Look at Everyday Products to Improve Software
I was recently pointed to a fascinating article on observation by Whitney Hess, who runs the consulting firm Vicarious Partners. It was a quick but powerful read, and it got me thinking right away. Learning how to use your eyes—especially in the world of software design and QA/testing—is very important.
This particular line of text caught my attention immediately: "When you sit in a café and watch people enter and exit, keep a tally of how many people try to open the door the wrong way."
This line stands out to me because I tend to open doors incorrectly on most occasions. After reading this line, I tasked myself with observing others as they opened doors to cafés, offices, and other buildings. I also noted if there was a push/pull sign, and, if so, its location.
When thinking about the best location to put signs that you want walking people to read, you might think that eye level would be best. From what I observed, however, the few doors that had signs at eye level were more likely to cause people to push or pull the door handle the wrong way. On the other hand, the doors that had these signs close to the handle caused people less trouble.
Think about it. Where do people’s eyes go when they first land on a web page? Of course, that depends on many variables; however, it is something worth testing with different alternatives and measuring the results—especially if you would like to draw their attention to something like a “buy-it-now” button.
We all know usability is important. Web software designers are always looking at ways to engage visitors and encourage the right behavior. Testers and QA staff need tools and a critical eye to identify usability and user experience issues. To get to the next level, you may need to slightly change your focus from basic functionality to seeing, designing, and testing software from the users' perspectives.
So the next time you use an everyday product, take a little extra time to think about what you might change about it to make it more usable—and do the same with your software.
Does that type of change ring true to any software you've used lately? Let us know via the comments below.
