UnderstandingYourUsers

Today, many companies are utilizing a User-Centered Design (UCD) process. However, it is a common practice for most companies to only prioritize usability testing and neglect other essential components of the UCD process. While usability testing is crucial for an efficient user-centered lifecycle, it is merely an aspect in the UCD process. Therefore, this book concentrates on the prerequisite gathering stage that frequently does not receive sufficient attention.

作者简介

Todaymanycompaniesareemployingauser-centereddesign(UCD)process,butformostcompanies,usabilitybeginsandendswiththeusabilitytest.Althoughusabilitytestingisacriticalpartofaneffectiveuser-centeredlifecycle,itisonlyonecomponentoftheUCDprocess.Thisbookisfocusedontherequirementsgatheringstage,whichoftenreceiveslessattentionthanusabilitytesting,butisequallyasimportant.Understandinguserrequirementsiscriticaltothedevelopmentofasuccessfulproduct.UnderstandingYourUsersisaneasytoread,easytoimplement,how-toguideonusabilityintherealworld.Itfocusesonthe"userrequirementsgathering"stageofproductdevelopmentanditprovidesavarietyoftechniques,manyofwhichmaybenewtousabilityprofessionals.Foreachtechnique,readerswilllearnhowtoprepareforandconducttheactivity,aswellasanalyzeandpresentthedataallinapracticalandhands-onway.Inaddition,eachmethodpresentedprovidesdifferentinformationabouttheuserandtheirrequirements(e.g.,functionalrequirements,informationarchitecture,taskflows).Thetechniquescanbeusedtogethertoformacompletepictureoftheusersrequirementsortheycanbeusedseparatelytoaddressspecificproductquestions.Thesetechniqueshavehelpedproductteamsunderstandthevalueofuserrequirementsgatheringbyprovidinginsightintohowusersworkandwhattheyneedtobesuccessfulattheirtasks.Casestudiesfromindustry-leadingcompaniesdemonstrateeachmethodinaction.Inaddition,readersareprovidedwiththefoundationtoconductanyusabilityactivity(e.g.,gettingbuy-infrommanagement,legalandethicalconsiderations,settingupyourfacilities,recruiting,moderatingactivities)andtoensuretheincorporationoftheresultsintotheirproducts.·Coversallofthesignificantrequirementsgatheringmethodsinareadable,practicalway·Presentsthefoundationreadersneedtoprepareforanyrequirementsgatheringactivityandensurethattheresultsareincorporatedintotheirproducts·Includesinvaluableworksheetandtemplateappendices·Includesacasestudyforeachmethodfromindustryleaders·Writtenbyexperiencedauthorswhoteachconferencecoursesonthissubjecttousabilityprofessionalsandnewproductdesignersalike