<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
can	O
be	O
described	O
as	O
the	O
capacity	O
of	O
a	O
system	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
condition	O
for	O
its	O
users	O
to	O
perform	O
the	O
tasks	O
safely	O
,	O
effectively	O
,	O
and	O
efficiently	O
while	O
enjoying	O
the	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
software	B-General_Concept
engineering	I-General_Concept
,	O
usability	B-General_Concept
is	O
the	O
degree	O
to	O
which	O
a	O
software	B-Application
can	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
specified	O
consumers	O
to	O
achieve	O
quantified	O
objectives	O
with	O
effectiveness	O
,	O
efficiency	O
,	O
and	O
satisfaction	O
in	O
a	O
quantified	O
context	O
of	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
object	O
of	O
use	O
can	O
be	O
a	O
software	B-Application
application	I-Application
,	O
website	O
,	O
book	O
,	O
tool	O
,	O
machine	O
,	O
process	O
,	O
vehicle	O
,	O
or	O
anything	O
a	O
human	O
interacts	O
with	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
usability	B-General_Concept
study	O
may	O
be	O
conducted	O
as	O
a	O
primary	O
job	O
function	O
by	O
a	O
usability	B-General_Concept
analyst	O
or	O
as	O
a	O
secondary	O
job	O
function	O
by	O
designers	O
,	O
technical	O
writers	O
,	O
marketing	O
personnel	O
,	O
and	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
widely	O
used	O
in	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
,	O
communication	O
,	O
and	O
knowledge	O
transfer	O
objects	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
cookbook	O
,	O
a	O
document	O
or	O
online	B-Protocol
help	I-Protocol
)	O
and	O
mechanical	O
objects	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
door	O
handle	O
or	O
a	O
hammer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
includes	O
methods	O
of	O
measuring	O
usability	B-General_Concept
,	O
such	O
as	O
needs	O
analysis	O
and	O
the	O
study	O
of	O
the	O
principles	O
behind	O
an	O
object	O
's	O
perceived	O
efficiency	O
or	O
elegance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
human-computer	O
interaction	O
and	O
computer	B-General_Concept
science	I-General_Concept
,	O
usability	B-General_Concept
studies	O
the	O
elegance	O
and	O
clarity	O
with	O
which	O
the	O
interaction	O
with	O
a	O
computer	O
program	O
or	O
a	O
web	O
site	O
(	O
web	O
usability	B-General_Concept
)	O
is	O
designed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
considers	O
user	B-General_Concept
satisfaction	I-General_Concept
and	O
utility	O
as	O
quality	O
components	O
,	O
and	O
aims	O
to	O
improve	O
user	B-Application
experience	I-Application
through	O
iterative	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
primary	O
notion	O
of	O
usability	B-General_Concept
is	O
that	O
an	O
object	O
designed	O
with	O
a	O
generalized	O
users	O
 '	O
psychology	O
and	O
physiology	O
in	O
mind	O
is	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
has	O
made	O
usability	B-General_Concept
more	O
popular	O
and	O
widely	O
recognized	O
in	O
recent	O
years	O
,	O
as	O
companies	O
see	O
the	O
benefits	O
of	O
researching	O
and	O
developing	O
their	O
products	O
with	O
user-oriented	O
methods	O
instead	O
of	O
technology-oriented	O
methods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
understanding	O
and	O
researching	O
the	O
interaction	O
between	O
product	O
and	O
user	O
,	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
expert	O
can	O
also	O
provide	O
insight	O
that	O
is	O
unattainable	O
by	O
traditional	O
company-oriented	O
market	O
research	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
after	O
observing	O
and	O
interviewing	O
users	O
,	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
expert	O
may	O
identify	O
needed	O
functionality	O
or	O
design	O
flaws	O
that	O
were	O
not	O
anticipated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
method	O
called	O
contextual	B-General_Concept
inquiry	I-General_Concept
does	O
this	O
in	O
the	O
naturally	O
occurring	O
context	O
of	O
the	O
users	O
own	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
user	B-General_Concept
friendly	I-General_Concept
is	O
often	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
synonym	O
for	O
usable	B-General_Concept
,	O
though	O
it	O
may	O
also	O
refer	O
to	O
accessibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
describes	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
user	B-Application
experience	I-Application
across	O
websites	O
,	O
software	B-Application
,	O
products	O
,	O
and	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
no	O
consensus	O
about	O
the	O
relation	O
of	O
the	O
terms	O
ergonomics	O
(	O
or	O
human	O
factors	O
)	O
and	O
usability	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
think	O
of	O
usability	B-General_Concept
as	O
the	B-Application
software	I-Application
specialization	O
of	O
the	O
larger	O
topic	O
of	O
ergonomics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
view	O
these	O
topics	O
as	O
tangential	O
,	O
with	O
ergonomics	O
focusing	O
on	O
physiological	O
matters	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
turning	O
a	O
door	O
handle	O
)	O
and	O
usability	B-General_Concept
focusing	O
on	O
psychological	O
matters	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
recognizing	O
that	O
a	O
door	O
can	O
be	O
opened	O
by	O
turning	O
its	O
handle	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
is	O
also	O
important	O
in	O
website	O
development	O
(	O
web	O
usability	B-General_Concept
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
can	O
also	O
include	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
prototypicality	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
how	O
much	O
a	O
particular	O
thing	O
conforms	O
to	O
the	O
expected	O
shared	O
norm	O
,	O
for	O
instance	O
,	O
in	O
website	O
design	O
,	O
users	O
prefer	O
sites	O
that	O
conform	O
to	O
recognised	O
design	O
norms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ISO	O
defines	O
usability	B-General_Concept
as	O
"	O
The	O
extent	O
to	O
which	O
a	O
product	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
specified	O
users	O
to	O
achieve	O
specified	O
goals	O
with	O
effectiveness	O
,	O
efficiency	O
,	O
and	O
satisfaction	O
in	O
a	O
specified	O
context	O
of	O
use.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
word	O
"	O
usability	B-General_Concept
"	O
also	O
refers	O
to	O
methods	O
for	O
improving	O
ease-of-use	O
during	O
the	O
design	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
consultant	O
Jakob	O
Nielsen	O
and	O
computer	B-General_Concept
science	I-General_Concept
professor	O
Ben	O
Shneiderman	O
have	O
written	O
(	O
separately	O
)	O
about	O
a	O
framework	O
of	O
system	O
acceptability	O
,	O
where	O
usability	B-General_Concept
is	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
"	O
usefulness	O
"	O
and	O
is	O
composed	O
of	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
is	O
often	O
associated	O
with	O
the	O
functionalities	O
of	O
the	O
product	O
(	O
cf	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
framework	O
of	O
system	O
acceptability	O
,	O
also	O
below	O
,	O
which	O
separates	O
usefulness	O
into	O
usability	B-General_Concept
and	O
utility	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
context	O
of	O
mainstream	O
consumer	O
products	O
,	O
an	O
automobile	O
lacking	O
a	O
reverse	O
gear	O
could	O
be	O
considered	O
unusable	B-General_Concept
according	O
to	O
the	O
former	O
view	O
,	O
and	O
lacking	O
in	O
utility	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
latter	O
view	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
evaluating	O
user	O
interfaces	O
for	O
usability	B-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
definition	O
can	O
be	O
as	O
simple	O
as	O
"	O
the	O
perception	O
of	O
a	O
target	O
user	O
of	O
the	O
effectiveness	O
(	O
fit	O
for	O
purpose	O
)	O
and	O
efficiency	O
(	O
work	O
or	O
time	O
required	O
to	O
use	O
)	O
of	O
the	O
Interface	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
important	O
to	O
distinguish	O
between	O
usability	B-General_Concept
testing	O
and	O
usability	B-General_Concept
engineering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
testing	O
is	O
the	O
measurement	O
of	O
ease	B-General_Concept
of	I-General_Concept
use	I-General_Concept
of	O
a	O
product	O
or	O
piece	O
of	O
software	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
usability	B-General_Concept
engineering	O
(	O
UE	O
)	O
is	O
the	O
research	O
and	O
design	O
process	O
that	O
ensures	O
a	O
product	O
with	O
good	O
usability	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
is	O
a	O
non-functional	O
requirement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
other	O
non-functional	O
requirements	O
,	O
usability	B-General_Concept
cannot	O
be	O
directly	O
measured	O
but	O
must	O
be	O
quantified	O
by	O
means	O
of	O
indirect	O
measures	O
or	O
attributes	O
such	O
as	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
reported	O
problems	O
with	O
ease-of-use	O
of	O
a	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
intuitive	O
is	O
often	O
listed	O
as	O
a	O
desirable	O
trait	O
in	O
usable	B-General_Concept
interfaces	O
,	O
sometimes	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
synonym	O
for	O
learnable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ISO/TR	O
16982:2002	O
(	O
"	O
Ergonomics	O
of	O
human-system	O
interactionUsability	O
methods	O
supporting	O
human-centered	O
design	O
"	O
)	O
is	O
an	O
International	O
Standards	O
Organization	O
(	O
ISO	O
)	O
standard	O
that	O
provides	O
information	O
on	O
human-centered	O
usability	B-General_Concept
methods	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
design	O
and	O
evaluation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
details	O
the	O
advantages	O
,	O
disadvantages	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
factors	O
relevant	O
to	O
using	O
each	O
usability	B-General_Concept
method	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
explains	O
the	O
implications	O
of	O
the	O
stage	O
of	O
the	O
life	O
cycle	O
and	O
the	O
individual	O
project	O
characteristics	O
for	O
the	O
selection	O
of	O
usability	B-General_Concept
methods	O
and	O
provides	O
examples	O
of	O
usability	B-General_Concept
methods	O
in	O
context	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Selection	O
of	O
appropriate	O
usability	B-General_Concept
methods	O
should	O
also	O
take	O
account	O
of	O
the	O
relevant	O
life-cycle	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ISO/TR	O
16982:2002	O
is	O
restricted	O
to	O
methods	O
that	O
are	O
widely	O
used	O
by	O
usability	B-General_Concept
specialists	O
and	O
project	O
managers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
does	O
not	O
specify	O
the	O
details	O
of	O
how	O
to	O
implement	O
or	O
carry	O
out	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
methods	O
described	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IEC	O
62366-1:2015	O
+	O
COR1:2016	O
&	O
IEC/TR	O
62366-2	O
provide	O
guidance	O
on	O
usability	B-General_Concept
engineering	O
specific	O
to	O
a	O
medical	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
considerations	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
who	O
the	O
users	O
are	O
and	O
their	O
experience	O
with	O
similar	O
systems	O
must	O
be	O
examined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
includes	O
testing	O
the	O
system	O
for	O
both	O
learnability	O
and	O
usability	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
important	O
in	O
this	O
stage	O
to	O
use	O
quantitative	O
usability	B-General_Concept
specifications	O
such	O
as	O
time	O
and	O
errors	O
to	O
complete	O
tasks	O
and	O
number	O
of	O
users	O
to	O
test	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
examine	O
performance	O
and	O
attitudes	O
of	O
the	O
users	O
testing	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
,	O
iterative	O
design	O
works	O
towards	O
meeting	O
goals	O
such	O
as	O
making	O
the	O
system	O
user	B-General_Concept
friendly	I-General_Concept
,	O
easy	O
to	O
use	O
,	O
easy	O
to	O
operate	O
,	O
simple	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
usability	B-General_Concept
evaluation	O
methods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certain	O
methods	O
use	O
data	O
from	O
users	O
,	O
while	O
others	O
rely	O
on	O
usability	B-General_Concept
experts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
usability	B-General_Concept
evaluation	O
methods	O
for	O
all	O
stages	O
of	O
design	O
and	O
development	O
,	O
from	O
product	O
definition	O
to	O
final	O
design	O
modifications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
a	O
brief	O
overview	O
of	O
methods	O
,	O
see	O
Comparison	O
of	O
usability	B-General_Concept
evaluation	O
methods	O
or	O
continue	O
reading	O
below	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
methods	O
can	O
be	O
further	O
classified	O
into	O
the	O
subcategories	O
below	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GOMS	B-General_Concept
stands	O
for	O
goals	O
,	O
operator	O
,	O
methods	O
,	O
and	O
selection	O
rules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Keystroke	O
level	O
modeling	O
is	O
essentially	O
a	O
less	O
comprehensive	O
version	O
of	O
GOMS	B-General_Concept
that	O
makes	O
simplifying	O
assumptions	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
reduce	O
calculation	O
time	O
and	O
complexity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
usability	B-General_Concept
evaluation	O
methods	O
involve	O
observation	O
of	O
users	O
by	O
an	O
experimenter	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
testing	O
and	O
evaluation	O
of	O
a	O
program	O
by	O
an	O
expert	O
reviewer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Card	B-General_Concept
sorting	I-General_Concept
is	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
involve	O
users	O
in	O
grouping	O
information	O
for	O
a	O
website	O
's	O
usability	B-General_Concept
review	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Participants	O
in	O
a	O
card	B-General_Concept
sorting	I-General_Concept
session	O
are	O
asked	O
to	O
organize	O
the	O
content	O
from	O
a	O
Web	O
site	O
in	O
a	O
way	O
that	O
makes	O
sense	O
to	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Card	B-General_Concept
sorting	I-General_Concept
helps	O
to	O
learn	O
how	O
users	O
think	O
about	O
the	O
content	O
and	O
how	O
they	O
would	O
organize	O
the	O
information	O
on	O
the	O
Web	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Card	B-General_Concept
sorting	I-General_Concept
helps	O
to	O
build	O
the	O
structure	O
for	O
a	O
Web	O
site	O
,	O
decide	O
what	O
to	O
put	O
on	O
the	O
home	O
page	O
,	O
and	O
label	O
the	O
home	O
page	O
categories	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heuristic	B-Application
evaluation	I-Application
is	O
a	O
usability	B-General_Concept
engineering	O
method	O
for	O
finding	O
and	O
assessing	O
usability	B-General_Concept
problems	O
in	O
a	O
user	O
interface	O
design	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
an	O
iterative	O
design	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
involves	O
having	O
a	O
small	O
set	O
of	O
evaluators	O
examining	O
the	O
interface	O
and	O
using	O
recognized	O
usability	B-General_Concept
principles	O
(	O
the	O
"	O
heuristics	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
of	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
inspection	O
methods	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
is	O
quick	O
,	O
cheap	O
,	O
and	O
easy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heuristic	B-Application
evaluation	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
to	O
aid	O
in	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
computer	O
user-interface	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
relies	O
on	O
expert	O
reviewers	O
to	O
discover	O
usability	B-General_Concept
problems	O
and	O
then	O
categorize	O
and	O
rate	O
them	O
by	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
principles	O
(	O
heuristics	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
called	O
"	O
heuristics	O
"	O
because	O
they	O
are	O
more	O
in	O
the	O
nature	O
of	O
rules	O
of	O
thumb	O
than	O
specific	O
usability	B-General_Concept
guidelines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
,	O
by	O
determining	O
which	O
guidelines	O
are	O
violated	O
,	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
of	O
a	O
device	O
can	O
be	O
determined	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
inspection	O
is	O
a	O
review	O
of	O
a	O
system	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
guidelines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
review	O
is	O
conducted	O
by	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
experts	O
who	O
are	O
deeply	O
familiar	O
with	O
the	O
concepts	O
of	O
usability	B-General_Concept
in	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
the	O
more	O
interaction	O
in	O
the	O
team	O
,	O
the	O
faster	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
issues	O
are	O
resolved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activity	O
analysis	O
is	O
a	O
usability	B-General_Concept
method	O
used	O
in	O
preliminary	O
stages	O
of	O
development	O
to	O
get	O
a	O
sense	O
of	O
situation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
usability	B-General_Concept
evaluation	O
methods	O
involve	O
collecting	O
qualitative	O
data	O
from	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
typically	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
marketing	O
tool	O
,	O
Focus	O
Groups	O
are	O
sometimes	O
used	O
to	O
evaluate	O
usability	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
written	O
carefully	O
and	O
given	O
to	O
actual	O
users	O
who	O
have	O
experience	O
with	O
the	O
product	O
and	O
knowledge	O
of	O
design	O
,	O
surveys	O
provide	O
useful	O
feedback	O
on	O
the	O
strong	O
and	O
weak	O
areas	O
of	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
of	O
a	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
often	O
very	O
difficult	O
for	O
designers	O
to	O
conduct	O
usability	B-General_Concept
tests	O
with	O
the	O
exact	O
system	O
being	O
designed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
types	O
of	O
usability	B-General_Concept
prototypes	O
may	O
vary	O
from	O
using	O
paper	O
models	O
,	O
index	O
cards	O
,	O
hand	O
drawn	O
models	O
,	O
or	O
storyboards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rapid	O
prototyping	O
is	O
a	O
method	O
used	O
in	O
early	O
stages	O
of	O
development	O
to	O
validate	O
and	O
refine	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
of	O
a	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
such	O
method	O
of	O
rapid	O
prototyping	O
is	O
paper	B-Application
prototyping	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
usability	B-General_Concept
evaluation	O
methods	O
involve	O
testing	O
of	O
subjects	O
for	O
the	O
most	O
quantitative	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Regardless	O
to	O
how	O
carefully	O
a	O
system	O
is	O
designed	O
,	O
all	O
theories	O
must	O
be	O
tested	O
using	O
usability	B-General_Concept
tests	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
tests	O
involve	O
typical	O
users	O
using	O
the	O
system	O
(	O
or	O
product	O
)	O
in	O
a	O
realistic	O
environment	O
[	O
see	O
simulation ]	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
conducting	O
usability	B-General_Concept
tests	O
,	O
designers	O
must	O
use	O
usability	B-General_Concept
metrics	O
to	O
identify	O
what	O
it	O
is	O
they	O
are	O
going	O
to	O
measure	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
metrics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
number	O
of	O
subjects	O
being	O
tested	O
can	O
also	O
affect	O
usability	B-General_Concept
metrics	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
is	O
often	O
easier	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
specific	O
demographics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Qualitative	O
design	O
phases	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
general	O
usability	B-General_Concept
(	O
can	O
the	O
task	O
be	O
accomplished	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
)	O
,	O
and	O
user	B-General_Concept
satisfaction	I-General_Concept
are	O
also	O
typically	O
done	O
with	O
smaller	O
groups	O
of	O
subjects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
conducting	O
usability	B-General_Concept
tests	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
important	O
for	O
a	O
designer	O
to	O
record	O
what	O
was	O
observed	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
why	O
such	O
behavior	O
occurred	O
and	O
modify	O
the	O
model	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
results	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
effective	O
usability	B-General_Concept
tests	O
will	O
not	O
generate	O
a	O
solution	O
to	O
the	O
problems	O
,	O
but	O
provide	O
modified	O
design	O
guidelines	O
for	O
continued	O
testing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Remote	O
usability	B-General_Concept
testing	O
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
unmoderated	O
or	O
asynchronous	O
usability	B-General_Concept
testing	O
)	O
involves	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
specially	O
modified	O
online	O
survey	O
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
quantification	O
of	O
user	O
testing	O
studies	O
by	O
providing	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
generate	O
large	O
sample	O
sizes	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
deep	O
qualitative	O
analysis	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
dedicated	O
facilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
types	O
of	O
studies	O
are	O
useful	O
for	O
validating	O
suspected	O
usability	B-General_Concept
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
:	O
Mobile	O
gaming	O
has	O
experienced	O
20x	O
growth	O
in	O
2010-2012	O
)	O
has	O
generated	O
a	O
need	O
for	O
unmoderated	O
remote	O
usability	B-General_Concept
testing	O
on	O
mobile	O
devices	O
,	O
both	O
for	O
websites	O
but	O
especially	O
for	O
app	O
interactions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Think	O
aloud	O
protocol	O
is	O
a	O
method	O
of	O
gathering	O
data	O
that	O
is	O
used	O
in	O
both	O
usability	B-General_Concept
and	O
psychology	O
studies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
widespread	O
method	O
of	O
usability	B-General_Concept
testing	O
,	O
think	O
aloud	O
provides	O
the	O
researchers	O
with	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
discover	O
what	O
user	O
really	O
think	O
during	O
task	O
performance	O
and	O
completion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rapid	O
Iterative	O
Testing	O
and	O
Evaluation	O
(	O
RITE	O
)	O
is	O
an	O
iterative	O
usability	B-General_Concept
method	O
similar	O
to	O
traditional	O
"	O
discount	O
"	O
usability	B-General_Concept
testing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
the	O
data	O
for	O
a	O
participant	O
has	O
been	O
collected	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
engineer	O
and	O
team	O
decide	O
if	O
they	O
will	O
be	O
making	O
any	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
prototype	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
next	O
participant	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subjects-in-tandem	O
(	O
also	O
called	O
co-discovery	O
)	O
is	O
the	O
pairing	O
of	O
subjects	O
in	O
a	O
usability	B-General_Concept
test	O
to	O
gather	O
important	O
information	O
on	O
the	O
ease	B-General_Concept
of	I-General_Concept
use	I-General_Concept
of	O
a	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
for	O
testing	O
of	O
software	B-Application
,	O
one	O
subject	O
may	O
be	O
put	O
in	O
charge	O
of	O
the	O
mouse	O
and	O
the	O
other	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Component-based	O
usability	B-General_Concept
testing	O
is	O
an	O
approach	O
which	O
aims	O
to	O
test	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
of	O
elementary	O
units	O
of	O
an	O
interaction	O
system	O
,	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
interaction	O
components	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
approach	O
includes	O
component-specific	O
quantitative	O
measures	O
based	O
on	O
user	O
interaction	O
recorded	O
in	O
log	O
files	O
,	O
and	O
component-based	O
usability	B-General_Concept
questionnaires	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
benchmark	O
,	O
other	O
designs	O
can	O
be	O
compared	O
to	O
it	O
to	O
determine	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
of	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
common	O
objectives	O
of	O
usability	B-General_Concept
studies	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
trying	O
to	O
understand	O
user	O
behavior	O
or	O
exploring	O
alternative	O
designs	O
,	O
must	O
be	O
put	O
aside	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
many	O
other	O
usability	B-General_Concept
methods	O
or	O
types	O
of	O
labs	O
studies	O
,	O
benchmark	O
studies	O
more	O
closely	O
resemble	O
true	O
experimental	O
psychology	O
lab	O
studies	O
,	O
with	O
greater	O
attention	O
to	O
detail	O
on	O
methodology	O
,	O
study	O
protocol	O
and	O
data	O
analysis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
type	O
of	O
evaluation	O
is	O
very	O
powerful	O
for	O
determining	O
the	O
usability	B-General_Concept
of	O
a	O
device	O
because	O
it	O
combines	O
multiple	O
studies	O
to	O
provide	O
very	O
accurate	O
quantitative	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Personas	O
are	O
a	O
usability	B-General_Concept
evaluation	O
method	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
at	O
various	O
design	O
stages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Personas	O
are	O
the	O
archetypes	B-Language
that	O
represent	O
actual	O
groups	O
of	O
users	O
and	O
their	O
needs	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
a	O
general	O
description	O
of	O
person	O
,	O
context	O
,	O
or	O
usage	O
scenario	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
gather	O
the	O
marketing	O
data	O
that	O
personas	O
require	O
,	O
several	O
tools	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
,	O
including	O
online	O
surveys	O
,	O
web	O
analytics	O
,	O
customer	O
feedback	O
forms	O
,	O
and	O
usability	B-General_Concept
tests	O
,	O
and	O
interviews	O
with	O
customer-service	O
representatives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
key	O
benefits	O
of	O
usability	B-General_Concept
are	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
increase	O
in	O
usability	B-General_Concept
generally	O
positively	O
affects	O
several	O
facets	O
of	O
a	O
company	O
's	O
output	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Increased	O
usability	B-General_Concept
in	O
the	O
workplace	O
fosters	O
several	O
responses	O
from	O
employees	O
:	O
"	O
Workers	O
who	O
enjoy	O
their	O
work	O
do	O
it	O
better	O
,	O
stay	O
longer	O
in	O
the	O
face	O
of	O
temptation	O
,	O
and	O
contribute	O
ideas	O
and	O
enthusiasm	O
to	O
the	O
evolution	O
of	O
enhanced	O
productivity.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
making	O
software	B-Application
user	O
interfaces	O
easier	O
to	O
understand	O
reduces	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
extensive	O
training	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
2010s	O
,	O
usability	B-General_Concept
is	O
recognized	O
as	O
an	O
important	O
software	B-Application
quality	O
attribute	O
,	O
earning	O
its	O
place	O
among	O
more	O
traditional	O
attributes	O
such	O
as	O
performance	O
,	O
robustness	B-Application
and	O
aesthetic	O
appearance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
academic	O
programs	O
focus	O
on	O
usability	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
usability	B-General_Concept
consultancy	O
companies	O
have	O
emerged	O
,	O
and	O
traditional	O
consultancy	O
and	O
design	O
firms	O
offer	O
similar	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
some	O
resistance	O
to	O
integrating	O
usability	B-General_Concept
work	O
in	O
organisations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
is	O
seen	O
as	O
a	O
vague	O
concept	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
difficult	O
to	O
measure	O
and	O
other	O
areas	O
are	O
prioritised	O
when	O
IT	O
projects	O
run	O
out	O
of	O
time	O
or	O
money	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usability	B-General_Concept
practitioners	O
are	O
sometimes	O
trained	O
as	O
industrial	O
engineers	O
,	O
psychologists	O
,	O
kinesiologists	O
,	O
systems	O
design	O
engineers	O
,	O
or	O
with	O
a	O
degree	O
in	O
information	B-Architecture
architecture	I-Architecture
,	O
information	O
or	O
library	O
science	O
,	O
or	O
Human-Computer	O
Interaction	O
(	O
HCI	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
often	O
though	O
they	O
are	O
people	O
who	O
are	O
trained	O
in	O
specific	O
applied	O
fields	O
who	O
have	O
taken	O
on	O
a	O
usability	B-General_Concept
focus	O
within	O
their	O
organization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Anyone	O
who	O
aims	O
to	O
make	O
tools	O
easier	O
to	O
use	O
and	O
more	O
effective	O
for	O
their	O
desired	O
function	O
within	O
the	O
context	O
of	O
work	O
or	O
everyday	O
living	O
can	O
benefit	O
from	O
studying	O
usability	B-General_Concept
principles	O
and	O
guidelines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
those	O
seeking	O
to	O
extend	O
their	O
training	O
,	O
the	O
User	B-Application
Experience	I-Application
Professionals	O
 '	O
Association	O
offers	O
online	O
resources	O
,	O
reference	O
lists	O
,	O
courses	O
,	O
conferences	O
,	O
and	O
local	O
chapter	O
meetings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
UXPA	O
also	O
sponsors	O
World	O
Usability	B-General_Concept
Day	O
each	O
November	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Society	O
for	O
Technical	O
Communication	O
also	O
has	O
a	O
special	O
interest	O
group	O
on	O
Usability	B-General_Concept
and	O
User	B-Application
Experience	I-Application
(	O
UUX	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
publish	O
a	O
quarterly	O
newsletter	O
called	O
Usability	B-General_Concept
Interface	O
.	O
</s>
