Cost-Justifying Usability, 2nd Edition

adopt a comprehensive program for addressing the usability problem. The

answer probably lies in the accounting and budgeting methods of corporations.

Of all the costs just discussed, only one shows up as a line-item expense: insur-

ance premiums. All other costs are either not documented, paid out of reserve

accounts, or channeled through corporate legal expenses, which often do not

have strict reporting or budgeting requirements. As a result, many corporations

never see the true cost of litigation. If they did, they would be shocked, as would

their shareholders. By comparison, the cost of a thorough usability design

program for a product would be at ...