Usability Engineering Processes and Open Source Development

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Usability Engineering Processes and Open Source
Development

• Hartti Suomela

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Open Source Development

• Briefly, from process point of view
• Self-guiding
• Informalisms
• Meritocracy
• Release early, release often
• Scratching the personal itch

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What is Usability?

• Not only UI, but

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Usability is

• The extent, to which a product can be used by
  specified users to achieve specified goals with
  effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a
  specified context of use.
• (ISO/IEC standard 9241-11)

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Five attributes of Usability

• Ease of learning
• Efficiency of use
• Memorability
• Low error rate and no catastrophic errors
• Subjective satisfaction
• (Nielsen, 1993)

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Usability Engineering

• Methods, tools, processes to ensure usability in
  a product

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Usability Engineering Methods

• (UsabilityNet.org)

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Usability Engineering Process

• (ISO 13407)

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Usability in Open Source

• Traditionally. Not good. (Nichols Twidale)
• Start with coding
• No usability experts
• Lack of resources
• Developer ltgt End-user
• Adding functionality is more respected than
  enhancing usability
• Usability problems are not simple
• Code/Feature bloat Power over simplicity
• Playing catch-up to proprietary software

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Problem Definition

• Software engineering has its maturity models
  (CMMI, SPICE)
• CMMI does not guarantee good usability (Jokela
  Lalli)
• Models not suited for Open Source
• Usability engineering has own models
• Can OS projects use those practices?
• Usability Maturity Model as a framework

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Usability Maturity Model (UMM)

• Contains processes (ISO/IEC 18529)
• Ensure Human-Centered Design / Usability
  Engineering content in system strategy
• Plan and manage HCD process
• Specify stakeholder org. reqs
• Specify context of use
• Produce design solutions
• Evaluate designs
• Introduce and operate system

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Three Words for You

• Start Early
• Iterate

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Process revisited
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UMM Terminology 101

• Processes (7)
• Base practices (44)
• Output work products (90)
• Standard takes no stand on methods used during
  the process

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Ok. Lets get to work.
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UMM is too formal for OS

• UMM in general and most of the UMM base practices
  are to formal to be directly useful in OS projects

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Some notables

• Informal counterparts (similar to Scacchis
  informalisms)
• Threaded online discussions and e-mail lists
• Involvement of corporations
• Roles of usability professionals

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A sample of Work Products
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Future work?

• Compare OpenOffice.org and KOffice usability
  practices
• OpenOffice has backing from Sun
• KOffice does not have similar corporate support
• Does this change usability practices like
  suggested by Benson et al.?

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Thank you!

• Questions?