The Politics of Usability: A Practical Guide to Designing Usable Systems in Industry

206 Pages·1998·7.511 MB·English

by  Lesley Trenner, Joanna Bawa (auth.)

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Lesley Trenner and Joanna Bawa
Politics of
The
Usability
A Practical Guide to Designing Usable
Systems in Industry
Springer
Lesley Trenner
Glaxo Wellcome Medicines Research Centre
Gunnels Wood Road
Stevenage, UK
Joanna Bawa
PO Box 578
Watford
WD28ZD,UK
ISBN-13:978-3-540-76181-5 e-ISBN-13:978-1-4471-1530-4
DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4471-1530-4
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
The politics of usability: a practical guide to designing usable systems in industry.
(Practitioner series)
1. Computer software -Standards
I. Trenner, Lesley II. Bawa, Joanna
005
ISBN-13:978-3-540-761S1-S
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Trenner, Lesley,19S7-
The politics of usability I Lesley Trenner and Joanna Bawa.
p. em. - (Practitioner series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13:978-3-S40-76181-S (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. System design. 2. Management information systems. I. Bawa, Joanna. II. Title. III. Series:
Practitioner series (Springer-Verlag)
QA76.9.S88T76 1998
658'.05--dc21 98-4708
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review,
as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be
reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in
writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprograpbic reproduction in accordance with the
terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning
reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.
© Springer-Verlag London Limited 1998
The use of registered names, trademarks etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the
absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant laws and
regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the
information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for
any errors or omissions that may be made.
Typesetting: Elaine Bingham, 30 Wentworth Road, Dronfield, UK.
3413830-543210 Printed on acid-free paper
Contents
The Authors ........................................................................................... vii
Introduction
Lesley Trenner and Joanna Bawa ........................................................ xiii
Part 1 -The Politics 0/ Funding: Justifying Your Existence
1. Making a Business Case for Usability and Beyond -
the Fight for Survival
Chris Nodder ................................................................................. 3
2. Selling Usability Services
Dermot Browne ............................................................................. 21
Part 2 - The Politics o/Set Up: What to Do with the Money once
You Have Got it
3. Overcoming Inertia within a Large Organization
Tasnim Kaderbhai ........................................................................ 35
4. Integrating Usability into Systems Development
Alison Crerar and David Benyon ................................................ 49
5. A Structured Approach to User Interface Design
Dermot Browne and John Friend ................................................ 61
6. Making Usability Part of the Culture
Janet Saunders and Alan Arn/eld................................................ 69
Part 3 -The Politics a/Survival: Keeping Usability on the Political
Map
7. A Change is as Good as a Test
Maggie Williams ........................................................................... 85
v
vi The Politics of Usability
8. Consultants with Clout
Cathy Thomas ............................................................................... 99
9. Cultivating an Effective Client Relationship to Promote
a User-Centred Culture
Nichole Simpson ............................................................................ 111
Part 4 - The Politics o/Expansion: How to Work Effectively on an
Internationa~ Multi-Cultural Level
10. "Oh, so That's the Way You Do it over There!"
Ingrid K. Towey............................................................................. 127
11. Spreading the Word: Introducing Usability Evaluation on
an International Scale
Joanna Bawa ................................................................................. 143
12. Standards and Style Guides - A Cross-Cultural Perspective
Tom Stewart .................................................................................. 157
13. Usability Practice in the United States: Perception versus
Reality
Patricia Dorazio ............................................................................ 169
14. Round the W orId in 18 Days
Susan M. Dray and Lawrence R. Rowland ................................. 183
Index ...................................................................................................... 191
The Authors
Alan Arnfeld
Alan Arnfeld is a Chartered Psychologist and Director of User Centred Ltd, an
independent consultancy supporting the integration of usability within business
culture, the life cycle of software and product development, and the analysis and
improvement of business processes. Prior to working for Thames Water, Alan per
formed research in training, HCI, synthetic environments and human perfor
mance within complex systems. He also participated in UK National Standards.
Alan Arnfeld, User Centred Ltd, PO Box 4226, Goring, Berkshire, RG8 OXX, UK
Telephone: [phone]; Email: [email protected]
Joanna Bawa
Joanna Bawa is an independent human factors consultant and technology writer.
She started her career at British Telecom's Human Factors Research Centre, then
moved to an agency where she gained experience in technical writing for the IT
industry. She joined PC Magazine in 1991 where she developed PC Magazine's
comparative usability evaluation methodology. She remains a Contributing Editor
to the magazine.
Joanna Bawa, PO Box 578, Watford, WD2 8ZD, UK
Telephone: [phone]; Email: [email protected]
David Benyon
David Benyon is Professor of Human-Computer Systems at Napier University,
Edinburgh. His main research interests are in HCI, particularly in the application
of knowledge-based techniques to HCI, and information systems design. David
takes a very practical approach to the application of theory: through his experi
ence in industry and his continuing involvement as a consultant, he has developed
vii
viii The Politics of Usability
a broad-based understanding of both the problems of introducing information
technology into business and the ways in which these problems can be overcome.
David Benyon, Computing Department, Napier University, 219 Colinton Road,
Edinburgh EH14 lDJ, UK
Telephone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]; http://www.dcs.napier.ac.uk/-dbenyon
Dermot Browne
Dermot Browne has worked in the software development industry for over twelve
years. He has worked for a software house, a management consultancy and is now
the managing director of a consultancy specializing in the application of Human
Factors for the betterment of systems. During his career, Dermot has worked on
major research projects and commercial developments with many companies in a
variety of business sectors. He holds degrees in Psychology, Ergonomics, and
Computer Science and a PhD in Human Computer Interaction.
Dermot Browne, Corporate Solutions Consulting (UK) Limited, 84-88 Pinner
Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HAl 4LQ, UK
Telephone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Alison Crerar
Alison Crerar is a Senior Lecturer in Computing at Napier University, Edinburgh.
Her main research interests are in HCI, particularly in the areas of usability evalu
ation, interface design for special needs and software for cognitive diagnosis and
rehabilitation. In 1991 she won a British Computer Society IT Award for
'Microworld for Aphasia' a system to diagnose and treat language problems in
stroke victims. Alison provides HCI consultancy for both private and public sector
organizations.
Alison Crerar, Computing Department, Napier University, 219 Colinton Road,
Edinburgh, EH14 lDJ, UK
Telephone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Patricia Dorazio
Patricia Dorazio is a tenured faculty member and chairperson of the
Communication and Humanities Department at the State University of New York
Institute of Technology @Utica/Rome, New York, USA. She teaches courses in
technical communication, online information design, technical editing, and
usability testing. She is a Senior Member of the Society for Technical
The Authors ix
Communication (STC) and has published a number of articles in various refereed
journals. Additionally, she has conducted numerous workshops and seminars on
usability testing for many companies and STC, the Association for Computing
Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group on Documentation (SIGDOC), and the
Usability Professionals' Association (UPA). Furthermore, she is principal of
PATent Solutions, a technical writing and usability consulting firm in Syracuse,
NY.
Pat Dorazio, Chair, Communication and Humanities, State University of New
York Institute of Technology, School of Arts and Sciences, Donovan Hall/2131,
Utical NY 13504, USA
Telephone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]; http://www.ntcnet.com/usabilitytesting
Susan Dray
Susan Dray has worked for nearly 20 years as a Human Factors professional, both
as a researcher and manager in Honeywell and American Express, and as a
consultant. She specializes in user-centred design of products, including helping
her clients to understand all aspects of users and their work, using a variety of
methods from customer visits to usability evaluation. Much of her work is
international.
Susan Dray, Dray & Associates, 2007 Kenwood Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55405,
USA
Telephone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
John Friend
John Friend has over ten years' experience with Human Computer Interaction and
Object Technology in commercial environments. John was one of the earliest users
of both Smalltalk and NEXT STEP in the UK, using both to deliver bespoke GUI
applications. John has been using the STUDIOTM method since its inception and is
acutely aware that HCI practices have to be tailored to the organization that
applies them. His commercial experience has been gained in a variety of contexts
including those of a software house and a large British law firm. He is currently
part of the team working on Fidelity Investments developments on the Internet.
John Friend, Fidelity Investments, Oakhill House, 130 Tonbridge Road,
Hildenbrough, Nr Tonbridge, Kent, TNll 9DZ, UK
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
x The Politics of Usability
Tasnim Kaderbhai
Tasnim Kaderbhai is currently working as a Business Systems Analyst for Warner
Music UK Ltd. Her final year project for a BA in Computing in Business
specialized in "organizational factors and usability". Her chapter is based on her
experiences as an industrial trainee within the IT division of Glaxo R&D UK (now
the global organization GlaxoWellcome R&D). Tasnim used Glaxo as a case study
of how to introduce usability to an organization.
Tasnim Kaderbhai, 5 Harwell Close, Ruislip, Middlesex, HA4 7EA, UK
Telephone: +44 (O}1895 623734
Chris Nodder
Chris Nodder works for Microsoft Corporation where he is focusing on the usabil
ity issues associated with group communication across the Internet. He was
formerly the Manager of National Westminster Bank's Usability Group and his
chapter is based on his experiences there.
Chris Nodder, Microsoft Corporation, 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052,
USA
Telephone: + 1 [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Larry Rowland
Larry Rowland is currently a software quality engineer, working on improving
processes for designing and producing complex technology. His chequered past
includes technical writing and broadcast engineering in radio and TV. He is
passionately committed to humanistic use of computers and volunteers in local
schools to teach children and their teachers how to use science and computers for
interesting, unpredictable things.
Larry Rowland, Software Quality Engineering, Hewlett-Packard, 3404 East
Harmony Road, Fort Collins, CO 80525, USA
Telephone: + 1 [phone]; Fax: + 1 [phone]
Email: [email protected];[email protected] (home)
Janet Saunders
Janet Saunders is an independent consultant in software usability and HC!. Since
establishing Datawyse Ltd in early 1995, she has provided usability expertise,
advice and training to a variety of clients, from software houses to major organi
zations. Her expertise includes requirements analysis, usability testing and evalu-