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The Usability SIG Newsletter |
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| Usability Interface |
January 2003 - Usability of Online Surveys
The Role of Online Surveys in the Usability Assessment Process
by Dr. William MacElroy
I have attended several conferences at which I witnessed a growing debate
over the role of survey work in the field of usability. Some practitioners
are of the opinion that "usability is usability" and "surveys
are surveys", and only rarely do the two meet in a harmonious exchange.
The more I have considered this viewpoint, the more convinced I am that it
is probably valid, unless the usability specialist takes the lead in
assimilating survey output into the process of evaluating the overall
effectiveness of Web sites and online applications. More...
Methods and Guidelines to Avoid Common Questionnaire Bloopers
By Chauncey Wilson
Over the years, I’ve often heard colleagues say "let’s throw a
questionnaire together and find out what our users think about our
product". Implicit in this statement is the assumption that
questionnaires are easy to design, administer, and analyze. This
assumption is far from the truth. More...
Applied Research: What’s in a Number?
By Carol M. Barnum
Whereas 7 (plus or minus 2) is the mantra for structured writing and other
methods for organizing information, 5 (plus or minus 2) is the mantra for
the number of participants needed in a usability test. This article looks
at the history and research of industry discussions of how many users are
needed for a usability test. More...
Technology Review: Designing the Small Office of the Future
By Naomi Kleid
Like many high-tech workers, I have progressed from working for a large
corporation to owning a home-based company. I have encountered a variety
of problems while installing office equipment, such as fax machines,
scanners, PCs, and creating a local area network. More...
Online Article:
Creating a Usable Electronic Newsletter In House
By Amy Lawless
Many organizations are opting to convert existing print publications into
electronic newsletters (e-newsletters)—and for good reason. By following
a few guidelines, you can launch a usable and successful e-newsletter.
More...
Book Reviews
Karen Donoghue's Built for Use:
Driving Profitability Through the User Experience
Reviewed by David Dick
Have you wondered why so many dot-com enterprises have disappeared from
the Internet while others continue to amass a large and loyal audience?
The situation is reminiscent of the pun, ‘dot-com today, dot-gone
tomorrow’. If you want to understand how satisfying the user experience
contributes to profitability of enterprises that use the Internet as a
customer relationship channel, you want Built for Use by Karen Donoghue. More...
Online Article:
Jesse James Garrett's The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered
Design for the Web
Reviewed by Alice Preston and Chauncey Wilson
If you know a manager who needs a quick, clear, and non-condescending
introduction to what you’re talking about, this might just be the right
book to buy and leave around where it can be seen and read. If you are a
practitioner with several years of experience, the graphics may provide
useful templates for management briefings, but you won’t learn much that
will help make you a better user experience designer. More...
eResumes: Everything You Need to Know About Using Electronic Resumes to Tap into Today's Hot Job Market
Reviewed by Jeff Staples
eResumes provides something for all e-resume developers. If you don’t have an electronic resume, you should be able to find out all you need to know to create one. If you have provided your resume to prospects via the Internet for some time, you might discover items in this book that you haven’t considered before. More...
Workshop and Meeting Reports
Report on the Telephone Seminar,
"Looking, Finding, Searching…How Users Do It"
By Alice Preston
Whitney Quesenbery's telephone seminar on 19 November 2002 was an
interesting experience for the 18 of us in the Telcordia™ Technologies
conference room with the speakerphone turned up loud. It reminded me as
much of a call-in radio show as it did of any other type of training we
had ever taken, but this time the subject was really right for us. More...
Online Article:
Report on the TransAlpine Chapter Workshop, "Assuring the Usability
of Your Web Site"
By Suzana Rakovic
Ginny Redish was invited to the first full-day workshop sponsored by the
TransAlpine Chapter, as part of a full weekend of activities. More...
SIG News
Newsletter Survey
January is an ideal opportunity for the Usability SIG to conduct a
survey of its members.Your participation will help us determine where the
SIG is doing well and where we can improve our services to you. More...
Manager's Column: Include
the Usability SIG in Your Professional Development Plan
Saul Carliner’s "Employment Trends for 2003" (intercom,
January 2003) projected a somewhat bleak outlook for the technical
communication job market in 2003. It ended with the positive predictions
for long-term career opportunities. For usability professionals and
advocates, whose role is less familiar to many companies, this outlook can
be disheartening. So what can you do now? Prepare your personal
professional development plan. More...
Call for Articles for April 2003 Newsletter
In April 2003, Usability Interface will appear as a joint issue with
the Special Needs SIG. This continues the Usability SIG tradition of
collaboration with related SIGs. If you are interested in contributing,
please contact editor David Dick at David.Dick@swift.com.
Learning More
Additional resources on survey design can be found in Topics
in Usability: Surveys
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