All May 2010: Volume 5, Issue 3 articles
Introduction to Volume 5, Issue 3
Welcome to the third issue of volume 5 of JUS! First and foremost, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Joe Dumas as co-editor-in-chief of JUS. Dumas is a leading pioneer in the usability field and has published the Practical Guide to Usability Testing and Moderating Usability Tests among other articles. He has been […] [Read More]
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Usability People
What Makes a Great Usability Person? A few years ago, I needed to integrate a batch of new hires into our existing usability group. I wanted to start these new employees off successfully and make our now larger group work most effectively. With apologies to Stephen Covey, I drafted my advice to those new hires […] [Read More]
Plain Language Makes a Difference When People Vote
Abstract The authors report on a study in which 45 U.S. citizens in three geographic areas and over a range of ages and education levels voted on two ballots that differed only in the wording and presentation of the language on the ballots. The study sought to answer three questions: Do voters vote more accurately […] [Read More]
Response Interpolation and Scale Sensitivity: Evidence Against 5-Point Scales
Abstract A series of usability tests was run on two enterprise software applications, followed by verbal administration of the System Usability Scale. The original instrument with its 5-point Likert items was presented, as well as an alternate version modified with 7-point Likert items. Participants in the 5-point scale condition were more likely than those presented […] [Read More]
A Comparison of the Usability of a Laptop, Communicator, and Handheld Computer
pp. 111 – 123 Abstract The goal of this study was to examine the usability of a laptop, communicator, and handheld computer using test subjects and questionnaires. The study aimed to determine how user-friendly and ergonomically correct these devices are. The subjects (25) had 5 minutes to perform typing or calculation tests with each device. […] [Read More]
A Commentary of “How To Specify the Participant Group Size for Usability Studies: A Practitioner’s Guide” by R. Macefield
Note: This commentary is discussing an article previously published in the Journal of Usability Studies. Read it here. Introduction Today, no usability conference seems to be complete without one or more heated debates on participant group sizes for usability studies (Bevan, 2003; Molich, Bachmann, Biesterfeldt, & Quesenbery, 2010). In this respect, Macefield’s recent article on […] [Read More]