From a technical writer to a usability engineer

Bogo Vatovec Consulting

From a Technical Writer to a Usability Engineer

Presented by / Bogo Vatovec

Change Management / Knowledge Engineering / User Experience /Interaction Design / Process Engineering


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Why do you want to do it?

» Because you are frustrated?» Nobody listens to you?» Nobody takes you seriously?» You only get the dirty editing work from the

engineers?

WRONG.


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Why do you want to do it?

» Because you see a natural progression.» Because you are deeply interested in Human

Computer Interaction.» Because you are passionate about your job and

you are willing to spend lots of time learning.


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What are you doing now?

» You are an advocate of the users » Analyze your audience» Analyze user goals and tasks» Develop a task oriented manual» Develop designs of manuals, online help, Web

sites.» You are suggesting improvements to the user

interface


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Why is a move common?

» Similar goals and knowledge profiles» Similar believes and thinking» Good documentation adds to usability» Documentation is part of the product» Bad product is difficult to document» Text is an inseparable part of the interface


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Areas of work

Usability» User research & feedback» UI design and

development» Usability evaluation» Usability engineering» Performance optimization» Web design and

development

Technical writing» Instructional design» Printed documentation» Online documentation» Web design and writing» Editing


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Skills

Usability» Cognitive sciences» Interaction design» Visual design» Interviewing, observations,

analysis

Technical writing» Instructional design» Interviewing» Writing and editing» Information design» Presentation media


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Backgrounds

Usability» Specialized programs» Psychology» Computer science» Anthropology

Technical writing» Specialized programs» Languages» Computer science» Variety of social studies


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Similarities and Differences

Usability» Understanding the users» Focus on interaction design» Make things easy to use» Design the product and the

interface

Technical writing» Understanding the users» Focus on instructional

design» Explain how to do» Support the use of the

product


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Tasks of a usability engineer

» User goals/tasks analysis and profiling» Competition analysis» Product design and interface design» Prototyping and evaluations» Acceptance testing and evaluations» Post release evaluations» Consulting and training» Consultancy


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Example profiles in usability


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Profile:User researcher

» Typical background in psychology or cognitive sciences, communications.

» Conducts observations, focus groups and surveys. Defines general user profiles, goals, needs and expectations.

» Skills: research methods, reporting, presentation.

Focuses on behavioral and general information about the users.


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Profile: Information architect

Focuses on information design and structuring.

» Typical background in technical communications, journalism.

» Defines content flow and structure.» Skills: information analysis and chunking, mental

models, interaction design.


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Profile: Interface designer

Focuses on the interaction design and the interface.

» Typical background in HCI, cognitive psychology, computer sciences.

» Defines interface interaction styles, elements, layouts.

» Skills: interaction elements, mental models, platform specific guidelines.


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Profile: Usability evaluator

Focuses on evaluations of prototypes and interfaces.» Typical background: cognitive psychology.» Performes usability evaluations of the products,

write reports and recommends improvements.» Skills: evaluating methods, report writing,

presentations.


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Profile: Visual designer

Focuses on graphic design and icons.

» Typical background: visual art, media and communications.

» Design visual elements, icons and layouts.» Skills: graphic design, colors, human perception.


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Skills to learn


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Skills to learn (1)

» Ergonomics and human behavior» Cognitive sciences, human mental models» User centered design process and general

software development process» Interaction theories, principles, guidelines» Contextual analysis skills, usability evaluations,

surveys, assessments» Software tools


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Skills to learn (2)

» Direct and indirect manipulation methods» Menu selections, form filling, dialog boxes» Interaction devices» Presentation styles» Integration of UI, online help, manuals» Various guidelines: Windows, Motif, OS/2,

Macintosh, Web


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What do you need to know about technology

» More than a technical writer, but less than a programmer.

» Understand the concepts behind each technology» Understand the behavior as related to the user

interaction» Understand the context of use – advantages and

limitations


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Steps in the Transition

» Get yourself a mentor» Decide which usability area suits you the most» Learn the necessary skills» Try to apply skills in practice» Prepare a new resume» Go out and look for a new job


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Examples of tasks and process


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Learning about your users

» Direct and indirect observations of users at workplace, home.

» Broad surveys with questionnaires.» Working focus groups with users and other

stakeholders.» Brainstorming with users and developers about

user needs, design, functionality.


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Analyzing and structuring the results

» Create user profiles/personas» Write scenarios of use» Create user/tasks matrix» Identify objects and actions from scenarios» Define behavior and attributes of the objects


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Specifying the interface

» Write detailed use cases/user tasks instructions» Prepare interaction diagrams» Create first prototypes» Test prototypes with the users » Iteratively improve the prototypes


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Usability evaluations

» Heuristic evaluation» Cognitive and pluralistic walkthroughs» Formal usability testing» Reports writing and recommendations


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Consultancy work

» User research and behavior studies» External usability evaluations» Interface design» Training and courses on usability» Process and development consultancy


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Recommended Links

www.upassoc.org Usability Professionals' Association web site.

www.hcibib.org Bibliography of human-computer interaction publications and resources.

www.usabilityfirst.com Interesting site that collects information about usability and discusses the

latest trends in the field.

www.best.com/~jthom/usability

A great site that explains multiple usability methods.

www.useit.com Jakob Nielsen's web site.

www.hcibb.org Good list of books about usability and design with descriptions.

www.ibm.com/ibm/hci IBM's Human Factors web page.

www.usableweb.com Keith Intone’s collection of topics on usability

www.hcirn.com HCI Resources Network


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Recommended Books and Articles

Randolph G. Bias and Deborah J. Mayhew (Eds.) Cost-Justifying Usability. Boston: Academic Press,

1994. ISBN 0-12-095810-4.

Joseph S. Dumas and Janice C. Redish. A Practical Guide to Usability Testing. Norwood, NJ: Ablex

Publishing, 1993. ISBN 0-89391-991-8.

JoAnn T. Hackos and Janice C. Redish. User and Task Analysis for Interface Design. New York: Wiley,

1998. ISBN 0-471-17831-4.

Robert R. Johnson. User-Centered Technology: A Rhetorical Theory for Computers and Other Mundane

Artifacts. New York: State University of New York Press, 1998. ISBN 0-7914-3932-1 (paperback).

Donald A. Norman. The Psychology of Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books, 1988. ISBN 0-465-

06709-3. Also published as The Design of Everyday Things, 1990, Doubleday ISBN 0-385-26774-6

(paperback).

Jeffrey Rubin. Handbook of Usability Testing: How to Plan, Design, and Conduct Effective Tests. New

York: Wiley, 1994. ISBN 0-471-59403-2.

Barbara Mirel. Product, Process and Profit: The Politics of Usability in a Software Venture. ACM Journal

of Computer Documentation, Volume 24, Number 4, (November 2000)

Ben Schneiderman. Designing the User Interface. Addison Wesley, (1998).


Thanks!

Bogo Vatovec ConsultingOffice

Gabriel-Max-Str. 20 / 10245 BerlinT +49 30 20078666 / F +49 30 20078661 / M +49 174 1730406 [email protected] / www.bovacon.com

© Bogo Vatovec Consultig

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From a technical writer to a usability engineer