| Logical
User-Centered Interaction Design Methodology(L.U.C.I.D) |
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This web site contains a description of the L.U.C.I.D software design methodology,
developed by Congnetics, Corporation. Lucid Software Design is a
methodology for user-centered software design. Lucid is an acronym for
Logical User-Centered Interactive Design. As the word "lucid" suggests,
a central component of Lucid Design is ease-of-understanding and ease-of-use.
Lucid design is focused on the "front-end" of software: assessing user
requirements and developing a look, feel and navigational flow which supports
the functional requirements of the system. Lucid design is less concerned
with technical architecture for which several well-tested methodologies
already exist.
| Measuring
Usability of Systems in Context (MUSiC) |
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This web site contains a description of the methods developed during the
MUSiC project for measuring usability. The European MUSiC (Measuring
Usability of Systems in Context) project developed methods for measuring
usability based on this definition. A major benefit of using MUSiC methods
for usability measurement is that they provide a means of specifying usability
goals and evaluating whether they have been achieved. The goals are expressed
in terms of the purpose of business systems which is to enable users to
achieve tasks effectively, efficiently and with satisfaction.
| Participatory
Design (PD) |
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This report compares Joint Application Development (JAD) and Participatory
Design (PD). As computer systems become more complex, business emphasize
more on quality, productivity, traditional waterflow lifecycle methodologies
can not satisfy these trends. Joint Application Development (JAD) and Participatory
Design (PD) methods were proposed in order to address the problem. These
two methods both emphasize greater user involvement and user participation
in the development of systems. JAD was originally adopted in North America,
while PD in Scandinavia. There are many similarities between JAD and PD.
However, JAD and PD have different goals, JAD emphasizes on the functional
requirements of the system, PD emphasizes more on social aspects of the
system.
This paper attempts to examine the purpose of Participatory Design
and its constraints. Historically, democratic values have only
been partially considered in the systems design process, the main focus
has been on technical and economic factors. However, this emphasis has
been shifted by research on the involvement of users in the design of Information
Systems (IS), a field of literature known as Participatory Design (PD).
This web page describes the approach to Contextual Design developed by
InContetx Enterprises, Inc. Contextual Design introduces a customer-centered
approach to business by bringing in customer data gathered in the field
and using it to drive the definition of a product or process, while supporting
the needs of teams and their organizations. Contextual Design is a state-of-the-art
approach to designing products directly from an understanding of how the
customer works.
| Performance
Centered Design (PCD) |
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This web page describes the approach to Performance Centered Design developed
by The Royal Institute of Technology. Performance Centered Design (PCD)
infuses tools with knowledge, structures tasks, and enables performers
to achieve the required level of performance as quickly as possible - at
the very most, within a day -- with minimum support from other people.
Software that is designed around performance is intuitive to its users
and enables them to perform their normal work with obvious gains in speed
and efficiency without ever attending training classes or looking things
up in books. It reflects their own conceptualization of their work and
incorporates their language, idioms, metaphors, and understanding of how
to perform tasks.
| The Scenario-Based
Engineering Process (SEP) |
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This web page describes the The Scenario-based Engineering Process (SEP)
user-centered methodology developed by 4R Group, Inc. SEP is an iterative,
user-centered methodology that enables organizations to address today's
business needs, while constructing a vision and a bridge to tomorrow's
business mission, competencies, and goals. The Scenario-based Engineering
Process (SEP) uses scenarios as the common thread to analyze, develop,
and test architectures and components. SEP is used to help organizations
envision and define improved plans and strategies, processes, and applications.
SEP is also applied when there is a need to acquire knowledge about work
processes, tasks, knowledge use, and performance needs of a workforce.
| Discount
Usability Engineering |
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This web page describes the discount usability engineering method developed
by Jakob Nielsen. Usability specialists will often propose using
the best possible methodology. Indeed, this is what they have been trained
to do in most universities. Unfortunately, it seems that "le mieux est
l'ennemi du bien" (the best is the enemy of the good) to the extent that
insisting on using only the best methods may result in having no methods
used at all. Therefore, focus on achieving "the good" with respect to having
some usability engineering work performed, even though the methods needed
to achieve this result are definitely not "the best" method and will not
give perfect results. The "discount usability engineering" method is based
on the use of the following three techniques: Scenarios, Simplified thinking
aloud and Heuristic evaluation. Additionally, the basic principle of early
focus on users should of course be followed. It can be achieved in various
ways, including simple visits to customer locations.
This web site contains descriptions of different user oriented methods.
The purpose of this web-site is to encourage the usage of user oriented
methods in both industry and research projects. We also offer a place for
discussing these methods, namely the Usor mailing-list.
This is a web page created by James Hom, a master student at San Jose State
University. It is a nice survey of many usability methods. This page compiles
information about almost all of the methods and techniques used in usability
evaluation. The information are classified into three categories: Inquiry,
Inspection, Testing, and related techniques.
This page was created by:
This page was last modified on 11/02/1998.
