Usability
Education and Training
Issue addressed
“We'd like to educate and train our project managers and development staff on usability and User-Centered Design so we can better plan our usability projects, and even do some usability work ourselves.”
Your need
One of the most effective ways of building usable products is to raise the awareness and skills of your own staff for usability and User-Centered Design processes.
Of course (or hopefully!) your lead designers are well aware of usability methods, but probably don't have the time to conduct them. There are many other staff who contribute considerably to the design and development of your product's user-interface but likely have no training in how to build usable products. And there are project managers who might see usability processes as adding complexity and risk to the project plan.
I can provide one- or two-day education and hands-on training specifically tailored for the needs of your organization. Some topics include:
- Definitions
- Business case for usability
- UCD methodologies: who,what,when,where,why,how
- Usability evaluation methodologies: who,what,when,where,why,how
- Integration of usability methods in development processes
- Examples
- Hands-on training in usability reviews and lab testing
- Data analysis and usability deliverables
The sessions involve interactive discussions. At the end of training, your staff should have a greater appreciation for usability, a better understanding of what's involved, how they can leverage the methods, and even conduct their own usability methods.
I can also be retained as an advisor and mentor for your project's ongoing usability work. For example, I can evaluate your staff's lab-testing scenarios, give tips to your staff during pilot testing, or even conduct the initial end-user evaluations so your staff can learn how I would conduct the sessions -- and they can complete the rest.
- I have years of experience applying UCD and usability methods in software projects. I not only know the methodologies, but I have experience in relating usability to project-team members ranging from project managers, to the ultimate technical gurus, to creative directors, to marketing mangers, as well as their senior management.
- I have years of teaching experience -- 10 years as a university professor of statistics and research design (and another 10 years as a graduate teaching assistant).
- In 1995, I was awarded a York University Major Teaching Development Grant to develop the course Software Usability Issues and Methods.
- From 1996-97 I participated on the IEEE SIG-CHI Educational Resources in HCI working group.
Last update: May 07, 2002
(c) 2002 Don Hameluck Usability Consulting Inc.
