Usability is at a crossroads - are we looking at “Back to Basics” or “Brave New World? I attended the latest event from Chinwag, and here are the notes.

On the panel were a Brighton trio - who were presenting their ideas and beliefs on usability and accessibilty as part of the tools for effective web marketing. Bryan Rieger, Andy Budd and Niqui Merrett.

Udy Ravid from Ebay was also on the panel, we learned that Ebay user experience team is 250 people worldwide.

More people need to be aware of user experience, but be more specialist in the way they think about users needs. Layout of forms, messages and processes.

Step back and look at the holistic user experience. Taking elements from print, other media - focus on the basics - or the higher level rather than just code level.

Usability in corporate teams are normaly left till end, like accessibility.

However, usability should start in the design process, where this design insight is fed back into the process.

If we stick to patterns, and stick to platforms - are we out out of a job? Is there no thinking outside of these? No:

Try stuff out as there are no design patterns for gestures and acceleromator like on the iPhone. However these functions are patented by Apple, so Nokia and others will have to create other methods.

Accessibility does not mean Usable, Usable does not mean Accessible

Can have very usable site, tested to the max but site still sucks!

User centred design is philosophy rather than a process.

Usabilty testing followed by design iterations - don’t be afraid its not science its design. For example, can be 1 day testing and 1 day focusing on what the problems are in the iterations.

Don’t forget user testing is for behaviour and not peoples preferences.

Validation and testing of work with guerilla usability testing, try it on friends, colleagues and in informal environments.

Andy Budd thought the money is worth it for professional user testing in labs, by getting managers in to witness the problems first hand. This is why formal user testing is good as it saves time you having to feedback what needs to be done. Or showing ‘by doing this I will save or make you x amount of money’ - the bottom line.

Links to web sites mentioned by the speakers:

Agile Methodology
Usability Exchange
Collaborative methodologies
Google optimser Google’s free website testing and optimization tool

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