Articles by James R. (Jim) Lewis, Ph.D
Dr. Lewis is a Distinguished User Experience Researcher at MeasuringU. He has published influential papers on the assessment of perceived usability and sample size estimation for usability studies and has product experience in the design and evaluation of user interfaces (graphical, spoken, mobile), including having been the lead interaction designer for the product widely regarded as the first smart phone, the Simon. He is on over 90 US patents and has over 100 publications. His five books include Practical Speech User Interface Design and, with Jeff Sauro, Quantifying the User Experience and Surveying the User Experience. In 2021 he was inducted into the Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Florida.
Can I Leave This One Out? The Effect of Dropping an Item From the SUS
Abstract There are times when user experience practitioners might consider using the System Usability Scale (SUS), but there is an item that just doesn’t work in their context of measurement. For example, the first item is “I think I would like to use this system frequently.” If the system under study is one that would […] [Read More]
Introduction to Volume 12, Issue 4
We are delighted to publish an editorial by Susan Hura titled “Usability Testing of Spoken Conversational Systems.” She provides valuable insights around the evaluation of voice interface systems. She describes specific issues around evaluating voice interfaces that are in an early stage of development, such as the use of “Wizard of Oz” testing. Her comprehensive […] [Read More]
Revisiting the Factor Structure of the System Usability Scale
Abstract In 2009, we published a paper in which we showed how three independent sources of data indicated that, rather than being a unidimensional measure of perceived usability, the System Usability Scale apparently had two factors: Usability (all items except 4 and 10) and Learnability (Items 4 and 10). In that paper, we called for […] [Read More]
Introduction to Volume 12, Issue 3, May 2017
For our May 2017 issue, Gerry Gaffney has contributed an editorial on “The Revolution Will Not Be Handheld.” He provides a thoughtful essay about user experience research and design when there are no screens–think voice, Internet of Things, and robots. In addition to the editorial, this issue includes three research papers, two on variants of […] [Read More]
Introduction to Volume 12, Issue 2, February 2017
We are delighted to publish an editorial by Dr. Philip Kortum titled “Has Human Factors and Usability Lost Its Mojo?” In his editorial Kortum argues that our work user experience and human factors has not lived up to its potential. He provides many examples spanning web design, software, automotive, and medical fields where we as […] [Read More]
User Experience Rating Scales with 7, 11, or 101 Points: Does It Matter?
Abstract There is a large body of work on the topic of the optimal number of response options to use in multipoint items. The takeaways from the literature are not completely consistent, most likely due to variation in measurement contexts (e.g., clinical, market research, psychology) and optimization criteria (e.g., reliability, validity, sensitivity, ease-of-use). There is […] [Read More]
Introduction to Volume 12, Issue 1, November 2016
For our November issue, Dr. Jeff Sauro has contributed an editorial on “The Challenges and Opportunities of Measuring the User Experience.” Dr. Sauro provides a breakdown of the steps needed to start a corporate program in quantifying the user experience, including the identification of key performance indicators and identification of top tasks. He also addresses […] [Read More]