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2039: A Day in the Life of a Usability Engineer
Published in C.A.P. Smith, Kenneth W. Kisiel, Jeffrey G. Morrison, Working Through Synthetic Worlds, 2009
Theresa A. O’Connell, Elizabeth D. Murphy, Renate Roske-Shelton
Usability engineering is all about improving human experiences with technology. Therefore, we are interested in what needs to change to bring the story’s technologies to realization, but we are also interested in what has to change to build the bridge to human acceptance of these technologies and to foster human ability to use the technologies. The first change that has to happen is that cognitive psychology must rethink its theories of “psychological reality” to incorporate the integral role of computers in human experience (Norman 2008: 5). Cyberpsychology will pave the way for a more holistic approach to usability engineering.
A Systematic Mapping Study of HCI Practice Research
Published in International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 2019
Abiodun Afolayan Ogunyemi, David Lamas, Marta Kristin Lárusdóttir, Fernando Loizides
Nivala, Tiina Sarjakoski, and Sarjakoski (2007) described UCD and usability engineering as HCI methods. The authors, in particular, indicated that usability engineering is a term used for describing methods for making software usable and enumerated interviews, surveys, contextual inquiry, focus groups, brainstorming, as examples of usability engineering methods. Similarly, Majid, Noor, Adilah, and Adnan (2012) described UCD, usability engineering, and participatory design as HCI methods. The authors reiterate the fact that some researchers had used different terms such as approach, process, method, concept, and technique to refer to UCD, usability engineering, human-centered design, and participatory design. Similarly, Dighe and Joshi (2014), referring to previous works, described usability engineering, and human-centered design as HCI methods.
The Usability Construct: A Dead End?
Published in Human–Computer Interaction, 2018
The term usability appears in the literature in two major senses. In one, “usability engineering” stands for a collection of diverse methods devised to improve the design, development, and evaluation of interactive products and systems (Carroll, 1997; Lewis, 2014; Nielsen, 1993; Whiteside, Bennet and Holzblatt, 1988). In the other, usability is a construct—the very thing that lies behind what the methods of usability engineering are trying to achieve. The construct of usability is what has to be conceptualized, defined, and measured to help us fathom its role in the world. We might, for instance, ask, How usable is this product in a particular context? What factors affect its usability? What are the consequences of the product’s degree of usability? Consider the following illustrations that reflect debates heard explicitly but that also often arise implicitly within the HCI community. What do we mean when we argue that Product A is more or less usable than Product B (Bevan, 1995; Shackel, 1991)? Does user satisfaction contribute to the level of usability (as implied in ISO 9241’s definition of usability and by others, e.g., Preece, 2001; Sauro & Kindlund, 2005; Sauro & Lewis, 2009)? Or does usability contribute to user satisfaction (as stated in, e.g., Casaló, Flavián, & Guinalíu, 2008; Lewis, 1995; Lindgaard & Dudek, 2003)? I deliberately pose the latter two questions to demonstrate the odd coexistence in HCI theory of user satisfaction as both an antecedent and a consequence of usability. It reflects some of the problems that plague this construct.
Usability engineering in practice: developing an intervention for post-stroke therapy during a global pandemic
Published in Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology, 2022
Avril D. McCarthy, Louise Moody, Mark L. Reeves, T. Jamie Healey, Tim Good, Lise Sproson, Adewale Adebajo, Wendy Tindale, Krishnan Padmakumari Sivaraman Nair
The application of usability engineering is fundamental in developing effective and safe medical devices, systems, services and interventions to optimise patient care, health, and well-being. The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) define “usability engineering” as the process of achieving usable products that address user needs and fit with their practices [7]. This is especially important where the intended user will be the recipient of therapy, or care management delivered by the technology. The importance of usability engineering is increasingly recognised and emphasised by regulators in their promotion of best industry practices, safety and quality in device development.