Usability & HCI
Probes add insight to the user experienceAug 2007Catherine Cooper explains how our usability experts are applying research tools, known as "Probes" to gain valuable insight into users' emotional as well as functional needs, and gather inspirational data to drive the design development process.
More focus less groupMar 2007Here we discuss the benefits of one to one usability testing over focus groups for marketing professionals designing high-tech products.
User need or user want - we still need usabilityJan 2007Tom Stewart looks at the importance of usability in products we want but don't need or use very often.
How user friendly is Christmas?Dec 2006Annette Ek, one of our usability consultants examines how user friendly our Christmas customs really are.
Not everyone gets to design an i-podDec 2006Usability testing is even more important when you are designing something that the end user doesn't really want.
User Centred Design training a great successNov 2006We hosted a free Introduction to User Centred Design training course on 14th November to celebrate World Usability Day. Participants learned techniques to help them deliver products which are efficient, effective and satisfying to use.
Let the usability experts be the judge of your websiteMar 2006One of our usability consultants discusses the benefits of an expert review. Is it the quick, low cost usability solution you were looking for?
PAS 78 - making web accessibility business as usualMar 2006Find out more about the 'Guide to Good Practice in Commissioning Accessible Websites' just published by the British Standards Institution to help website commissioners meet their DDA obligations.
Participation is the key to successJan 2006Find out how System Concepts' consultants ensure they provide solutions which are practical to implement and readily accepted by involving the end user throughout the process.
Volunteers Wanted: To Help Change the WorldDec 2005System Concepts is looking for people with a disability who would be interested in helping them test a range of products and services to ensure they can be used by people with a wide range of abilities.
They Tested the Experience and Experienced the TestNov 2005Over 50 people from a wide range of companies visited our offices on World Usability Day to see our new usability testing facilities in action, try out some assistive technologies and chat with our experts about the benefits of usability testing.
Is anybody ready for the digital switchover?Nov 2005One of our usability consultants discusses the current state of play faced by the consumer when responding to the digital switchover set to occur within the British Television Broadcasting market.
World usability day? I don't think soNov 2005Tom Stewart says the first World Usability Day has highlighted how far there is still to go to make products and technology usable by their intended users.
Usability too close to business? Never!Sep 2005Tom Stewart discusses his impressions of the recent HCI conference and the tension between the academic and commercial applications of HCI and usability.
HCI 2005 - The bigger picture for usability and accessibilitySep 2005Joint MD Tom Stewart, and one of our usability consultants, recently presented papers at the annual HCI conference. Here they discuss their conference experiences, and a review of a presentation. We also explore a role for accessibility.
Get your recommendations implemented every timeJul 2005Katherine Lee suggests how, by recognising your clients' stage of readiness to change, you can target your recommendations to increase their chances of being implemented.
Attractive Things Work Better - or does it just seem that way?Apr 2005In this article, one of our usability consultants discusses their master's degree research into the complex relationship between aesthetics and usability.
Transport Direct website wins Gold AwardApr 2005Usability and accessibility consultancy from System Concepts has helped the Transport Direct website, with Atos Consulting, win a prestigious Gold Award presented by the MCA and Management Today.
Building an Accessible Transport Website - Techshare Nov 2004Jan 2005Transport Direct worked with System Concepts to actively involve disabled users in the design and testing of their new website, to ensure accessibility for all.
Transport Direct wins the Computing Awards for Excellence 2004Dec 2004December 2004. One of our biggest web usability clients, the Department for Transport has just won the 'Public Sector Project of the Year' category of the Computing Awards for Excellence 2004.
Cancer Research UK wins 2004 BIMA Award for Usability and Accessibility.Dec 2004Congratulations to Cancer Research UK whose Running website has just won the 2004 BIMA Award (British Interactive Media Association) for Usability and Accessibility.
Guideline dogmaJun 2004Nobody would deny that usability guidelines, applied in context by a usability professional, are extremely valuable in guiding a website evaluation.
Software under the MicroscopeJun 2004Large companies have a big appetite for off-the-shelf software. For years these companies have suffered the effects of poor software reduced productivity, increased user support from help desks, increased training costs, increased user stress and frustration.
Accessibility and Section 508Jun 2004Over the last couple of years the electronic and IT industry have had to start seriously considering the accessibility of their products and services. This is due to recent developments regarding Federal legislation, specifically Section 508.
It's not rocket scienceJun 2004One of the perennial criticisms of ergonomics consultants is that much of what we say is 'just common sense'.
Marks & Spencer - Evolutionary design of a small task-oriented systemJun 2004The project was a spin-off from a larger project to develop in-house graphical user interface standards for future systems developed to support the food business within Marks and Spencer Head Office departments.
Which? ErgonomicsMay 2004Many of us are familiar with the Consumers' Association (CA) and in particular their flagship magazine, Which? But what activities do the CA carry out in product evaluation and ergonomics?
So who's happy now?May 2004One person who is definitely not happy now is the man who bought a UK National Lottery ticket with all six numbers correct and then discovered he had been given a ticket for the wrong date.
Car Radios: It's time to get AngryMay 2004With new safety features on display at the Motor Show this month and an increasing emphasis on ergonomics, we are heading towards car design that is truly focused on the needs of drivers. So why do we accept such bad design in car radios?
User centred design: Tried and tested flavour of the monthMay 2004We periodically review our consultancy assignments to spot trends and new market opportunities, and one striking trend we have spotted recently is the number of clients commissioning work from us in customer-centred design.
How to turn your dot.com into a hot.comMay 2004Financial analysts branded the stock market launch of lastminute.com with the pleonastic "bursting bubbles" refrain.
The Myth of LocalisationMay 2004Everyone accepts that the web is an international medium and it makes good business sense to localise your website for the different countries in which it will be used.
Back to the drawing board: why e-commerce sites need to focus on usabilityMay 2004Investors are demanding a return on their dotcom speculations. High profile e-commerce sites, such as boo & clickmango, have collapsed.
What drives repeat visitors to your site?May 2004Publishing on the web is often characterised as a leap into the unknown, with an assumption that the technical aspects of web publishing make it entirely unique.
When GUIs failMay 2004Usable systems are defined by their focus on the user's tasks, not by a pretty interface.
Managing risk in high tech product designMay 2004The greatest gold rush in the history of the United States began with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on the American River in northern California on Jan. 24, 1848. 150 years later, and here we are again.
Usability Testing: Collecting Quantitative DataMay 2004We were recently commissioned to conduct a usability study comparing two brands of mobile phone with a new prototype phone.
User Centred DesignMay 2004Although Brooklands Refrigeration Cases are monitored and controlled by sophisticated electronic controllers networked together, we would not normally think of them as 'interactive systems' of the kind covered by the ISO 13407 Human Centred Design for Interactive Systems.
On shoe salesmen and software ergonomicsMay 2004Difficult-to-use computer interfaces are becoming increasingly perceived as a source of stress. What can you do to ensure usability?
Ten tips to make your website usableMay 2004During 2000, we carried out several website usability evaluations for clients. The clients came from a range of industries and the purpose of the sites varied considerably.
From usability to credibility: On-line trust and how to build itMay 2004There are a number of factors which can affect the success of a website, including its aesthetic appeal, the nature of its content, how it compares to competitor sites, and how easy the target audience find it to use.
Will the real Millennium Bug please stand up?May 2004The Millennium bug reached epidemic proportions in the UK a few years ago. But it turned out to be a human bug—flu—and not the Y2K bug promised by the computing industry.
Applying usability techniques to deadline-driven projectsMay 2004Over the last few years we have developed a practical methodology for involving users in the design process. In this case study, we describe how we applied it to a small-scale software development project with very challenging timescales.
Is your website accessible to everyone?May 2004May 2004 According to the Disability Rights Commission's (DRC) first formal investigation into website accessibility, your answer is likely to be 'no'.
Online Banking - Making It AccessibleFeb 2004February 2004 Many banks and other financial organisations are confused and concerned about the latest requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), due to come into force on 1st October 2004.
Editorial: Hardware and software both matterNov 2003The European display screen legislation also applies to user interface software but this has been largely overlooked till now. Tom Stewart suspects this may be changing.
Usability testing of a global dotcomJun 2000We conducted a major usability evaluation of an e-commerce site hosted by one of the world's top three computer companies.
National Health Service - Using HCI standards to improve procurementJun 1999With the introduction of NHS Trusts, information technology procurement is now distributed to over 200 separate units.
European Patent Office - Usability testing of simulated electronic working methodsJun 1998We were commissioned by the European Patent Office to help them develop and implement a wide ranging ergonomics programme over a two-year period.
Health & Safety Executive - User performance testing: Support for ISO standardsJun 1998With support from the HSE, we developed a performance-based test for measuring the quality of visual displays. The method is intended to be used as a means of measuring compliance to ergonomics standards.