Acknowledgments xii
Preface xiv
SECTION I TOWARD MORE USABLE SOFTWARE
1 SOFTWARE FOR USE: Usage, Usability and User Interfaces
Upgrading Usability 3
Approaching Usability 12
Changing Contexts 18
2 BUILT-IN USABILITY: A Usage-Centered Design Approach
Interfacing with Users 21
Elements of a Usage-Centered Approach 23
Driving Models 25
Coordinated Activity 33
3 IN PRINClPLE: Rules and Principles of Usage-Centered Design
Design as Dialogue 41
Rules and Principles 45
Usability Rules 46
User Interface Design Principles 51
Other Rules 63
Details, Details, Details 65
SECTION II ESSENTIAL MODELS FOR USABILITY
4 USERS AND REWED SPECIES: Understanding Users
and User Roles
Of Use and Users 69
Real Users and Others 70
User Role Models 78
User Role Maps 84
User Roles in Action 86
Structured Role Models 89
5 WORKING STRUCTURES: Task Modeling with Essential
Use Cases
Work, Work, Work 97
Task Modeling 99
The Use Case Map 109
Building Essential Use Case Models 115
Application 119
6 INTERFACE ARCHITECTURE: Interface Contents and Navigation
Workplaces 125
Interface Contents 127
The Context Navigation Map 135
Application 141
SECTION III CREATING THE VISUAL DESIGN
7 OESIGNING THE DIALOGUE: Layout and Communication
From Abstraction to Expression 149
Communication Channels 150
Screen Real Estate 158
8 PRACTICAL WIDGETRY: Choosing and Designing
Visual Components
Buy or Build 165
Iconic Communication 166
Menus 170
Selecting Selection Widgets 179
9 INNOVATIVE INTERFACE: Creative Interface Engineering
and Custom Components
Creative Engineering 185
The Process of Innovation 1B9
Instructive Interfaces 194
Applied Innovation 205
SECTION IV COMPLETING THE OESIGN
10 EXPRESSING SOLUTIONS: Implementation Modeling and Prototypes
Fun Stuff 211
Prototypes and Prototyping 212
Mapping the Models 218
Implementation Modeling Illustrated 225
11 HELP ME IF You CAN: Designing Help and Helpful Messages
Even Experts Need a Lift 231
Use Cases for Help 232
Access and Presentation Techniques 237
Special Techniques and Modalities 243
Helpful writing 248
Helpful Messages 253
12 ONCE A BEGINNER: Supporting Evolving Usage Patterns
Beyond Beginners 265
Skiing the Interface 267
Progressive Usage 268
Supportive Interfaces 272
Designing for Progressive Usage 280
Progressive Usage Applied 293
13 IN PLACE: Fitting the Operational Context
Unsound Context 297
Operational Modeling 298
Environmental Adaptation 299
Binding Context 300
Environment Profile 308
Putting Context in Place 313
14 SAME GAME, DIFFERENT FIELDS: Special Applications,
Special lssues
Theme and Variation, Again 317
Web Design for Use 317
Web Wisdom Applied 330
Embedded Systems Applications 338
Other Special Interfaces 354
15 USAGE-CENTERED DESIGN APPLIED: The TeleGuida Case
Scaling Up 357
Telephone Tag 358
Gathering Requirements 359
TeleGuida Users and Uses 366
Toward a TeleGuida Prototype 37B
SECTION V ASSESSMENT AND IMPROVEMENT
16 BETTER NEXT TIME: Improvement by Inspection and Review
Assessing Usability 391
Inspection Methods 399
Collaborative Usability Inspection 401
Focused Inspections 413
17 BY THE NUMBERS: Measuring Usability in Practice
Comparison Shopping 417
Measured Quality 418
User Interface Design Metrics 423
Essential Usability Metrics Suite 426
Metrics in Practice 441
18 TEST SCORES: Laboratory and Field Testing of Usability
History Testing 443
Testing, One, Two 444
Test Protocol 450
Testing Tactics 456
Why Test, Why Not 460
SECTION VI ORGANIZING AND MANAGING THE PROCESS
19 CODE AND YOU'RE DONE: Implementing Interfaces
Objects and Interfaces 465
Accelerated Development 472
Visual Development of Visual Designs 475
20 Using YOUR USERS: Users in the Development Process
Use or Abuse of Users 481
Requirements Dialogue, Requirements Dance 485
Going to the Source 489
Using Users 494
Joint Essential Modeling 499
21 GETTING ORGANIZED: Usability in the Larger Context
Organiational Units 511
Standards and Style Guides 513
Competing Constituencies 517
Experts and Expertise 522
Cultural Fit 524
Appendix A: Suggested Readings 533
Appendix B: Eleven Ways to Make Software More Usable:
General Principles of Software Usability 535
Appendix C: Glossary 537
Appendix D: Forms for Usage-Centered Design 545
Appendix E: Subjective Usability Scales for Software (SUSS)
References 551
Index 561