AC1: Usability
1 Thinking About Usability
The point of this activity is to start thinking about what it means for an interface to be usable. At right is a familiar user interface design:
List some of the aspects of this design that have good usability, and some that have poor usability. Think about the aspects of usability we've discussed (learnability, memorability, efficiency, errors, satisfaction), and write down which aspect(s) of usability are involved in each good or bad point you cite. Two examples are shown below to get you started.
| Good | Bad |
| Textured grip is easy to turn, even when you're sweaty from exercising (efficiency) |
It's hard to learn the combination (learnability, memorability) |
2 Solving Usability Problems
Choose one of the usability problems you found and propose several alternative designs that might solve the problem.
| Problem | Solutions |
3 Usability Measurement
Suppose you’re deciding between the two user interface designs on the right:
How would you measure the usability of these designs, so that you could compare them quantitatively? Consider several dimensions of usability.| Dimension | Measurement |