[Sigia-l] User Test Cost - Does this sound reasonable?

[Brian Ghidinelli]

At 03:39 AM 5/24/2004 -0400, Listera wrote:
>Isn't there something inherently problematic about Developers attending
>usability tests or dealing with usability issues directly at all,
unless
>specifically requested by Designers? (I can't imagine Designers being
asked
>to attend, for example, a test of optimizing an app server function.)

I agree with the additional points George raised but missed what I think
is an key win.  Not everything we do in a project is designed
specifically to have a usable output.  We must also manage our team, our
attitudes and our ability to work together productively.  We know the
grim reality of most application development is a non-user centric
approach primarily driven by engineers who work under tight timelines
and shifting requirements.  For team-building and consensus-building, I
think having developers observe a user test is a great opportunity.

Untrained developers may not be able to offer any great usability
insights but simply exposing more developers to the cold, hard reality
of user difficulties will help change their perspective on the
applications they build.  In my experience, it has helped eliminate the
oftentimes adversarial attitude between designers and developers.

I think we forget that us "forward-thinking" types are the incredible
minority in the bigger picture.  It is our opportunity to teach more
people about the value of a user-centric design process and specifically
what we can add to the mix.


Brian
__________________________________________

Brian Ghidinelli | User Experience Architect | IconMedialab
22 Fourth Street, 9th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103
www.iconmedialab.us