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> This is certainly true, as far as it goes. But let's go one step
> further: You can certainly tell the designers that the steering wheel it
> too hard to turn, that you can't reach the radio without taking both
> hands off the wheel, that you can't see into the "blind spot" when you
> turn your head (because of support pillars, for example), that the sun
> visor doesn't actually block the sun for key parts of the day (as is the
> case on my Honda Accord), and so on.
This isn't usability testing, that is griping. If I was 7ft tall, then most
cars would seem horribly badly designed. Likewise, if my only expertise with
computers was general usage on tech writing tools, I may find a complex
business application horribly badly designed. But they weren't designed for me.
This is what I meant when I said "subjective creativity." What you find
annoying, clumsy, or even elegant might not fit with the majority. Individual
experience is not a replacement for mass market analysis.
This argument reminds me of the core problem with something from my area of
expertise: the proliferation of "personal security' technologies. Its easy for
a single person to install something like ZoneAlarm on their home PC. After
using it for awhile, many of these folks fancy themselves information security
gurus because they can block ports and know what SPservices.exe means.
But these same people, have absolutely zero appreciation or understanding of
the insane tangle complexities that arise when trying to secure an enterprise
infrastructure. You can't just slap ZoneAlarm on the PCs and run one of those
dumb Steve Gibson scans against them. That isn't security for the enterprise.
Casual use is NOT a replacement for industry expertise.
> What's the common thread here? You don't have to be a usability expert!
> All you have to do is use the product.
No, Geoff, you cannot be a usability expert from just using a product. I am
sorry but its just not that simple. Griping about a product is not synonymous
with usability analysis.
And frankly, I think you're misleading writers saying they can do this with no
training or experience. They can't and they shouldn't. We should not be
encouraging inexperienced writers to go sticking their noses into an area of
design and development that they are not qualified to do.
Griping is a great way to get yourself ignored, shoved aside, and disrespected.
This is why all discussions of usability expertise must be prefaced by some
type of "Required Prerequisites."
That is...If you want to usability analysis you had better possess extensive,
in-depth understanding of:
- The technology and its design.
- The market and user base for the technology.
- The development environment and challenges.
And don't detangle this into "well what about pointing out spelling errors in
the GUI." Not the same. Correcting a minor error like that is not the same as
judgements regarding the usability of an application.
> Just state
> your case helpfully, as a team member, rather than proclaiming from a
> position of overt moral superiority.
Easier said than done. In order to do that, you must have some authority.
Authority is never given, it is earned. Which means you need to earn some
authority over usability on the project.
Furthermore, usability is another area that writers notoriously use to avoid
their real job. If a person is hired to write documents, jamming your nose into
design issues may sit very badly among the team leaders.
If you're job is writing docs, you had better master that job FIRST. Then, and
only then, should you attempt to expand your role and assist with usability.
Andrew Plato
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