Majestic MRSS

USABILITY ENGINEERING

OUR APPROACH
 Introduction-Why Usability
Engineering
Making computer-based products (and services) more usable is smart
business. Usability increases customer satisfaction and productivity,
leads to customer trust and loyalty, and inevitably results in tangible
cost savings and profitability.

Because user-interface (UI) development is part of a product’s

development cost anyway, it pays to do it right. Most software and
Website development managers view usability costs as added effort
and expense, but the reverse is more commonly true.

The first 10% of the design process, when key system-design decisions
are made, can determine 90% of a product’s cost and performance,
usability techniques help keep the product aligned with company goals
Planning & Feasibility overview

 Before even starting a user-centered project we ensure that usability

activities are effectively incorporated into the design and
development process, and influence the early feasibility stage of the
design and development process. It is important that the usability
activities selected should contribute to the business objectives for
developing the product. The recommended activities are to:
 start with a stakeholder meeting
 analyze the intended context of use
 create a usability plan based on ISO 13407
 use competitor analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of
competing products.
Requirements meeting

1. Quality in use requirements

Establish requirements for effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction for the user
groups and tasks identified in the context of use analysis and in the scenarios.
Arrange a workshop attended by users developer's).
We provide a trained facilitator and a person to record the issues raised during the
meeting.
Review each of the tasks in the context analysis report along with their associated task
scenarios to confirm their relevance and importance.
Decide which task and user type needed usability criteria.
For each chosen task and user type estimate:
 the acceptable task time and the optimum target
 how to score effectiveness by agreeing what errors the user might make
 the effectiveness target
 the satisfaction target.
If there is an existing system, it can be evaluated by the selected users and tasks, and
the results used to refine the usability requirements. Quality in use requirements
should be evaluated by usability testing.
Requirements meeting
2. Detailed usability requirements
Decide which usability requirements are relevant. Examples of potential requirements are:
 Understandability
Interface elements (e.g. menus) should be easy to understand
For a walk up and purchase or use system, the purpose of the system should be easily understandable
 Learnability
The user documentation and help should be complete
The help should be context sensitive and explain how to achieve common tasks
The system should be easy to learn
 Operability
The interface actions and elements should be consistent
Error messages should explain how to recover from the error
Undo should be available for most actions
Actions which cannot be undone should ask for confirmation
The system be customizable to meet specific user needs
A style guide should be used
 Attractiveness
The screen layout and color should be appealing
Arrange a workshop to review how to elaborate the requirements for the specific system being developed. The
workshop should be attended by:developers, user's) if easily available
Design overview

The objective of the design phase is to create and develop a user interface
design that is based on the requirements specification, and that supports
the users with their task at hand. Early designs will be simple and sketchy.
These will mature into one final design through an iterative process of
evaluation and redesign. Successful design will:
Create and develop design ideas using multidisciplinary input.
If necessary allocate tasks between humans and machines
Visualize design ideas using sketches, models and simulation/dynamic
prototypes
Consider using parallel design
Evaluate design ideas with a few typical users. Get them to carry out typical
simulated/real tasks, using methods that may include storyboarding or
wizard of oz.
Expert or heuristic evaluation may also be used.
Ensure that the design takes account of design guidelines
Feed the results back into the design process quickly.
Iterate the process of design - evaluation until design objectives are fulfilled.
Implementation overview

The objective of usability activities at the

implementation stage are to ensure that detailed
design takes account of usability principles.
This can be achieved by:
use of style guides and design guidelines
ensuring that rapid prototyping activities incorporate
usability
Test & Measure

The purpose of testing and measuring is to assess the degree to which user and organizational requirements
have been achieved, and to provide feedback in a form that can be used by designers and developers to
improve the user interface design. There are a number of different evaluation methods that vary in terms
of formality, rigidity and the degree of user participation. The most suitable method will depend on the
product being developed, the availability of representative users and financial/time restrictions.
Evaluation can be user based or expert based. User based testing will provide information related to the
task at hand - does this design support the user in their work. Expert inspections tend to identify lack of
conformity to standards, interface design guidelines and expert comments based on experience. There
are two objectives for testing and measuring
1. Diagnose usability problems
user-based methods such as participatory evaluation, diagnostic evaluation, and critical incident
analysis should be used when possible, supported by questionnaires to assess attitudes
these can be supplemented by expert or heuristic evaluation. These methods should be used to improve
early machine prototypes.
2. Evaluate whether usability objectives have been achieved
requirements for user performance and satisfaction can be evaluated by use of performance testing,
cognitive workload and attitude questionnaires.
other usability objectives can be assessed by expert evaluation.
These methods should be used to test final prototypes. The methods will also provide diagnostic
information that can be used to make last minute improvements, or provide requirements for the next
release.
Post release overview

It is important to monitor the usability of the system

after release to ensure that it meets user needs in
the field. This should be used as an input to
requirements for a new version or release.
Techniques for collecting user feedback include post
release testing, use of questionnaires to survey
user satisfaction, remote testing, analysis of help
desk calls, and observing users.
 
 Majestic MRSS
USABILITY ENGINEERING

AN ROI FRAMEWORK
Majestic MRSS Usability Engineering
An ROI Framework
Usability returns many benefits (return on investment, or ROI) to products
developed for either internal use or sale

Internal ROI
• Increased user productivity
• Decreased user errors
• Decreased training costs
• Savings gained from making changes earlier in design life cycle
• Decreased user support

External ROI
• Increased sales
• Decreased customer support costs
• Savings gained from making changes earlier in the design life cycle
• Reduced cost of providing training (if training is offered through
the vendor company
Overall Value of Implementing UI
Practices

 Development: Reduce Costs

 Sales: Increase Revenue
 Use: Improve effectiveness
 Other ROI Factors
Development: Reduce Costs
 Value proposition: Save development costs Changes cost less when made earlier
in the development life cycle. Eliminate the major reasons for cost overruns using
usability Engineering including frequent requests for changes by users, overlooked
tasks, users’ lack of understanding of their own requirements, and insufficient
communication and understanding between users and analysts.”
 Value proposition: Save development time “Increased revenues accrue due to the
increased marketability of a product with demonstrated usability, increased end-
user productivity, and lower training costs. another usability goal is speeding up
market introduction and acceptance by using usability data to improve marketing
literature, reach market influencers and early adopters, and demonstrate the
product’s usability and reduced training cost.
 Value proposition: Reduce maintenance costs. Most software life-cycle costs occur
during the maintenance phase. Most maintenance costs are associated with
“unmet or unforeseen” user requirements and other usability problems.”
 Value proposition: Save redesign costs The use of Usability engineering early in the
development life cycle dramatically reduces redesign costs.
Sales: Increase Revenue

 Value proposition: Increase transactions/purchases By providing sufficient product

information to your customers at the right time It is estimated that improving the
customer experience increases the number of buyers by 40% and increase order
size by 10%.
 Value proposition: Increase product sales The revenues of usability-enhanced
system are generally 60% higher than projected. Many customers cite usability as
a key factor in buying the new systems. Studies have shown that convoluted e-
commerce sites can lose up to half of their potential sales if customers can't find
merchandise
 Value proposition: Increase traffic (size of audience) Many large corporate web
sites have traditionally been made up of a difficult-to navigate labyrinth of disparate
sub sites a redesign can make it more cohesive and user-friendly. A company we
assisted said in the month after their re-launch that traffic to the online store
increased 120 percent, and sales went up 400 percent.”
Sales: Increase Revenue
(Continued)
 Value proposition: Retain customers (frequency of use) Internet users are likely to leave a
Web site if they feel they have to make too many clicks to find what they’re looking for, A bad
design can cost a Web site 40 percent of repeat traffic. A good design can keep them coming
back. A few tests can make the difference.
 Value proposition: Attract more customers (increase appeal) When users are were asked to
list the five most important reasons to shop on the Web. even though low prices definitely do
attract customers, pricing was only the third-most important issue for them. Most of the
answers were related to making iteasy, pleasant, and efficient to buy. The top reason was
“Easy to place an order”
 Value Proposition: Increase market share (competitive edge) “The importance of having a
competitive edge in usability may be even more pronounced for e-commerce sites. Such
sites commonly drive away nearly half of repeat business by not making it easy for visitors to
find the information they need (Manning). The repeat customers are most valuable: new
users at one e-commerce site studied spent an average of $127 per purchase, while repeat
users spent almost twice as much, with an average of $251.”
Use: Improve effectiveness

 Value proposition: Increase success rate, reduce user error“ Studies have shown that 62% of
Web shoppers give up looking for the item they wanted to buy online (and 20% gave up more
than three times during a two-month period) In a study of 15 large commercial sites, recently
conducted, users could only find information 42% of the time even though they were taken to
the correct home page before they were given the test tasks.
 Value Proposition: Increase efficiency/productivity (reduce time to complete task) Inadequate
use of usability engineering methods in software development projects have been estimated
to cost millions every year in lost productivity Bad intranet Web design will cost several billion
per year in lost employee productivity Bad design on the open Internet will cost a few billion
more, though much of this loss may not show up in gross national products, since it will
happen during users' time away from the office.
 Value Proposition: Increase user satisfaction The use of Usability engineering to make
systems match user needs, results in satisfaction levels often improves dramatically. In a
recent study we conducted usability methods raised user satisfaction ratings for a system by
40%.
Use: Improve effectiveness

 Value Proposition: Increase ease of use Incorporating ease of use into your
products actually saves money. Reports have show it is far more economical to
consider user needs in the early stages of design, than it is to solve them later.. For
every dollar spent to resolve a problem during product design, $10 would be spent
on the same problem during development, and multiply to $100 or more if the
problem had to be solved after the product's release.”
 Value Proposition: Increase trust in systems User trials were used to redesign a
clients Website before its launch. In its first six months, it convinced more than
30,000 users to sign up. This study clearly shows that consumers’ trust concerns
can significantly be alleviated by providing relevant information when and where
users need it.
 Value Proposition: Reduce training/documentation cost" At one company, end-user
training for a usability-engineered internal system was one hour compared to a full
week of training for a similar system that had no usability work.
 Majestic MRSS
USABILITY ENGINEERING

THE TECHNOLOGY
 mLAB
 mLAB™ is a usability lab accompanied by a trained technician ,it
has been specially designed to support companies in testing their
interactive products and services.

 It utilizes the latest video and computer technology –which include

remote controlled cameras, scan converters and digital switching
equipment .

 The system captures images of research participants from different

angles in real time as they interact with the software or hardware
being tested.

 Facial reactions, hand/eye movements and body language are

combined electronically with images of the product being tested and
are displayed in a picture-in-picture format, providing simultaneous
observation and feedback of the product/participant interaction.
mLAB Record the User Experience

 Record user interaction with a Web site or

application, including desktop activity, audio,
camera video and a complete chronicle of system
events, all synchronized into a single file.
 Create Custom Markers and Tasks
 Record without Disturbing the User
 Easily Measure User Satisfaction
 Customize What, When and How You Record
mLAB Log and Observe Important
Moments

 Collaboratively watch the user experience with your entire

team, mark important moments when they happen, and
easily track task start and end points.
 Turn Any Office, Anywhere into an Observation Room
 Never Miss an Important Moment
 Edit Notes during the Recording
 Easily Segment Tasks in Real-Time
 Immediately View and Share Session Videos
 Start and Stop Recorder without Disturbing the Participant
mLAB Analyze and Visualize Results

 Quickly and automatically analyze data, calculate

usability metrics, and build graphs.
 Fast, Automatic Analysis and Graphing
 Clearly Visualize Important Results
 Sift Through Hours of Video in Minutes
 Instantly Calculate and Graph User Satisfaction
mLAB Share Critical Insights

 Quickly and automatically analyze data, calculate

usability metrics, and build graphs.
 Easily Assemble Key Moments into a Video
 Produce Multiple Videos in Less Time
 Add a Professional Touch with Title Clips and
Transitions
 Easily Share Videos with Any Audience
COMPLIANCE
MMRSS is a certified firm and complies with the following international standards
 Human-Centred Design Process
(ISO 13407)
This standard is the basis for many UCD methodologies. It defines a general
process for including human-centered activities throughout a development life-
cycle.
 (ISO 9241).
 Common Industry Format for Reporting Usability Results
(ISO/IEC 25062:2006 )
 Web Accessibility Initiative of the W3C (WAI)
 Our Clients

FMCG ICT Pharmaceutical Others

Johnson & Hewlett Packard GlaxoSmithKline British Airways
Johnson Microsoft Novartis Lufthansa
Unilever Dell Ranbaxy Levis
Kellogg’s Nokia Bayer Femina
Nestle Intel Sanofi-Aventis Toyota
General Mills IBM AstraZeneca Castrol
Procter & Gamble Yahoo Bristol-Myers Vodafone
Cisco Abbott Labs ICICI
Motorola Visa
Siemens Jaguar
Alcatel-Lucent Deloitte
Kaspersky Lab Pro-Mexico