Questions for Martin

							Usability, usability, usability.




Gee-Kay Wong
gkwong@reusability.co.uk
GK Wong
•   Independent consultant - gkwong@reusability.co.uk

•   BBC new media pioneer, usability evangelist
•   HCI researcher

•   User-centred design advocate
•   Optimistic enabler and general oompa-loompa for hire
This talk covers
• What usability is in practice.
• The other stuff to consider.
• Beyond usability.
I. Practical usability
1. Usability is … usability testing
Making something easy or easier to use.
ISO 9241
Steve Krug
Direct.gov example
• screenshot
Direct.gov fix
• screenshot
2. Usability is … UCD
 User-centred design – a specific process and approach to
 product and service design that is user-centric in order to
 understand user as well as business needs.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/picsinreview/pool/
3. Usability is … UXD
User Experience Design is an approach to creating
pleasurable and successful experiences for people in any
medium.
TECHNIQUES
Constituent elements from:

•   Human-computer interaction
•   Library science
•   Social science research methods
•   Product development methodology and research methods
•   Marketing and audience research
•   Information design
•Do it for real.
•Do it for yourselves.

•Make specific changes.
II. The other stuff.
1. Influence and persuasion
BBC and local government
•   Public service
•   Many departments
•   Diverse aims
•   Large and complex
•   Centralised and London-centric
BBC broadband portal
• BBC2 screenshot
2. Project management
Defining and redefining the brief
Understanding the project type
Maintaining communication flow
3. Multidisciplinary teams
             Client




Designer/
Producer/
Programme/
Webmaster
Interaction   Usability
    Design




Information   Information
     Design   Architecture
                                        Usability
                                                                         Client-side
                                                                         Development
        Interaction
            Design


                                                                                       Server-side
                                                                                       Development


             Information         Information
                  Design         Architecture




                                                    Project Management




                               Production                                                   Market &
               Editorial                                                 Strategy           Audience
                                                                                            Research




                           Management                                         Brand & Marketing
More
management
III. Beyond usability.
1. Service Design
• Product design thinking as applied to services.
• Design culture is impacting large organisations and
  business.
• New service discovery born of emergent needs of
  communities of users.
2. Multiple channels, speed & mobility
• SMS
• Cameraphones
• Video
            Mobile   Web
  iDTV
            Face     Email
Messaging    to
            Face     Video
Number of photos from 7/7/05
• BBC
• Flickr
3. Fast interconnectivity
• Broadband
• RSS (Real Simple Syndication)
• Mash-up
Feeds screenshot
•   BBC Backstage screenshot
•   http://backstage.min-data.co.uk/news/
•   http://backstage.min-data.co.uk/photo/
•   http://www.backstage.min-data.co.uk/sport/
“   In future, kindly fulfil the local authority
    stereotype of unhelpful delay and bureaucracy.
    Making the process polite, effortless and near

                                                 ”
    instantaneous has left me feeling disoriented.
Useful, Usable and Used.