Usability Training from Userlab Inc.

1. Usability Trainingfrom Userlab Inc. Cut development time while ensuring a better product,a wise investment

2. Our training is tops • Content was developed to address “real” problems uncovered while consulting, while built on a solid foundation in research and science, • “Actual” examples and hands-on exercises are used throughout, • Participants receive detailed searchable notes (>500 pages) on CD • The CD contains additional examples, special notes and useful templates, • During the course, a web site is designed and usability tested, • Proven pedagogical methods improve retention. ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

3. “Everyone” should attend • We intentionally designed the content so everyone can attend: • Project Managers, • Business Managers, • Whole Development Teams, • Programmers/Developers, • We did this because: • Usability should be part of every level of a project and not a hurdle that must be passed at the end, • Everyone should understand the impact of their decisions on usability, • Poor communication, especially between technical and non-technical personnel, has been proven to be a major cause of project overruns and even failure. • Information Architects, • Business Analysts, • Systems Analysts, • End Users. ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

4. In our courses • We develop an understanding of the underlying issues, not just application of a solution, • We employ proven, active learning techniques: • Hands-on Exercises • Demos • Examples • Assignments • Class participation ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

5. Benefits of our approach • Easier to learn (even fun), • Better retention, • Knowledge learned is applicable to different situations and newer technology, • Attendees undergo a major paradigm shift which greatly improves their approach to design and usability issues, • A much better ROI, both immediate and long term. ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

6. 3 day usability course main topics • The Design Process • Know the User • Interaction Design • Layout Design • Usability Testing • Samples that follow will give you a feel for our approach. • Actual course content varies, as we customize deliver to meet specific client needs. ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

7. Sample from Know the User • Instructions: • The following slides contain a screen image, • Stare at the top left corner as directed, • Keep staring while the slide changes, • An instruction will appear. ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

8. Stare at this corner ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

9. Stare at this corner Did you notice how distorted it became? ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

10. calculating shipping Lessons Illustrated • We “see” very little of a screen at once: • Steps must be taken to ensure we don’t miss important things. • Movement is always noticed: • We are extremely sensitivity to motion because things that move can kill us, e.g., snakes, • We can use motion sensitivity to make sure something is seen, e.g.: • However, banner adds exploit motion, are hard to ignore and quickly become annoying. ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

11. Sample from Interaction Design • The user often does not know how something is spelled. • The software should allow variations in spelling. • This is especially true with proper names: • If you get a phone call from a student “Don Young”, the system should still find it if the correct spelling is really “Dawne Yung”. • They both sound the same. ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

12. Example: Weak search engine Search results “coke” Search results “coca-cola” • Needless to say, people had trouble finding things on this grocery site. • And, “If they can’t find it, they can’t buy it.” ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

13. Example: Better Search Engine • Search “fritilarea” (wrong spelling) and it still finds “fritillaria” (correct spelling). • Users can find things easily. ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

14. Samplke from Layout Design • Instructions for the next 2 slides. • The slides contain lists of capital cities, • Both lists have 4 columns ordered alphabetically but: • The first is arranged horizontally • The second is arranged vertically • One city is out of order on each, • Search for it and call it out loud while timing how long it takes. (Details and answers are on notes page) ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

15. Abidjan Algiers Amsterdam Ankara Athens Baghdad Bangkok Beijing Bern Brasilia Brussels Buenos Aires Cairo Canberra Caracas Copenhagen Dublin Havana Helsinki Jakarta Karachi Kingston La Paz Kuala Lumpur Lagos Lima Lisbon Madrid Manila Mexico City Monrovia Montevideo Oslo Ottawa Panama Paris Prague Quito Rabat Riyadh Rome San Jose Santiago Sofia Stockholm Tokyo Washington Wellington 4. Layout: Horizontal Arrangement A B C D E F etc. Click to start ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

16. Abidjan Cairo Lagos Prague Algiers Canberra Lima Quito Amsterdam Caracas Lisbon Rabat Ankara Copenhagen Madrid Riyadh Athens Dublin Manila Rome Baghdad Havana Mexico City San Jose Bangkok Helsinki Monrovia Santiago Beijing Jakarta Montevideo Sofia Bern Karachi Oslo Stockholm Brasilia Kingston Panama Tokyo Brussels Kuala Lumpur Ottawa Washington Buenos Aires La Paz Paris Wellington 4. Layout: Vertical Arrangement A D B E C etc. Click to start ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

17. You have just seen • When the eye has to go further, as in the first list, it takes more time, • This is a clear illustration of Fitts’ Law, “speed is a function of distance and target size”. • Understanding Fitts’ Law can help to speed eye and mouse movement, • Things that are fast are seen as easier. • And, lists should be ordered vertically, Longer X X X X X X X X X X X X Shorter ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

18. After completing the course • Attendees will: • Understand ways to improve the design process, • Recognize common usability problems and avoid them, and know where to find solutions to larger issues, • Understand the “user” in User Centered Design • Have a vocabulary which improves communication, • Know when and how to conduct usability tests. ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

19. Customer Testimonials • Great course! Every development team should have at least one member take this course (if not all). • touches on a lot of topics • there were lots of good examples, it was interactive and fun. • Overall best and most useful training I have experienced in years. • I found the course quite informative, interesting and applicable. It has really sparked my interest in this field and am definitely interested in taking more courses. • As a business manager without a technical background, I found the course to be very easy to understand. It has given me a greater appreciation of Usibility[sic] issues. ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

20. Attendees were asked: • To [project leaders] and managers whose systems will be coming available on the web • Everyone involved in application from analysis to development • Yes to the informatics analysts, designers • Yes I would recommend it to any programmers/analysts • Yes to anybody who deals with computers • Anyone who has any responsibility or impact to web design or agent screen/interface. • Management, they need to understand the necessity, as well as the time and place for Usability. • To my team at Internet Services. • Anyone associated with developing e-bank materials for customers, and process writer’s. “Would you recommend this course, and if so, to whom?” ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

21. Thank you • Our usability courses will improve your development team. Call 1-800-295-6354 to schedule a customized usability training course. Userlab Services • Training • Consulting • Testing • Design • More information available at: • www.userlab.com ©2003 Userlab, Inc.

22. For more information Russ Brown, Ph.D. President Userlab, Inc. 250 Glenview Ave. Toronto, ON (416) 489-3840 russ@userlab.com http://www.userlab.com/ ©2003 Userlab, Inc.