Usability facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Usability is about how easy and enjoyable something is to use. It's about making sure that when you use a program, a website, a tool, or even a machine, you can do what you need to do safely, effectively, and without too much effort.

Think of it this way: if a screwdriver has a comfortable handle that's easy to grip and twist, it's more usable. If a video game has clear instructions and simple controls, it's more usable. Usability experts study how people interact with different things to make them better. They want to make sure you can achieve your goals with a product, feel good using it, and not waste time or make mistakes.

Usability is super important in things like consumer electronics (your phone or tablet!), communication tools, and even everyday objects like a door handle. It helps designers create things that are not just cool, but also really helpful and easy for everyone to use.

What is Usability?
Understanding Usability
- Intuitive Use
Designing for Easy Use
Checking How Easy It Is to Use
Why Usability Matters
Becoming a Usability Expert
See also
Images for kids

What is Usability?

The main idea behind usability is that if something is designed with people in mind – how they think and how their bodies work – it will be:

Easier to use: You can finish tasks faster.
Simpler to learn: You can figure out how it works just by looking at it.
More fun to use: You'll enjoy the experience.

Today, there are so many computer systems and products everywhere. Companies now understand that making things easy to use is a big deal. They research how users interact with their products instead of just focusing on the technology. This helps them find new features or fix problems they didn't even know existed.

A "user-friendly" product is often the same as a "usable" one. It means it's easy for people to understand and use. For example, on a website, if it's hard to find what you're looking for, people will quickly leave. Usability makes sure that doesn't happen.

Understanding Usability

The ISO (a group that sets standards) says usability is "how much a product can be used by specific users to reach specific goals with success, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specific situation."

Experts like Jakob Nielsen and Ben Shneiderman explain that usability has a few key parts:

Learnability: How easy is it to learn basic tasks the first time you use something?
Efficiency: Once you've learned it, how fast can you do tasks?
Memorability: If you stop using it for a while, how easy is it to remember how to use it again?
Errors: How many mistakes do users make, how serious are they, and how easily can they fix them?
Satisfaction: How much do you enjoy using the product?

Usability is not just about how a product looks, but also how well it works and helps you. For example, a car without a reverse gear might be considered "unusable" because it can't do a basic function.

Intuitive Use

You might hear the word "intuitive" when talking about easy-to-use products. This often means something feels natural because it's similar to things you've used before. For instance, the "pause" symbol (two vertical lines) on a music player isn't something you're born knowing. You know it because you've seen it on many other players.

So, "intuitive" often means "familiar." Designers try to use ideas that people already know to make new products easy to understand right away.

Designing for Easy Use

When designers want to make something usable, they often follow three main rules:

Focus on Users and Tasks

Designers should always think about the people who will use their product and what tasks those people need to do. They might talk directly to potential users to understand their needs and experiences. They also think about what decisions users will make while using the product. Sometimes, designers create "personas," which are made-up characters representing different types of users. This helps the design team imagine who they are designing for.

Measure and Test

It's important to test the product early and often with real users. This helps designers see if it's easy to learn and use. They look at things like how long it takes users to finish a task, how many errors they make, and how they feel about using the product. This "empirical measurement" means they gather real data, not just guesses.

Improve Step by Step

Designers use a process called "iterative design." This means they create a version of the product (a "prototype"), test it, see what works and what doesn't, and then make improvements. They repeat this cycle many times, making the design better with each step. If they find a problem, they change the design and test it again. This helps them make the product user-friendly and effective.

Checking How Easy It Is to Use

There are many ways to check how usable a product is. Some methods involve watching users, while others rely on experts. These checks can happen at any stage of design.

Inspection Methods

These methods involve experts or observers looking at a product.

Card Sorting: Users group information (like website topics) in a way that makes sense to them. This helps designers organize content logically.
Tree Tests: Users try to find specific information on a website by clicking through categories. This checks if the website's structure is easy to navigate.
Heuristic Evaluation: Experts check the design against a list of common usability rules (called "heuristics"). For example, one rule is "The system should always tell users what's happening." If a rule is broken, it's a usability problem.

Here are some of Jakob Nielsen's 10 important rules for good design:

Tell users what's happening: The system should always give feedback.
Speak the user's language: Use words and ideas that users understand.
Give users control: Users should easily be able to undo actions or go back.
Be consistent: Similar things should work the same way.
Prevent errors: Design the system so users don't make mistakes in the first place.
Help users remember: Make options visible so users don't have to recall them.
Be flexible: Allow both new and expert users to work efficiently.
Keep it simple: Don't show too much unnecessary information.
Help with errors: Error messages should be clear and suggest solutions.
Provide help: Offer easy-to-find and useful help if needed.

Asking Users Directly

These methods involve getting feedback from users.

Focus Groups: A small group of users discusses what they want in a product. This helps designers understand opinions and desires.
Surveys: Questionnaires ask users about their experience with a product. This is a cheap way to get feedback on what works well and what doesn't.

Prototyping Methods

Designers often create simple versions of a product called "prototypes" to test ideas quickly and cheaply.

Rapid Prototyping: Making quick, simple models (like paper drawings) to test ideas before building the real thing. This helps fix problems early.

Testing with Users

These methods involve watching users interact with the product.

Usability Testing: Real users try out the system in a realistic setting. Designers watch their behavior, emotions, and difficulties to find areas for improvement.
Thinking Aloud: Users talk out loud about their thoughts and actions as they use the product. This helps researchers understand what users are thinking and why they do certain things.
Remote Usability Testing: Users test the product from their own homes, often recorded through their computer or phone. This allows for testing with many users in different places.
Personas: Fictional characters are created to represent different types of users. These help designers understand the needs and goals of their target audience.

Why Usability Matters

Making products usable has many benefits:

More Sales: When products are easy to use, more people buy them.
Happier Users: People enjoy using products that work well and are simple.
Lower Costs: Companies spend less money on training users or fixing problems if the product is well-designed from the start.

In the workplace, good usability means employees can do their jobs faster and with fewer mistakes. This leads to higher productivity and happier workers. It also means companies spend less on training and support. Usability is now seen as a very important part of making good software and products, just like how fast they run or how strong they are.

Becoming a Usability Expert

People who work in usability might study things like industrial engineering, psychology, or Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Many also learn about usability on the job. If you like making things easier to use and more effective, studying usability principles can be very helpful! Organizations like the User Experience Professionals' Association offer resources and events, including World Usability Day every November, to celebrate and promote good design.

Images for kids

This model shows how the human brain processes information, which helps designers understand how users interact with systems.

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Usability Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.