Entry bubble Usability

By: Marybeth | November 06, 2007 | Category: General

photo of a man with a computerWorld Usability Day is Thursday, November 8. Are you wondering why you should care about usability? It’s not that you should care—you already do care. Usability is the measure of how easy or difficult it is to accomplish a task. Each day, you probably have several interactions with websites, appliances, forms, and other products and services that make your life easier or more difficult.

Now, I’ll admit that World Usability Day may appeal to a somewhat niche audience of usability professionals and those who are considering a career in that field. For them, this is a significant occasion with 225 events planned in 35 countries.

The majority of us are not likely to attend these events, but on a daily basis, we are affected by the work that these professionals do. I’ve found that I’m most aware of usability when I’m experiencing poor usability—when I can’t find what I need on a website; when paper forms require minuscule print; when so-called help manuals offer no help; when I get the wipers and lights mixed up on rental cars; and so on. People might be inclined to ascribe such experiences to user-error. Apparently, taking the blame for poor usability is a rookie mistake. The problem is not you! (probably)

Usability testing is one way to figure out how well something works. The Social Security Administration (SSA) performed usability testing to simplify the online application for the Medicare Prescription Drug Program. Using feedback to fine-tune the document, SSA released a product that earned the unusually high approval rating of 91 (out of 100).

The cruel twist of good usability is that most of us aren’t aware of it when we encounter it. That’s right… usability experts have possibly done their finest work when we’re completely oblivious to their efforts. But if, by chance, you are conscious of good usability examples, please do share.

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