INTERACT 2003 - Bringing the Bits together
Tutorial 7
#7 - Usability Design: Integrating User-Centred Systems Design in the Software Development Process
Jan Gulliksen & Bengt Göransson
Dept. for IT/HCI, Uppsala University, PO Box 337, SE-751 05 Uppsala, Sweden
Enea Redina AB, Smedsgränd 9, SE-753 20, Uppsala, Sweden
Jan.Gulliksen@hci.uu.se and Bengt.Goransson@enea.se
In practice today, usability professionals have problems, given the limited space when it comes to times and resources, applying their knowledge in systems development projects. Lots of methods have been developed to address the problems of usability but without thoroughly integrating them into the systems development process. The purpose of this tutorial is to show the audience that there is such a thing as a development process that can be focused on usability and user-centred systems design throughout the system lifecycle.
In the beginning Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) grew out of computer science because of the need to address issues relating to the use of the systems but with an influence of a large number of other disciplines. In practice today, usability professionals have problems, given the limited space when it comes to times and resources, applying their knowledge in systems development projects. These are numerous reports describing these problems. Over the years a large number of methods have been developed to address the problems of usability. The problem with these methods is that they are not thoroughly integrated into the systems development process. The purpose of this tutorial is to show the audience that there is such a thing as a development process that can be focused on usability and user
centred systems design throughout the system lifecycle.
The tutorial will provide an overview of the definitions of usability and user centred systems design. It will introduce 12 key principles for user centred systems design usable for implementation and assessment of a user centred development process. The tutorial will then walk through and discuss a fully user centred development process in relation to a commercial development process, such as the Rational Unified Process (RUP). No previous experience in RUP is required.
The main goals for the tutorial are to:
- supply the attendants with the means for producing a truly user-centred software
- development project.
- discuss the definition and power of a quantitatively measurable view on usability.
- introduce easy-to-apply, low-tech user-centred methods.
- discuss their application in a lifecycle perspective.
- define a role as usability designer in the development process.
- relate the knowledge to a commercially available software development process.