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A question that we are often asked is ‘How do we make sure that our interface is usable?’ The answer always depends upon the stage of the process of designing and implementing the interface and on what other research that they have into the intended audience, requirements, designs etc.
There are no hard and fast rules as to when and how users should be consulted, however, we find that early and often is ideal. Factors such as timelines and budget will always be a major factor in when and how users are involved in this process, however, we sometimes find that new clients are unaware of exactly what can be done and when it should be done.
This article will outline some of the activities that can be done to involve users throughout the development process and how the outputs of each activity will benefit the final interface.
Who is the audience?
Establishing who the users of an interface are is vital to ensure that the interface has appropriate functionality, content, design and tone. With this information designers can be confident that their decisions are based on and cater to the people they know will use their interface in the real world.
New interfaces are conceived with a target group in mind, however, it is just as important to verify with these users that the interface is for them and that they would be the ones that would use it once implemented.
Focus groups, online surveys and stakeholder interviews are key activities in this process and web analytics is also a very useful tool in gaining insights into who uses existing websites. This stage ensures that the interface is built with the right user group in mind and provides a solid foundation for further research and development.
Requirements gathering.
Once the audience is clearly established it is important to find out exactly what that group want and expect from the interface. The outputs from this exercise are invaluable in creating requirements and functional specifications and help to prioritise content and functionality from the user’s point of view.
This stage will ensure that the user group’s expectations are met and that key functionality is included and is a great opportunity to gather reactions to additional content that the designers may wish to include. User will not always be able to come up with new ideas and we feel that this is the designers job, however, users will be able to express their reactions to new ideas.
A key benefit of conducting this research is to avoid the situation where an interface is fully developed to find that it does not meet the basic requirements of users or that much time and effort has been spent developing new functionality that the users do not want or would not use.
Create a structure.
Digital interfaces are designed to provide users with access to information and functionality and the appropriateness of the structure is the key determining factor in how effectively users can do this. It is vital that the structure is based on how the users view the content rather than the organizations view of it.
Creation of the structure is all about members of the target audience arranging content into logical groups and applying labels to those groups. Creation of a structure usually involves several stages, gather a large quantity of data online, gather qualitative data in group sessions and validation of the structure. Each stage provides finer levels of detail and the structure can be progressively refined based on this feedback.
While this research does not specifically inform design it provides a strong skeleton around which the interface can be built and ensures that navigation paths within it are strong.
Test wireframes and prototypes.
Testing of wireframes and early prototypes is sometimes the first time that user research is employed during the design process. One-on-one user testing is the primary tool in finding out how the designs perform in terms of allowing the user to complete tasks.
While beginning research at this stage is common, the outcome can often raise questions around the appropriateness of the interface for the target audience or the structure. This may require a backward step in the design process and for this reason testing as early as possible is vital as it provides the opportunity to make changes rather than deploy an interface that has known issues.
Ongoing usability health check.
Digital interfaces change over time and keeping track of the usability of the interface as it evolves is a challenge. Budget and time constraints are usually the main issues when it comes to monitoring usability over the course of time, however, there are quick and cost effective options that can be used to keep track of how an interface meets user needs.
Some of our clients conduct user testing at regular intervals that allow them to benchmark the usability of the interface over time. This approach often leads to more focused research into the performance of any areas of the interface that hamper users . Other clients manage performance through web analytics, while others conduct expert reviews when adding new functionality or changing the interface.
UsabilityOne also conduct Omnibus sessions periodically which allow clients to purchase small blocks of time to test a specific aspect of their interface with users. This methodology is a very cost effective and time efficient way to gain insight into anything from investigating an existing problem area to validating a design change or new functionality.
Some have the opinion that usability is a validation step that happens when the interface is almost complete, which dramatically reduces the opportunity to refine the interface. Instances where are a finished interface is tested and no issues uncovered are non-existent in our experience and for this reason the earlier that users are involved in the design process the better.