Introduction to Volume 6, Issue 1

Welcome to the first issue of Volume 6 of the Journal of Usability Studies. With this issue the Journal of Usability Studies reaches an important milestone: it was five years ago this month when we published Volume 1, Issue 1. With the launch of the journal, UPA made a long-term commitment to making a contribution […] [Read More]

From 0 to 365: My First Year as a Design Executive

As I think about my career in User Experience and Design, much of it has unfolded in an organic way rather than following a detailed career plan. I have always kept my eyes open for the next engaging and interesting career opportunity that would offer a challenge and something new, but never had a prescribed […] [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]

Improving the Usability of E-Book Readers

Abstract The use of e-book readers (e-readers or electronic-readers) has become increasingly widespread. An e-reader should meet two important requirements: adequate legibility and good usability. In our study, we investigated these two requirements of e-reader design. Within the framework of a multifunctional approach, we combined eye tracking with other usability testing methods. We tested five […] [Read More]

Examining the Order Effect of Website Navigation Menus With Eye Tracking

Abstract We analysed the eye-tracking data of 147 participants as they used a total of 15 separate website navigation menus to complete key activities. The hypotheses for this study were that (a) the psychological phenomenon of the order effect would manifest in that items at either end of a menu would be located more quickly […] [Read More]