Tutorial: 12. The Usability Engineering Life Cycle

Deborah J. Mayhew, Deborah J. Mayhew & Associates

Benefits
Learn what techniques and methods are available for designing good user interfaces to both traditional software applications and to Web pages and applets, when and why to apply them, evaluation techniques, and organizational and managerial strategies.

Origins
This CHI "classic," renamed for CHI 98, consistently receives high ratings. The tutorial has been updated to reflect new ideas, approaches and methods in the field.

Features

• analyzing the costs and benefits of applying usability engineering methods
• organizational structures and processes that foster good interface design
• planning for and managing the use of usability techniques within the overall project plan
• evaluating design alternatives by defining and prioritizing objective goals
• making interface design decisions by applying quick and inexpensive interface evaluation techniques
• information gathering methods that support early design and specification
• testing and evaluation methods for simulations and prototypes

Audience
Development managers, developers responsible for usability and usability engineering practitioners. Experience with software development methodologies will provide a useful context. No experience with usability engineering is necessary.

Presentation
This tutorial is organized around a sample development life cycle and presents an overview of human factors methods that can be applied at different points in the development process.

Instructor
Deborah J. Mayhew holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology, has worked 19 years in software development organizations, 12 years as a usability consultant and has authored and contributed to three books on usability. Her clients include IBM, AT&T, American Airlines and many others. Often her work involves introducing usability techniques and methods into software development organizations.

Related Tutorial

• 27. Selling Usability Into Organizations: Strategies for Convincing Management of the Value of Usability (Monday)