usability

Articles

5 Reasons to Automate Testing by Recording User Interaction
Rich Internet applications with desktop-like functionality can be very beneficial, but they pose special testing challenges. One approach is to start with a closer look at how users interact with the applications.
Bare Minimum Internationalization
Internationalization isn’t only about dealing with other nationalities and languages. It’s about creating software for a multicultural world. Even if the software you’re testing won’t be translated entirely into another language, it still should meet some basic requirements for international visitors.
Make Time for Accessibility Testing
Ten percent of the world's population lives with some sort of disability. So, is your software product optimized accessible to these people? Rajini Padmanaban takes a look at the different types of disabilities out there and the ways to ensure your product works well with as many of these needs as possible.
Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder

As a user experience design specialist, clients often ask Jeff Patton to make their software "look better," so it can be successful. But when clients focus primarily on aesthetics, they're often addressing the wrong thing. In this column, Jeff takes a look at common user interface (UI) mistakes and the key concerns software development teams should address to build successful UIs.

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Better Software Magazine

Getting Agile With User-Centered Design
Agile practices go a long way toward providing value to our customers. But in today's market, we must endeavor to adopt a more user-centered approach to create products our customers can't live without.
Ready, Aim, Release

Think you know what your customer wants? Can you afford to be wrong? Based on the concept of tracer ammunition, which allows a shooter to follow the path of a bullet toward its target and adjust his aim as needed, tracer bullet software development can help you better understand your users’ wants so you can build a product that hits the mark.

I Didn't Know I Needed That

There is a natural relationship between the features in a product and the customer's satisfaction with that product, but not every feature influences customers in the same way. The best plan for satisfying customers, as author Mike Cohn explains, is to give them what they want.

What's the Buzz

Need information but don’t have time to wade through bookracks looking for that perfect reference? The StickyMinds.com Books Guide can help. Get the scoop from StickyMinds.com members on three books that can keep you up to date on the latest issues.

An Elephant in the Room

We make software so that people can use it. Yet these users are so hard to define that they are often simply ignored. This six-step approach to Interaction Design can help you bring your customers down to size so that you can provide the right product for them.

Walking the Fine Line between Helpful and Harmful

Jeff Johnson examines user interface problems caused by designers trying to rearrange users' data. He gives examples of software that is too helpful, and concludes that software should support users in their management of displays without managing the displays for them.

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Interviews

The Future Is Mobile Technology: An Interview with Jonathan Kohl
Jonathan Kohl discusses where he thinks technology is headed, how mobile devices are changing what we test, and what all that time we spend socializing online is doing to workplace productivity.
Software Engineering State of the Practice: An Interview with Jerry Weinberg

Jerry Weinberg's workshops and writings have taught, encouraged, and inspired many people over the years. In this interview by Beth Layman, Jerry gives insightful and entertaining answers about the state of the practice, becoming a technical leader, and the future of software engineering.

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TechWell Stories
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Featured Resources

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