[Sigia-l] Usability testing into the dustbin?

[Boniface Lau]

> From: sigia-l-admin at asis.org [mailto:sigia-l-admin at asis.org]On
> Behalf Of Mitchell Gass
>  
> At 07:28 PM 5/1/2003 -0400, Boniface Lau wrote:
> > > When something better than current diagnostic usability testing
> > > comes along, I hope that all design teams embrace it.
> >
> >There is. It is called "usability by design"...However, embracing
> >"usability by design" requires self-discipline and a much higher
> >skill level from design team members.
> 
> The belief that there could be a design method so perfect that it
> would not benefit from the involvement of users at the end I find
> astonishing.

But that is not what I said.

"Usability by design" means usability should be designed-in, not
tested-in. 

A team staffed with people capable of usable design tends to produce
systems containing relatively few usability problems before testing.
Thus, the same set of problems quickly recurs during testing.

In contrast, a team staffed with people relying on usability testing
tends to produce systems filled with usability problems before
testing. The problem-filled systems of course produce what seems to be
streams of endless usability problems as long as the testing
continues. The team then tackles those problems in order to have some
kind of usable systems for release. It is a sloppy way of creating
usable systems.


Boniface