Journal of Usability Studies – Editors in Chief
We are delighted to publish an editorial by Dana Chisnell titled “Democracy Is a Design Problem.” In her editorial Chisnell begins by describing the 2000 Election in the US, specifically how the design of the ballot in Palm Beach County may have impacted the presidential election. Chisnell uses this event as a jumping off point to discuss how the butterfly ballot resulted in improvements to the design of ballots and voting systems. Chisnell also describes some of the different organizations that have committed to election design literacy, the work that is still left to do, and how UX professionals might get involved.
The article “When Japanese Elderly People Play a Finnish Physical Exercise Game: A Usability Study” is by Aung Pyae and his colleagues. In this article the authors describe a usability study of a skiing game designed for Finnish elderly people. They begin the paper by discussing the importance of usability in the design of “gamified solutions in healthcare.” Next, they share the results of their study which demonstrated that the Japanese elderly participants had a positive experience using the skiing exercise game. They conclude the article by reviewing specific tips for practitioners who are involved in game design.
