Usability Engineering

Copyright
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Contents v
Preface ix
- Audience IX
- Teaching Usability Engineering Xl
- Acknowledgments Xlli
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1. Executive Summary 1
- 1.1 Cost Savings 2
- 1.2 Usability Now! 8
- 1.3 Usability Slogans 10
- 1.4 Discount Usability Engineering 17
- 1.5 Recipe For Action 21
2. What Is Usability? 23
- 2.1 Usability and Other Considerations 24
- 2.2 Definition of Usability 26
- 2.3 Example: Measuring the Usability of Icons 37
- 2.4 Usability Trade-Offs 41
- 2.5 Categories of Users and Individual User Differences 43
3. Generations of User Interfaces 49
- 3.1 Batch Systems 51
- 3.2 Line-Oriented Interfaces 52
- 3.3 Full-Screen Interfaces 54
- 3.4 Graphical User Interfaces 57
- 3.5 Next-Generation Interfaces 62
- 3.6 Long-Term Trends in Usability 67
4. The Usability Engineering Lifecycle 71
- 4.1 Know the User 73
- 4.2 Competitive Analysis 78
- 4.3 Goal Setting 79
- 4.4 Parallel Design 85
- 4.5 Participatory Design 88
- 4.6 Coordinating the Total Interface 90
- 4.7 Guidelines and Heuristic Evaluation 91
- 4.8 Prototyping 93
- 4.9 Interface Evaluation 102
- 4.10 Iterative Design 105
- 4.11 Follow-Up Studies of Installed Systems 109
- 4.12 Meta-Methods 111
- 4.13 Prioritizing Usability Activities 112
- 4.14 Be Prepared 113
5. Usability Heuristics 115
- 5.1 Simple and Natural Dialogue 115
- 5.2 Speak the Users' Language 123
- 5.3 Minimize User Memory Load 129
- 5.4 Consistency 132
- 5.5 Feedback 134
- 5.6 Clearly Marked Exits 138
- 5.7 Shortcuts 139
- 5.8 Good Error Messages 142
- 5.9 Prevent Errors 145
- 5.10 Help and Documentation 148
- 5.11 Heuristic Evaluation 155
6. Usability Testing 165
- 6.1 Test Goals and Test Plans 170
- 6.2 Getting Test Users 175
- 6.3 Choosing Experimenters 179
- 6.4 Ethical Aspects of Tests with Human Subjects 181
- 6.5 Test Tasks 185
- 6.6 Stages of a Test 187
- 6.7 Performance Measurement 192
- 6.8 Thinking Aloud 195
- 6.9 Usability Laboratories 200
7. Usability Assessment Methods beyond Testing 207
- 7.1 Observation 207
- 7.2 Questionnaires and Interviews 209
- 7.3 Focus Groups 214
- 7.4 Logging Actual Use 217
- 7.5 User Feedback 221
- 7.6 Choosing Usability Methods 223
8. Interface Standards 227
- 8.1 National, International and Vendor Standards 231
- 8.2 Producing Usable In-House Standards 233
9. International User Interfaces 237
- 9.1 International Graphical Interfaces 239
- 9.2 International Usability Engineering 242
- 9.3 Guidelines for Internationalization 247
- 9.4 Resource Separation 251
- 9.5 Multilocale Interfaces 253
10. Future Developments 255
- 10.1 Theoretical Solutions 256
- 10.2 Technological Solutions 260
- 10.3 CAUSE Tools: Computer-Aided Usability Engineering 264
- 10.4 Technology Transfer 265
Exercises 269
Bibliography 283
- B.1 Conference Proceedings 284
- B.2 Journals 286
- B.3 Introductions and Textbooks 290
- B.4 Handbook 291
- B.5 Reprint Collections 292
- B.6 Important Monographs and Collections of Original Papers 294
- B.7 Guidelines 300
- B.8 Videotapes 302
- B.9 Other Bibliographies 304
- B.10 References 306
Author Index 341
Subject Index 351