Articles by Brian Traynor

author photoMr. Traynor is an Associate Professor at Information Design, Mount Royal University. His research interests include Job Performance and Information Comprehension, Design Teaching Methods, and User Attribution of Blame. He spent 20 years in Telecom and IT Technical Communications before returning to an academic environment.

UX Standards and UX Maturity

Abstract The International Standard ISO 9241-11 is frequently referenced as a source definition for Usability. In the past 10 years, a number of standards that relate to Usability have been published. In this essay, I highlight the ISO standards that focus on human-centered design and quality information processes, and I identify the technical committees responsible […] [Read More]

How Professionals Moderate Usability Tests

Abstract This paper reports how 15 experienced usability professionals and one team of two graduate students moderated usability tests. The purpose of the study is to investigate the approaches to moderation used by experienced professionals. Based on this work, we present our analysis of some of the characteristics that distinguish good from poor moderation. In […] [Read More]

Rent a Car in Just 0, 60, 240 or 1,217 Seconds? – Comparative Usability Measurement, CUE-8

Abstract This paper reports on the approach and results of CUE-8, the eighth in a series of Comparative Usability Evaluation studies. Fifteen experienced professional usability teams simultaneously and independently measured a baseline for the usability of the car rental website Budget.com. The CUE-8 study documented a wide difference in measurement approaches. Teams that used similar […] [Read More]