book

User-Centered Design

by Travis Lowdermilk

March 2013

Beginner

154 pages

4h 2m

English

O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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Is This Book Right for Me?Conventions Used in This BookUsing Code ExamplesSafari® Books OnlineHow to Contact UsAcknowledgmentsPeople Who Helped Me Write This BookJulian WalkerJeff WeirBilly HollisRobby IngebretsenMark and LisaMary Treseler and the O’Reilly Media FamilyPeople Who Helped Me with LifeMy parentsMy brothersMy sisterMy good friendsMy coworkersMy boysMy wife
UCD Is Not UsabilityUCD Is Not SubjectiveUCD Is Not Just DesignUCD Is Not a Waste of Time or MoneyUCD Is Not a Bug ReportUCD Is Not a Distraction
What If I Don’t Have Access to Users?Knowing When to Listen to Users and When to NotDealing with Different Types of UsersThe Information OverloaderThe Control FreakThe Devil’s AdvocateDealing with Negativity
How Do I Know Which Plan Is Right for Me?Creating a Team Mission StatementDefining Your ProjectCollecting User RequirementsCreating Functional RequirementsDocumenting Data and Workflow ModelsDocumenting PrototypesReviewing Your Documentation
Exercising RestraintBuilding a NarrativeCreating PersonasCreating Scenarios
Having User-Experience GoalsCreativity Requires Courage and Hard WorkPick Up a PencilCreative FreedomUnderstanding Your GoalSteal (I Mean Borrow) from OthersCreativity Requires Questioning
Principle of Proximity (Gestalt Principle)Visibility, Visual Feedback, and Visual ProminenceHierarchyMental Models and MetaphorsProgressive DisclosureConsistencyAffordance and ConstraintsConfirmationHick’s LawFitt’s Law

How Many Users Will I Need?SurveysConducting InterviewsTask AnalysisHeuristic EvaluationStoryboardingUsing PrototypesA/B Testing
What Are Usability Studies?Creating a Testing PlanIntroductionReassuranceTesting GuidelinesTasksConclusionThanksWhat You’ll NeedStopwatchNotepadEnvironmentSpreadsheet or DatabaseCameras or Audio RecordingConducting the StudyDon’t Hesitate to PracticeCompiling Your Findings
It’s Impossible to Get It Right the First TimeBe Prepared to RebootFinal Thoughts
TwitterTools for PrototypingWebsites
TemplateProject TitleSoftware Development Life Cycle Project TemplateSoftware Development Life Cycle SummaryProject DetailsUser RequirementsSpecifications Sheet (Functional Requirements)Data and Workflow ModelsData ProcessesPrototypesMaintenance NotesExample PersonaDan WelksSample Script for a Usability StudyIntroduction to Study

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About the Author

Travis Lowdermilk has been developing custom software experiences for over 15 years in industries ranging from architecture, business, and health care. Currently, he works for a community hospital in central California. At the hospital, he creates line of business applications for clinical, financial, and performance improvement.Predominantly using Microsoft frameworks, Travis creates solutions that employ a wide range of technologies such as: web, mobile, touch, and voice. Travis is a certified ASP.NET developer and has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration – emphasizing in Information Systems. He’s currently enrolled in the Master’s program at DePaul University’s College of Digital Media. The focus of his study is Human-Computer Interaction and User-Centered Design.Travis is the co-host of The Windows Developer Show – a weekly Internet broadcast for Microsoft developers, designers, and enthusiasts (www.windowsdevelopershow.com). To find out more about Travis, please visit: www.travislowdermilk.com or follow him on Twitter (@tlowdermilk).