Why Usability and User Experience Matters

Michael Rawlins, Certified Usability Analyst

Presentation for The State of Connecticut Librarians Roundtable

about me...- Director of User Experience for a global software firm

- Over 20 years of Fortune 100 company experience

- President, CT Usability Professionals Association

- Adjunct Professor, Manchester Community College

- Certified Usability Analyst (CUA)

truth be told...“I haven’t been in a library for three years...”

value proposition...Every dollar invested in Usability returns $10 to $100

better process... human centered design method

a human center approach enables you to:

realize better business requirements (become strategic)

establish a new value proposition

reinvent yourself

attract and retain audiences

a few definitions...

usability?• Effectiveness - can users achieve their goals

• Ease of learning - how fast do they learn the interface or system construct

• Efficiency of use - how fast users complete tasks

• Memorability - short & long term memory leveraged

• Error prevention - is there forgiveness

• User satisfaction - do users like the application

mental model?• “Things should work the way we

think they should work...”

• break the user’s mental model - they respond negatively

click to play

Enable technology to handle routine tasks...

innovation?

“It’s still a just box that keeps things cold...”

disruptive forces?

“It’s pretty easy to find what you want... The lighting is good -- and it provides cozy areas to sit relax and read. The information desk is in the middle of the store. It’s the first thing you see when you come in the store...”

Quote by Baby Boomer

“Like its sister the iPhone, the iPad will redefine access to information and services...”

“I wish there was like a Netflix for books. Like you

can just order whatever you want, and then when you’re

done you can just give it back and take out another one.”

Millennium generational point of viewSource: Nate Bolt of Bolt|Peters

Source: PEW Research

Source: PEW Research

“Libraries can appear in Linkedin companies section...”

“The New York Public Library has a presence in Facebook...”

user experience?

Michael Cunnings | uxdesign.com

People Before SystemsNate Bolt of Bolt|Peters

Experience Before SystemsNate Bolt of Bolt|Peters

Business Logic ≠ IntuitionNate Bolt of Bolt|Peters

recommendations1.Watch five people use your website. 2.Watch five people navigate your library.3.Build something using a social networking tool. 4.Think from the users point of view.

suggested reading...

questions...

thank you! michael.rawlins@gmail.com

http://www.michaelrawlins.comhttp://www.ctupa.org