Welcome to the October edition of the Userfocus usability newsletter.
- Message from the Editor
- Feature article: 2 kinds of usability test
- Free eBook: Bright Ideas for User Experience Managers
- What we're reading
- Upcoming conferences
- Upcoming training courses
- User experience quotation of the month
Message from the Editor
This month's article compares and contrasts two different classes of usability test. If you've ever been unsure about whether you should test 5 or 50 participants, ask participants to think aloud or just leave them to it, or analyse the data qualitatively or quantitatively then this article is for you.
We also have a third volume in the 'Bright Ideas' eBook series. As always, it's a free download. I hope you find it useful.
Feature article: 2 kinds of usability test
There are two different types of usability test and each has different aims. Which test you choose will have implications for the number of participants you test, the methodology you use and the way you log, analyse and present the data. Read the article in full: 2 kinds of usability test.
Free eBook: Bright Ideas for User Experience Managers
Another gift for newsletter subscribers! If you're a user experience manager (or just like to take a strategic view), start here. This eBook contains 78 pages of real-world help on user experience strategy, in handy portable form. Find out more: Bright Ideas for User Experience Managers.
What we’re reading
Some interesting usability-related articles that got our attention over the last month:
- Skeu It! ridicules arbitrary and gratuitous user interface decisions.
- A great resource for e-commerce checkout patterns.
- Bored with the next iPhone release? Blame the Kano model.
- A great set of personas to help developers empathise with disabled users and design accessible technology.
- How the presence of an irrelevant photo makes a statement more believable.
- The top 10 lame excuses for not doing user testing.
Like these? Want more? Follow us on Twitter.
Upcoming conferences
If you're thinking of attending one or both of these conferences in November, use the promotion code "userfocus" to get a discount.
- MobX Conference - Mobile Experience Design & Usability. Nov 15-17 2012: Europe's premier annual conference for Mobile User Experience, small screen Interaction Design and usable interfaces on smart devices. The promotion code "userfocus" will get you a '100.00 discount per ticket.
- MEDlove - The UX and Healthcare Summit. Nov 22-23 2012: A brand new annual conference for User Experience, Service Design and designing the Health Experience. MEDlove is for all you creative minds out there who deal with Usability, Service Design or innovation in the context of eHealth and Healthcare. The promotion code "userfocus" will get you a 30% discount per ticket.
Usability Training: Now Booking
We still have a few places left on these courses but they're going fast…
Web Usability: An Introduction to User Experience, Oct 22-23 London.
A fast-paced, hands-on 2-day immersion seminar that shows how the various user experience tools and techniques fit into real-world design and development processes. More information about this training course: Web Usability: An Introduction to User Experience
Axure Essentials, Nov 26, London.
Learn how to use Axure to build wireframes and generate HTML prototypes. More information about this training course: Axure Essentials.
Advanced Prototyping with Axure, Nov 27, London.
Learn how to prototype rich internet applications (RIAs) and use the advanced features of Axure RP Pro. More information about this training course: Advanced Prototyping with Axure.
Prototyping mobile interfaces with Axure, Nov 28, London.
Learn how to prototype mobile applications with Axure RP Pro. More information about this training course: Prototyping mobile interfaces with Axure.
The Lean UX Starter Kit, Dec 17, London.
For people in development teams who want to create user-centred products and services, this brand new 1-day workshop shows you how to reduce design risks and and create products that users will love. More information about this training course: The Lean UX Starter Kit.
User Experience quotation of the month
“To complicate is simple, to simplify is complicated. In order to complicate, you just need to add something, whatever you wish: colours, shapes, actions, decorations, characters, environments full of odds and ends. Everybody is able to complicate. Only a few can simplify.” — Bruno Munari.
Hungry for more?
Foundation Certificate in UX
Gain hands-on practice in all the key areas of UX while you prepare for the BCS Foundation Certificate in User Experience. More details
Newsletter archive
Look back over previous newsletters in the newsletter archive.