Analyzing and communicating usability data: now that you have the data what do you do? a CHI'94 workshop

Abstract

At the CHI '94 Workshop: "Analyzing and Communicating Usability Data", usability researchers and practitioners gathered to discuss how usability data should be collected, analyzed, and communicated to help ensure the design and development of usable products. This workshop was motivated by the challenges CHI practitioners have encountered in analyzing and communicating data despite the widespread availability of a variety of usability tools. Workshop activities included brief presentations, small group discussions, and rating exercises that involved evaluating analysis and communication techniques discussed during the workshop. Some of the questions addressed during the workshop included: what makes analysis and communication techniques effective, what are the advantages and disadvantages of team involvement in data gathering, analysis, and communication, and what is the best way to use video? Most participants believed involving design teams in data gathering as well as analysis, observing users in real time, developing the negotiation and social skills of usability practitioners, and the use of narrative as a representation of user-artifact interaction were all valuable approaches to the design and development of usable products. This article describes the activities and findings of the workshop participants in more detail.

Index Terms

• General and reference

  • Document types

    • General conference proceedings

• Human-centered computing

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)