Factors Affecting the Selection of Methods and Techniques Prior to Conducting a Usability Evaluation
Neville A. Stanton, Chris Baber · 1996
The idea of a usability evaluation is gaining momentum, and the term usability is becoming common parlance in product design. This is a welcome shift in emphasis towards &s;ease-of-use&s; in product development. In many respects, the fundamental tenet of usability is that a product should be easy to use. This heightening of interest does not mean that usability (or user friendly, or ergonomically designed, or usercentred design, or consumer-oriented product development) is a new concept. Ergonomists have been beating this particular drum for the past 50 years or so. Less than 20 years ago lvergard (1976) pointed out that very little research had been published on consumer ergonomics. Although that picture has changed somewhat (there is a growing literature on physical aspects of product use), there is still little published information on cognitive aspects of product use (Baber and Stanton, 1995).