Dont Let This Happen To Your Voters

1
Dont Let This HappenTo Your Voters

• Scott Luebking

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What Is Usability And Why Your Voters Will Love
You For It?
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Some Pet Computer Peeves

• Messages
• "Error 56"
• "The operand stack has overflowed"
• Instructions that disappear
• Mysterious icons
• Missing or incomplete functionality
• Confusing layout
• Too many decisions
• Unexpected consequences
• Others
• Must it be that way?

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What Is Usability?

• Avoiding pet computer peeves
• User-friendliness
• Definition
• hard to define
• one definition a measure of the effectiveness,
  efficiency and satisfaction with which specified
  users can achieve specified goals in a particular
  environment
• Users often know it when they see it
• how is beauty defined?

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Some Aspects of Usability

• Usefulness
• Easy to learn
• Easy to retain
• Productivity
• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Control / navigation
• Accuracy
• Visual presentation

• Feedback
• Minimal user errors
• Consistency
• User satisfaction
• Minimum frustration
• Appropriate help
• Flexibility
• Accessibility

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An Example
TURN LEFT
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Usability Problem
One book found for your search criteria
... Title COMPUTER SUPPORT FOR COLLABORATIVE
LEARNING SubTitle Designing New Media for A New
Millennium Collaborative Technology for
Learning Author Christopher Headley Primary
Subject EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

• From http//www.uiwizards.com

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Usability Problem

• From http//www.uiwizards.com

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Usability Problem
Snooze Button
Reset button

• From www.thisisbroken.com

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Various Usability Aspectsand Voting Equipment

• Size and style of text
• Clear presentation of choices
• Ease of learning and understanding
• complexity
• Some desired functions
• ability to review
• ability to change mind
• Prevention of errors
• over-votes
• Other aspects

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Usability Testing

• Identifies usability issues
• Various testing methodologies
• Direct observation
• Thinking aloud methodology
• Thinking aloud methodology
• Basically each test user does a stream of
  consciousness while using the software or
  prototype
• Very useful for increasing user empathy

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Why Are There Usability Problems?

• Companies
• don't understand connection between usability and
  bottom line
• don't allocate resources
• usability addressed late in development cycles
• dont hold programmers accountable for usability
• Programmers
• view usability as "fluff
• lack background in usability
• use simple user-models based on themselves
• have limited understanding of "user empathy
• overestimate their understanding of usability

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Why Are There Usability Problems? (continued)

• Customers / users
• dont know what usability is
• dont know what good usability is
• want to trust the technology developers
• often dont require usability as an acquisition
  requirement which would pressure companies into
  addressing usability needs

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Usability Resources

• The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A.
  Norman
• Usability Engineering by Jakob Nielsen
• James Homs web site Usability Methods Toolbox
• "Improving the Usability and Accessibility of
  Voting Systems and Products" by Sharon J.
  Laskowski, Marguerite Autry, John Cugini, William
  Killam, James Yen

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Accessibility Is A Subset Of Usability
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Thinking About DisabilityDiagnosis Versus
Attribute

• Diagnosis
• blind
• Attribute
• unable to read print
• Can also apply to
• learning disabled
• illiterate
• Other examples of diagnosis versus attribute
• Attribute is preferable
• fewer unnecessary assumptions
• more flexible technology

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Two Approaches to Accessibility

• Can the person with a disability use a piece of
  technology?
• Can a disabled person use a piece of technology
  with as much efficiency, ease of use and accuracy
  as that experienced by a non-disabled person
  using the technology?
• Second approach is preferable

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Suggested Accessibility Features

• Audio output via headset
• easier for someone unable to read
• Moveable key pad or button pad
• easier to position for someone with arm
  limitations
• Moveable slate architecture with adjustable
  screen angle
• easier to position for someone in a wheelchair
• Table with easily adjustable height
• easier to position for someone in a wheelchair
• Enough portability for bedside voting