Welcome to the August edition of the Userfocus usability and user experience newsletter!
- Message from the Editor
- Feature article: 5 provocative views on usability testing
- What we're reading
- Upcoming training courses
- User experience quotation of the month
Message from the Editor
Consensus is usually a good thing but it can also lead to bland and generic statements that no-one would disagree with. This month I thought I would stir the pot a bit by taking a strong view on some statements on usability testing that I think are wrong.
If nothing else, I hope it will generate some discussion. I hope you find it useful!
Feature article: 5 provocative views on usability testing
In July, I had the pleasure of being on a panel on usability testing at the UXPA with Rolf Mohlich, Steve Krug, and Jakob Biesterfeldt. I was asked to take a deliberately provocative view on 5 issues in usability testing. In this article, I'll argue that these 5 common beliefs about usability testing are false. Read the article in full: 5 provocative views on usability testing.
What we’re reading
Some interesting usability-related articles that got our attention over the last month:
- I made a portrait of Steve Krug at UXPA2014.
- How one expert audits a website for accessibility.
- Ira Glass's tips on editing interview transcripts (about half-way through this post) are useful for editing user research interviews too.
- What do you do when 'lawyer says no' to your UX design? If you're GDS, you change the law.
- The hamburger menu icon first appeared in the Xerox Star over 30 years ago. #ineverknewthat
- Observing usability studies: A guide for stakeholders.
- An interesting take on what causes the perception of slow service in a restaurant.
- Dozens of design models explained in this free PDF.
- Two candidates for the World's Most Confusing Parking Instructions: Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2.
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User Experience quotation of the month
“don't make me think.” — Steve Krug.
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Newsletter archive
Look back over previous newsletters in the newsletter archive.