Convincing the Skeptics

Usability Interface
Convincing the Skeptics

by David Dick
Reprinted from Usability Interface, Vol 6, No. 2, October 1999

People familiar with product development understand the dedication needed for any usability effort to be successful. However, people unfamiliar with usability think that it’s cosmetic and can be combined with other phases of development when time is available. How do you convince the skeptics?

Initially, there's always going to be people who don't understand usability

It's often difficult to educate them, especially if they are more senior than you are and consider it a waste of time. They will not be convinced by statistics from anywhere other than outside the organization. What should you do next?

Do your best to manage expectations

You may be able to say something like "It seems your only objection is [whatever], so if we can resolve this issue, do you have any other reasons why we shouldn't do usability testing?" This way, you have their agreement to do usability just as soon as you have resolved the issue.

Keep the person informed of the results (even get them to come and watch you work)

As long as you are getting good data, you should be able to convince them of the benefits of usability. This is especially true, as now you know what their objections were, so you can make sure that you find evidence that persuades them.

It is difficult to get usability on the agenda without having real proof that it will benefit the organization

Don’t become discouraged, and don’t try to institutionalize usability if the organization is not ready for it. Continue with your own usability efforts and wait for the rest of the organization to catch-up to you. Even if usability does not become common practice, you have demystified usability and educated people who otherwise would not have heard you preach.