”) within 30 seconds The average time to complete a particular task (“make an airline reservation”) will be 10% faster when using the revised website than when using the current website
World Usability Day – Chicago-11/14/2006 www. worldusabilityday. org/event/show/63
5 E’s of Implementation Education o Enforcement o Exemption o Enhancement o Empowerment o
1 st E: Education o o Use the guidelines to make design decisions Share and discuss the info with your colleagues n o o Available at www. usability. gov/pdfs/guidelines. html Use research to support your viewpoint Educate us: Send feedback on how you’re using it or additional research
Webcontent. gov, Web Manager University, Usability. gov, Guidelines Book
2 nd E: Enforcement o o o Incorporate the guidelines in your design process Create a culture that emphasizes the value of research (over opinion) Ensure research is being used Don’t forget to verify their use Balanced with…
3 rd E: Exemption o o o Balanced with Enforcement Do not let guidelines stifle creativity Encourage innovation not anticipated by existing research Allow for exceptions Don’t ignore what you know about your users
4 th E: Enhancement o o o A living document in a fast-changing field Biennial updates Customize: Add ‘local’ standards, guidelines, best practices
5 th E: Empowerment o o o IT Spending: 50% of Federal budget Do your tax dollars support usable design? We are the stakeholders! Government can lead the way (i. e. Internet) “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. ” Margaret Mead
Contact Information o o o Nicole. Burton@gsa. gov General Services Administration (GSA), First. Gov Division, Web Best Practices Group (202) 219 -0820
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