A few years ago, Jakob Nielsen got a lot of attention with his “Flash: 99% bad” alertbox. At the time, I thought that it was a bit extreme. Why not allow ad agencies, graphic designers and movie sites to indulgeContinue reading… Flash is 99% good (for the right audience)
Category: User research
Back-to-front and inside-out estimating of testing
How to estimate the time needed for a usability test? One of my favourite lists was discussing this recently. Formulae were proposed, variables discussed, and weighting factors considered. I was torn somewhere between a wry smile and an attack ofContinue reading… Back-to-front and inside-out estimating of testing
Getting the video to talk to the audio
The call from the client was “Can we borrow your camera? We’ve only got one, and we need two for the next test”. We agreed a modest fee and the deal was done. Or was it? Close questioning revealed thatContinue reading… Getting the video to talk to the audio
Improving usability: case study of Inland Revenue Employer’s Pack
This presentation, given to the 49th Society for Technical Communication Conference in Nashville, USA, offers an overview of my work with the UK Inland Revenue (now HM Revenue and Customs). It records some our findings on usability, and the changes we made as aContinue reading… Improving usability: case study of Inland Revenue Employer’s Pack
How to set usability requirements for a website containing a form
This paper, co-authored with Sarah Allen Miller, was originally presented at the Society for Technical Communication Conference, Chicago, Illinois, 2001. Slightly updated in 2024. If anyone can use our website, how can we define requirements? In traditional systems development, users wereContinue reading… How to set usability requirements for a website containing a form
Market research or usability evaluation?
I am a usability consultant and I believe, and find in practice, that usability evaluation is the best way to find out whether a document works for its users. However, I have frequently been in a position where my clientsContinue reading… Market research or usability evaluation?