| 1. |
- Winter, Jeff, 1959-, et al.
(författare)
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Examining Correlations in Usability Data to Effectivize Usability Testing
- 2011
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Ingår i: e-Informatica Software Engineering Journal. - : Wroclaw University of Technology Press. - 1897-7979 .- 2084-4840. ; 5:1, s. 25-37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on a case study performed in industry, this work deals with a statistical analysis of data collected during usability testing. The data is from tests performed by usability testers from two companies in two different countries. One problem in the industrial situation is the scarcity of testing resources, and a need to use these resources in the most efficient way. Therefore, the data from the testing is analysed to see whether it is possible to measure usability on the basis of one single metric, and whether it is possible to judge usability problems on the basis of the distribution of use case completion times. This would allow test leaders to concentrate on situations where there are obvious problems. We find that it is not possible to measure usability through the use of one metric, but that it may be possible to gain indications of usability problems on the basis of an analysis of time taken to perform use cases. This knowledge would allow the collection of usability data from distributed user groups, and a more efficient use of scarce testing resources.
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| 2. |
- Winter, Jeff, et al.
(författare)
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Identifying organizational barriers : a case study of usability work when developing software in the automation industry
- 2014
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Ingår i: JOURNAL OF SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE. - : Elsevier. - 0164-1212 .- 1873-1228. ; 88, s. 54-73
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigates connections between usability efforts and organizational factors. This is an important field of research which so far appears to be insufficiently studied and discussed. It illustrates problems when working with software engineering tasks and usability requirements. It deals with a large company that manufactures industrial robots with an advanced user interface, which wanted to introduce usability KPIs, to improve product quality. The situation in the company makes this difficult, due to a combination of organizational and behavioural factors that led to a "wicked problem" that caused conflicts, breakdowns and barriers. Addressing these problems requires a holistic view that places context in the foreground and technological solutions in the background. Developing the right product requires communication and collaboration between multiple stakeholders. The inclusion of end users, who fully understand their own work context, is vital. Achieving this is dependent on organizational change, and management commitment. One step to beginning this change process may be through studying ways to introduce user-centred design processes. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 3. |
- Winter, Jeff, 1959-, et al.
(författare)
-
Identifying organizational barriers : A case study of usability work when developing software in the automation industry
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Journal of Systems and Software. - : Elsevier. - 0164-1212 .- 1873-1228. ; 88, s. 54-73
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigates connections between usability efforts and organizational factors. This is an important field of research which so far appears to be insufficiently studied and discussed. It illustrates problems when working with software engineering tasks and usability requirements. It deals with a large company that manufactures industrial robots with an advanced user interface, which wanted to introduce usability KPIs, to improve product quality. The situation in the company makes this difficult, due to a combination of organizational and behavioural factors that led to a “wicked problem” that caused conflicts, breakdowns and barriers. Addressing these problems requires a holistic view that places context in the foreground and technological solutions in the background. Developing the right product requires communication and collaboration between multiple stakeholders. The inclusion of end users, who fully understand their own work context, is vital. Achieving this is dependent on organizational change, and management commitment. One step to beginning this change process may be through studying ways to introduce user-centred design processes.
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| 4. |
- Winter, Jeff, et al.
(författare)
-
Meeting organisational needs and quality assurance through balancing agile and formal usability testing results
- 2011
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Ingår i: Lecture Notes in Computer Science. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer. ; , s. 275-289
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper deals with a case study of testing with a usability testing package (UTUM), which is also a tool for quality assurance, developed in cooperation between industry and research. It shows that within the studied company, there is a need to balance agility and formalism when producing and presenting results of usability testing to groups who we have called Designers and Product Owners. We have found that these groups have different needs, which can be placed on opposite sides of a scale, based on the agile manifesto. This becomes a Designer and a Product Owner Manifesto. The test package is seen as a successful hybrid method combining agility with formalism, satisfying organisational needs, and fulfilling the desire to create a closer relation between industry and research.
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| 5. |
- Winter, Jeff, 1959-, et al.
(författare)
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SPI success factors within product usability evaluation
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Systems and Software. - : Elsevier. - 0164-1212 .- 1873-1228. ; 83:11, s. 2059-2072
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article presents an experience report where we compare 8 years of experience of product related usability testing and evaluation with principles for software process improvement (SPI). In theory the product and the process views are often seen to be complementary, but studies of industry have demonstrated the opposite. Therefore, more empirical studies are needed to understand and improve the present situation. We find areas of close agreement as well as areas where our work illuminates new characteristics. It has been identified that successful SPI is dependent upon being successfully combined with a business orientation. Usability and business orientation also have strong connections although this has not been extensively addressed in SPI publications. Reasons for this could be that usability focuses on product metrics whilst today's SPI mainly focuses on process metrics. Also because today's SPI is dominated by striving towards a standardized, controllable, and predictable software engineering process; whilst successful usability efforts in organisations are more about creating a creative organisational culture advocating a useful product throughout the development and product life cycle. We provide a study and discussion that supports future development when combining usability and product focus with SPI, in particular if these efforts are related to usability process improvement efforts.
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| 6. |
- Winter, Jeff
(författare)
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The Rocky Road : Why Usability Work is so Difficult
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Achieving product and process quality are among the central themes of software engineering, and quality is an important factor in the marketplace. Usability and user experience (UX) are two important aspects of quality, particularly for interactive products. To achieve usability means producing products that let users do things in a satisfactory, efficient and effective way. To develop products with good UX, means going beyond usability, in ways that are still not clear to us. Achieving good usability and UX is hard. This thesis is concerned with organizations which work towards these goals. This research is concerned with understanding and improving the processes by which technology is designed and developed, and understanding the demands and expectations users have. It is about how companies can and actually develop products with good usability and UX, and what stops them from working towards this as efficiently as they could. We have viewed the usability and UX challenge from the viewpoints of Quality, Organizations, and Institutions, with a focus on participatory design, user-centred design and wicked problems. The research can be characterised as empirical research performed over a period of seven years, in close cooperation with industrial partners. The research was performed using multiple data collection methods to create constructs and shape theory. The field methods have ranged from being a participant observer, to performing interviews and holding workshops with members of the participating organisations. A case study approach was initially used, but focus soon moved from case study methodology to a closer focus on grounded theory, and finally the focus shifted to constructivist grounded theory. The thesis contributes to the field of software engineering in several ways. Usability has a long history within software engineering, human computer interaction, and design science, but the different discourses within the fields have meant that communication between the fields was problematic. The research in this thesis has moved between the different fields, contributing to bridging the gap between the areas. It gives an illustration of how usability work actually takes place in different types of companies, from a developer of operating systems for smartphones, to a global engineering company, which knows that it must find ways of working with, and measuring, usability and user experience. It gives concrete knowledge about the way in which companies can work with usability testing, and how they can provide information to satisfy the information needs of different stakeholders. It provides a discussion of the state of UX today, taking up the problems that stop industry making use of the definitions and theories of UX that exist. Thus, it gives an illustration of the different factors in product design, development and sales, from dealing with organizational factors to satisfying user needs, that all make usability work such a rocky road to navigate.
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| 7. |
- Wohlin, Claes, et al.
(författare)
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The success factors powering industry-academia collaboration
- 2011
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Ingår i: IEEE Software. - : IEEE Computer Society. - 0740-7459 .- 1937-4194. ; 29:2, s. 67-73
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Collaboration between industry and academia supports improvement and innovation in industry and helps to ensure industrial relevance in academic research. This article presents an exploratory study of the factors for successful collaboration between industry and academia in software research.
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