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Research draft

usability

vr.tr.usability · XCT.QLT

Let an agent explain usability, relay definitions, evaluation methods and metrics from human-computer interaction and standards sources, describe the named applications and flag misfiled engineering aliases, and distinguish usability from accessibility, user experience, utility and structural serviceability.

Thing Registry Cross-cutting context

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain usability, relay definitions, evaluation methods and metrics from human-computer interaction and standards sources, describe the named applications and flag misfiled engineering aliases, and distinguish usability from accessibility, user experience, utility and structural serviceability.

The extent to which a product, system or service can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use, as defined in ISO 9241-11, assessed through usability testing, heuristic evaluation and metrics such as the System Usability Scale, and applied to web usability and software such as machine translation tools; the registry aliases also name serviceability, which in engineering means ease of maintenance or fitness for use, and the Serviceability Limit State, a structural engineering criterion for deflection and cracking under normal loads, which are different concepts and appear misfiled. Usability overlaps with but differs from accessibility and user experience.

What it is for: Assessing how well people can use things.

It can be explain definitions and standards; relay evaluation methods; describe applications; flag misfiled aliases.

Distinguishing features

Context-dependent

Measured with users

Three core components

Iterative design practice

What it looks like

Not a physical object; observed in user tests, heuristics and survey scores.

Physical character

ISO 9241-11: 1998, revised 2018 standard

System Usability Scale: 1986 year - John Brooke, 10 items

Nielsen usability heuristics: 1990, refined 1994 note

How it is recognised

Effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in use

Web usability, serviceability, machine translation software usability, Serviceability Limit State

Accessibility covers people with disabilities; user experience is broader; utility is whether features meet needs; serviceability limit state is a structural criterion

Related models

is a kind of - in registry terms

quality

is defined in -

ISO 9241

is contrasted with -

accessibility

is contrasted with - misfiled engineering alias

serviceability limit state

In practice

Families and kinds

web usability

software usability

product usability

usability of translation tools

Standards and regulation

ISO 9241-11 and ISO 9241-210

ISO/IEC 25010 product quality model

Eurocode serviceability limit states for the misfiled alias

Failure modes and hazards

Designs that cause user errors in safety-critical systems

Confusing usability with accessibility

Misfiled engineering aliases

Also called

Web usabilityserviceabilitymachine translation software usabilityServiceability Limit State

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Understand What usability is.

Definition.

Definition

Definition.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What is usability, and how does it differ from accessibility, user experience, utility and structural serviceability? definition
  2. Is the question about software, products, or structural engineering serviceability? boundary

Aliases

Named aliases.

Aliases

Aliases.

  1. What are web usability and translation tool usability, and why are serviceability and the Serviceability Limit State different? definition
  2. Which entry fits the specific concept? action
Evaluation Evaluation methods.

Sources.

Testing

Usability testing.

Testing

Testing.

  1. How is usability testing run with representative users? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Heuristics

Heuristic evaluation.

Heuristics

Heuristics.

  1. What are Nielsen s heuristics and how are they applied? provenance
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance
Metrics Metrics.

Science.

SUS

System Usability Scale.

SUS

SUS.

  1. How is the System Usability Scale scored? measurement
  2. Which entry fits System Usability Scale? action

Task metrics

Task metrics.

Task metrics

Task metrics.

  1. How are completion rate, time on task and error rate measured? measurement
  2. Is the information accurate? boundary
Context Related fields.

Attribution.

Accessibility

Accessibility.

Accessibility

Accessibility.

  1. How do usability and accessibility standards such as WCAG relate? provenance
  2. Which entry fits Web Content Accessibility Guidelines? action

Serviceability

Structural serviceability.

Serviceability

Serviceability.

  1. What is the serviceability limit state in structural design? provenance
  2. Which entry fits limit state design? action

What the second pass must settle

  • The registry aliases serviceability and Serviceability Limit State should be moved to engineering entries
  • Should web usability be a separate entry?
  • How should usability metrics be linked?