About Usability
‘Usability’ (or Human-Computer Interaction) is a well known concept in Human Factors, which refers to how easy a product is to learn and use by its user population.
ISO 9241-11 defines it as follows: “The extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with 'effectiveness', 'efficiency', and 'satisfaction' in a specified context of use.”
- Effectiveness relates to how well users can complete tasks and achieve goals with the product. Further dimensions include learnability (how easy a system is to learn?) and memorability (if the user returns to a system, how easily can he or she remember how to use it?)
- Efficiency relates to how much effort is required by users to complete tasks (often measured in time)
- Satisfaction concerns what users think of the product’s ease of use
The approach through which usability is integrated throughout product development is termed User-Centred Design or Usability Engineering.
Benefits
