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Software Usability

Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is an interdisciplinary subject that studies the interaction between people and computers.

Usability is an increasingly important issue in the software industry. Software usability engineering is a structured approach to building software systems that meet the needs of end users. This approach emphasizes observation of people using software systems to learn what people want and expect from them.

Computer systems are being built for a wide range of people whose needs often have little in common with the needs and background of system designers. Technicians and developers not always adopt a user-centered perspective on software design. This approach generates a gap between what the IT person considers acceptable and what the user finds acceptable. In other words, a high performance, bug-free system may be a great achievement of the development team yet it may be very difficult to use by an end user.

The three principal activities of software usability engineering are on-site observations of and interviews with system users, usability specification development, and evolutionary delivery of the system. These activities are parallel steps in the development cycle.

Software usability focuses on interfaces and tries to find ways to display complex processes in a simple, intuitive manner. A transparent interface allows the user to focus on the task rather than on the use of the interface.

Usability in a system can be improved starting from the very beginning of a project. Considering usability a key element in the requirements and specification documents will certainly pave the road to a friendly product. A usability specification is recommended at this stage.

At Smooth Lab we consider usability an integral part of a design and development process. In many cases usability tests occur when the product is functional and almost ready to ship. Finding issues at that point is rarely welcome and companies are reluctant to take users concerns into consideration. Instead we prefer to work building prototypes as early as possible and test them with users in interviews and focus groups. This not only saves time but also serves as a guide in the development process (feedback is constructive instead of corrective).