How to Do Usability Evaluation

Introduction

As technology continues to advance and evolve, the pressure to innovate and create products and services that make users’ workflows easier and combine previously separate tasks increases. This puts even more emphasis on the usability of systems. According to ISO 9241, usability consists of three dimensions: efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction.

Interactive systems are often designed through a process that involves design, evaluation, and redesign. Usability evaluation is particularly important during two phases of this process: when usability issues need to be addressed before the final design, and when the final product’s effectiveness is being evaluated. To efficiently identify usability issues, many different aspects must be considered.

This article will explore different perspectives on usability and examine how the definition of usability is not as narrow as the ISO standard suggests. We will then look at the various aspects of usability evaluation methods (UEM), such as user-based, evaluator-based, and tool-based. Finally, we will discuss the importance of selecting the right evaluation methods and how certain workarounds can make the process more straightforward.

Images of Usability

Usability evaluation cannot be reduced to a set of skills or commonly known facts. Instead, it requires context-specific knowledge about the system and the people using it. This is why, according to Herzum, usability cannot be…