Usability - 6 Components to a Strong User Experience

Written by David Charney
Posted: April 24, 2008 (1 year, 10 months ago) | 0 comments

Usability - to keep it very simple - in our case means how easy it is to use something. Intuitve - to keep it ultra super simple - means how familiar it seems for the user to use something. User Experience - to keep it mighty wicked simple - means the engagement between the user and the application. To a designer / developer, usability is a key element of quality and creating an intuitive user experience. Why spend so much time on usability? Usability can increase user productivity, provide a higher retention of information, and raise user satisfaction by creating and providing a stronger experience. Understanding what makes something usable or intuitive is never clearly defined. It is based on the client and the audience using it. Usability within a designed application can usually be broken down into six elements that overlap each other to provide a cohesive experience. These six elemental groups are: goal solving, intuitive, efficient, functional, satisfying, and memorable.

1. Goal Solving
Solving the overall goal to fulfill the needs of the client and their audience is the most important of the six elements. At the end of the application’s use, your audience should have fulfilled their need to use the application.

2. Intuitive
Upon seeing your application for the first time, your audience should be able to feel familiar with how to navigate and use your application based on their past experiences and instincts.

3. Efficient
The user should be able to navigate and use your application quickly and in a straight forward manner. Their experience should be productive, not time wasting.

4. Functional
Your application should work correctly and in the same way each time your audience uses it.

5. Satisfying
Your audience should enjoy the use of your application.

6. Memorable
Your application should allow your audience to retain both their experience and information presented to them.

Note: Many designers dislike the term intuitive. This term is good in theory but, as every person is different, it is near impossible to factually say you have created an intuitive experience - but that doesn’t stop it from being a great marketing word! The same goes for all the other elements.

Each of these elements defines everything from the look and feel to the functionality of each component. The amount of functionality is often up for debate within a usable experience. Usability experts can often be split into two groups; those that think the more functionality you can cram into an application the better and those that think the least functionality the better. Both groups will say their way provides the best experience for the user. Keep in mind there are times when each is true, however another approach is available. This third solution involves intelligent placement of functionality so that it is hidden to the user until they use it. The term for this type of ‘hidden’ functionality is called stealth functionality.

An example of this is Google Maps. Those that tend to use the mouse to navigate the map may never think about or realize the keyboard arrow keys can also be used. I have worked with many groups of people who tend to use the keyboard over the mouse. Some may not even have a mouse available.

Don’t assume you have to jam-pack your applications with different solutions for the same problem. You must make the best decisions you can based on the goals of the application and the audiences involved. Find out all you can on the audience that will use your application.

Your Intuitiveness May Vary
So again, everyone is different. And please don’t look up my use of the word Intuitiveness. It isn’t right. So if Tony uses an application he might naturally try and navigate one way while Chris tries to navigate another. Jon might try and right click the mouse to do what Sarah tries to do with the keyboard. Depending on my mood I sometimes use the scrollbar while other times I use the scroll wheel on the mouse. Every person uses a computer differently based on their past experiences. Keep this in mind as you develop. Research and analyze.

Knowing Your User
How do you know who your users are? How do you know what they like or don’t like? How do you know that they like pressing Ctrl-S, open Apple - S, File > Save, or hit that little 3 ½ floppy disk icon (what is a floppy disk?) to save their file? How do you know they will even have access to a mouse or keyboard? The short answer is to ask them. You can do ask them a billion ways and it can be a topic all its own so I will just throw a few on the table. Keep in mind that if you are working on a project for a client, make sure you discuss with them from the beginning the ways you like to get info about their audience so they know what they are in for. OK - some different ways… Write up a survey for them, monitor their computer use, ask them directly what they like or dislike, cook them some pizza, give them some older applications you have created and watch how they use it (you probably have a tendency to build your new program with the same functionality, design, and usability ideas and this can help you learn some new ones), and finally talk to your client as they may be very familiar with their likes and dislikes. Now take all you learned about your user and start thinking about how they can use your new app of awesomeness. Here are five questions to ask yourself (and your user) when creating an intuitive application:

What are the computer habits of my different audiences?

What function does this application have for my audience?

What input devices will my audience have to use?

What are all the various controls or navigation schemes that can be given to each component?

Less is more. What can be removed or integrated to provide a clearer focus on the main goal?

Testing and Measuring Results
Like anything, test and measure your results. When you are in the middle of or complete the project don’t just put it on the shelf. Watch people use it, ask more questions, and make any final changes. Understand how your additions save your users (or client) time, aggravation, and in most cases, money.

The End
Users use programs they feel a connection with. Spend the time to know your user, get creative, and produce an application with an experience they will remember. Oh and have fun doing it! Now go outside.