'Is our terminology correct?', 'Do we understand the domain?', "What are the user's goals?", 'What process & steps are used to achieve goals?', 'What problems should the product solve?', 'Who actually does tasks? and who helps?', 'What are the major types of users?', 'What are the users\' attitudes, beliefs, desires, and experiences?', 'What product areas need the most attention?', What personal, social and cultural characteristics do users bring to the tasks? 'How are users influenced by their physical environment?', "What is the users' time frame?", 'What varying perspectives affect product usage?', 'What varying goals affect product usage?', 'Will users understand our approach/ideas/approach?', 'What should the categories/IA/structure be?', 'Can users complete a task within our product?', 'Do users understand how to use it?', 'Can users accomplish X in time Y?', 'What are the usability problems?', What areas have the worst usability problems? 'What information are users looking for?', 'How much should it cost?', 'What are the users\' opinions of your site and suggestions?', 'What frustrations have users had with your site?',

What's going on here?click to hide

Common Software Usability Questions

(and how to get answers!)

As you develop or refine a software product, it's easy to get stuck in a rut, running tests that aren't that helpful or focusing on Google Analytics. That tool that worked so well may no longer be the right tool for the questions you have now.

Spin the wheel!

The UX/Spoke tool is designed to help you explore many of the different tools in common practice.

Colors

Questions are divided into phases. The lighter the color, the earlier in the process the question can be answered. We chose a simple model:

  1. before
  2. design & build
  3. refine

Before is the phase where you are focused on understanding the users and problems-- before a particular solution is being developed in earnest. Design & build is the phase of creating the product. Refine is the phase where the product is "done", but you're focused on incremental improvements. Your mileage may vary.

Feedback

If you disagree or have new ideas, drop me a line at ndp+uxspoke@mac.com

Copyright © 2010 Andrew J. Peterson, NDP Software. All Rights Reserved.