Take it Easy

In the bus ride in this morning. A person exiting the bus said this common formality to the bus driver , "take it easy." He responded normally and said, "you take care now." I never really though about the saying "take it easy" until now. I always felt it was a salutaion you can say sometimes, but today I realize it has a lot to do about Usability.

Technology needs a "TAKE it easy" approach. To many times we give technology like medicine. You asked for it, you need it, it taste horrible, but you need to take it to do your job. Yes we try to camouflage the flavor it with bubble gum and other things. But if you want it to help, you have to take it as it is given to you.

If we had a "Take it easy" approach to technology we would focus on making a technology simple, easy to adopt, and easy to grow with our needs. What makes this hard is that this is competing against legacy needs, and business process developed by lack of "easy" technology.

So I say to you "TAKE it easy." I will now have it in my salutation in every email. Technology, should only be taken easy. If it doesn't, then we need to push for a better version. By doing this we make technology more usable; the more usable it is, we accomplish our goals faster with better results.

...oh yeah. I strongly believe that the less stressful it is, the better we can do our job and advance our goals.

Usability Testing

Quote

"To do a common thing, uncommonly well, brings success." -- Henry John Heinz

Tag Cloud

When used with a purpose, I like tag clouds. It is a powerful visualization of words used to communicate a message. I went to www.wordle.net and created a tag cloud of this blog:



This is a great tool. Creating this tag cloud hits several major principals of usability. It is effective, efficient, and with a quick user satisfaction ( just look at it to immediately understand it.)

Sustainability

I don't have to tell you that technology changes fast:




So I believe a way to help us keep up with how fast technology changes is by adding the objective of Sustainability to Usability.

• Sustainability: change management

I don't want to ask for directions!

I was fortunate today to have a chance to talk to one of our new students at ASU. While waiting for the Flash bus (a bus used by most ASU student to get from lot 59 to around campus), she asked, "How do you know where the stops are and communicate to the driver were you need to get off?" I can see how a question like this by a college student could trouble many. But it made me think, was it about her, or was it was it the scenario show was put in. One expectation we have entrenched in today's generation is that if you have a question, it is your responsibility at ask.

"Their are no stupid questions," we say.

To support this, we need to be clear on how one will learn a task. Yes she would have learned what to do and be ok by just riding the bus for a few seconds. So in her case she would have learned by experience. But assuming to do the same thing with software can be deadly. People need to know if its best for a person to learn by reading instructions, or is it easier to understand by intuition and experience. Making people feel at ease will allow people to focus faster on getting the results they want.

Men have been attacked on this for years:

"Read the instructions", "ask for directions!" they say.

I believe most men are working from two facts:

1. The balance between, "You don't need to read the instructions if it is easy enough," (and pride).... "I am smart enough to figure this out myself."
2. I have more control of what I am doing and gain better experience than to follow someone's opinion.
   

We do learn everything by two things: By reading the instructions, or by experience. To better communicate a product's usability, we need to direct a customers expectations on the best way to engage a product. This can be the difference between creating a fan, and a raving fan.

Today's definition.

I found that my definition of usability scope gets more defined each day. Today, this is my scope of usability. The application of it, is another story.

1. A clear defined path from newbie to result.
2. Use of intuition to foster use.
3. Clear communication of default.
   
4. Clarity to
   
1. customize an application to ones needs
2. see the line between what the app has and needs for future development
3. what is the best way to influence development. (Basically, to be heard.)
   

Changing of the tag line

"If it's not usable, it is inexcusable."

...has been this blog's tag line now for a while. But it has been my experience so far that many people use it to put usability in a box. Humans tend to do that with information to handle stimulus. But in this case, I believe a change is necessary to keep the focus not on what usability should be, but what it can do. So here is my new tag line:

"Bringing information into our world, on our terms."

I got the inspiration after hearing the last words said on TED Talks David Merrill demos Siftables presentation.

To truly understand usability, it needs to be seen as ubiquitous.

Six Sense blurs the line between people and technology

Changing the Rules during the game

Google has been horrible about this. It is their two-sided sword. They are great with innovation, but they change usability of their software so often that they leave user's frustrated.

Example.

Today, a friend came by my cube and asked me to help her troubleshoot why she couldn't share a Google spreadsheet like she always has done. We found out two things with her use case:

1. A new message pops-up when a person trys to share a Google doc with someone. It says that the user does not have a Google account. "But we are a partner, shouldn't my work colleges have one? If they don't, why not have the system send a message saying to the recipient, "A Google doc has been shared with you.You will need to create a Google account to see the document." The person sharing the doc is Google's prime viral customer. If anyone should receive this message it should be the user that wants to see the doc.
   
2. When we try to share the spreadsheet with more than one person, a "captacha" screen now shows that says, "Type in what you see in the image." Funny. The graphic of the image is missing and doesn't show up. I bet they added this feature for security purposes. People forget too fast that when security is added, the usability must remain as constant as possible.
   

I have a tough time convincing people to use Google docs. I believe stuff like this is the reason why. Right now, no one knows if it is really a WYSIWYG environment, and no one knows if you can do the same functionality tomorrow as you do today.

Scope of Usability

1. To reduce the complicated to the simple.
2. Manage expectations.
   
3. Adding & Removing features without drama.
4. Making an app default as legitimate.
5. Making sure feedback is heard, and result of it clearly seen.
   
6. Clarifying and communicating the "Concept of One" path through an app to successful resolution.
   
7. Timing
8. Finding sweet spots.
9. Understanding "Popularity" and managing trends.
10. Closing loops.
11. Understanding user routines for efficiency and identifying sustainable results.
12. Identifying: use to assist growth path of product.
13. Abreast of the current Zeitgeist of technology to assist on understanding the scope of users expectations.
14. To advocate Accessibility, Sustainability, and User Experience as part of development.
15. To always refocus needs back to new users.
16. To reduce documentation, Training, and Support needs.
17. To create raving fans.

Laziness

Why is usability important? Why don't people just use the "Command line" to do a task? It's just laziness I tell you.

I hear this argument all the time. One thing I do agree with is that laziness is the problem. But it is not of the user, it is from a developer making the interaction of a app. Yes.....making a complicated process simple is not easy. Look at the computer you are using to read this article. Windows, Mac OS, Linux..... these are all operating systems that are big, bulky, and to some unnecessary to use a computer. Obviously the sheer numbers of GUI users reveal the necessity. But many developers hate, shun, and try to avoid them.

I'm sorry, I'm guilty.

I do not want to translate what I want into another language when I want something. You know they call it a language for a reason. How do you say, "Where is the bathroom?" in Italian.