[Sigia-l] RE: Usability & Costs ( was Coat Hanger Usability)

[Lyle_Kantrovich at cargill.com]

Scott,

A. Sorry to hit on a nerve with the car example.  I'll try to use 
something more obscure that people can't relate to. ;-)

B. I've been a project manager, and know lots of them - some are even 
nice people.  They usually say their job is to deliver a project's scope 
on time and on budget.  The role to do with costs, but usually the 
budget is something GIVEN TO them, not determined by them.  Budgets, 
schedules and project scopes can come from many different places, 
depending on what organization you're talking about.

C. Can I realistically strive to make something as "usable" as possible 
and ignore the cost or price of the product?  The answer in my world is 
clearly NO.  In order to make it more usable, I will add cost to the 
product and at some point, I've now priced the product out of the reach 
of my user's finances, or I've allowed the competition (with a slightly 
less usable product) an opening to beat me in the marketplace.  So while 
you are technically right that "usability" is a measurement of a product 
(that doesn't include price), the daily work of "usability" involves 
many costs and impacts price (sometimes reducing it).  Therefore you 
cannot think of usability WORK as something independent of product cost.

D. I'll try one more time to illustrate how I think costs and usability 
relate (note that it's a non-automotive example):

Take three different imaginary products, all garden tillers.  "Amy," the 
consumer and visionary gardener, is looking to buy a tiller for her 100 
foot by 200 foot garden plot.  Which of the following "costs" less?  
Which of the following is more "usable?"

Tiller A - a walk-behind tiller:
  - 1 foot wide, will till ground at rate of 20 feet by 1 foot in 20 
minutes.  Does a good job of aerating and tilling the ground.  Has a 
pull start that takes 50 pounds of force to start.  Bounces around and 
vibrates like crazy - your arms and back will need a rest after using 
this for any length of time.  Requires little maintenance.  Price: $500. 
 Burns 2 gallons of unleaded gas per hour.

Tiller B - tractor mounted tiller:
  - 3 feet wide, will till ground at rate of 100 feet by 3 feet in 20 
minutes.  Does the best job of aerating and tilling the ground.  Price: 
$1000, but requires a garden tractor (which has electric starter) at a 
price of $3000.  Requires moderate maintenance.  Tractor burns 3 gallons 
of gas per hour, and is relatively comfortable to ride on (due to good 
tires and suspension).

"Tiller" C - a basic shovel (or a Garden Weasel(tm) if you like that 
better):  
  - Will allow you to "till" 20 feet by 1 foot of ground in 4 hours if 
your back holds out and you don't get too many blisters on your hands.  
Does a mediocre job of aerating and tilling the ground.  Price: $20.  
Uses no gas, no maintenance.  



Answers:
For Amy, clearly Tiller C has the lowest price. It also requires no 
instruction manual, legal disclaimer or support line.  But, since Amy is 
a lawyer, who's time is very valuable, Tiller B, while more pricey, is 
less costly in terms of her time.  In the time she saves using Tiller B, 
she can pay for a new tractor and tiller every other year.  She also 
won't get any blisters or kill her back, which is good, because sick 
time is costly as well.  By using Tiller B, she gets to enjoy working in 
the garden - reducing her pent up stress from work without a bunch of 
aches and pains.  Also, since she has a prosthetic leg, Tiller B is the 
only option that is "usable" for her.

Meanwhile...
Pablo: a poor dirt farmer in a mountainous region of Chile, would only 
be able to afford Tiller C, and finds it more usable since he has little 
or no access to gasoline.  A life of hard, manual labor reduces his life 
expectancy by twenty years.

Rudolf: a retired gardener in Germany, wealthy due to an inheritance, 
has lots of time on his hands, and finds Tiller A more usable.  He has 
limited storage space for a tractor, and enjoys spending time in the 
garden.  Rushing garden work actually takes the enjoyment away from him.

Hence, usability is not just asking "What does this product need to do? 
--> How can I make this as easy to accomplish as possible?"   The 
product doesn't need to *do* anything - the user is the one to focus on. 
 :)

If "easy to use" is the definition of usability, then Tiller C (the 
shovel that requires no instructions) would always be the most "usable." 
 Tiller B (the tractor-mounted tiller that does the best job, with the 
least pain and in the least time) would be the choice if you want to 
make the overall job of tilling a garden efficient.  BUT, only if you 
ignore who the user is, and the context of use.  

I prefer Whitney Quesenbery's 5 E's definition of usability myself which 
goes well beyond "easy to use."


* Disclaimer: all of the above Tiller products and people are fictional. 
 Any similarities to real people or products, other than those 
specifically cited, are unintentional and are for purposes of 
illustration only.


Regards,

Lyle

----
Lyle Kantrovich
Croc O' Lyle - Personal Commentary on usability, information 
architecture and design.
http://crocolyle.blogspot.com/

 -----Original Message-----
From: scott at penguinstorm.com [mailto:scott at penguinstorm.com]
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 1:57 PM
Subject: Re: [Sigia-l] Coat Hanger Usability
> The question is: How usable is it as
> WHAT, FOR WHOM, and WHEN?


No: "cost" has to do with whether or not people will use a product in 
the first place: it has no direct impact on how easy a product is to 
use once its in my hands.

<snip>
What does this product need to do? --> How can I make this as easy to 
accomplish as possible?

--
Scott Nelson
scott at penguinstorm.com