| We are able to offer a wide range of consultancy services
based on our experience with organisations across the spread of commercial, industrial and
public sectors. Human Applications has a proven track record of working with development
and implementation teams to build usability into IT products. Nearly all IT products will
benefit from a usability input. Our staff have worked with a wide range of IT development
and user organisations. We offer a range of packages and skills to help you get it right
first time. In each case we deliver a brief report with a prioritised action list to help you
achieve a more usable solution. Expert
walkthrough
Usability specialists from Human Applications can perform a structured usability
walkthrough of a prototype or existing product to test current systems or new prototypes
and suggest usability improvements. The expert walkthrough allows investigation of a wide
range of factors in a very short time and so represents the simplest and most flexible
approach. In most cases we can quickly and efficiently identify major usability pitfalls
and recommend the most important enhancements to make. We have performed numerous
walkthroughs of IT products and systems leading to considerable usability improvements for
customers and the potential for improved sales for our clients.
Usability trials and testing
Using a number of individual users or a 'user panel', we can obtain real and measurable
feedback on usability issues that make a real difference to your customers. User trials
can investigate the overall usability of a product or can focus in on critical aspects of
a product - then you can be confident of the reaction from real users. We've tested
mock-ups and early prototypes providing important feedback on usability and customer
acceptance prior to the final release of new or improved products. In many cases the
trials have brought critical information to light early in the design allowing inexpensive
but important changes to be made.
Using rapid prototyping
How can Rapid Prototypes help you? They can be used for a number of purposes, each of
which allows you to focus on the key issues and target development into the most effective
developments. Rapid Prototypes can be used to:
 |
help
users visualise their requirements |
|
evaluate
early design ideas and alternatives |
|
test
user and market acceptability |
|
compare
with competitor products |
Prototypes are more than pictures and slide
shows, they can illustrate interactivity, demonstrate positive benefits and expose
potential issues. The relatively small amount of time and resources spent developing rapid
prototypes can lead to significant savings in product or system development and
enhancement - the later in the development cycle a change is required, the more it costs
you!
Technology and concept demonstrators
You have a design or a good product idea, but how will you get this across to your
management, your sales and marketing team or trusted customers? A Rapid Prototype might
provide some of the solution. However, such techniques provide an internal view of a
product or system - the user interacting with the proposed solution. What prototypes and
other similar techniques do not show is the external view of the use of the product or
system, i.e. how it fits into other business processes, market needs, customer
motivations, etc. Technology and Concept Demonstrators not only illustrate the potential
product or system, but also the contexts within which it might be used. This allows your
key sponsors (management, marketing, customer, etc.) to fully appreciate the potential
value of your ideas. Our experience with major public sector organisations has proved the
effectiveness of such Demonstrators to stimulate discussion and promote understanding,
leading to enthusiastic support for new ideas. Human Applications consultants have
developed a number of Concept Demonstrators, also known as 'Stimulators' which have
heavily influenced national and international policy.
Competitor evaluations
How does your product compare to its competitors? Can we learn anything from what our
competitors are doing in usability? Can we market our advantages better? By comparing
against competitor products we can obtain a real and very different insight into your
market. We have tested the usability of a number of products for our clients against
external market leading solutions to highlight opportunities and threats. This approach
provides critical market intelligence information to you - once again supporting your
decision making about strengthening your position in the market place.
Customer survey and requirements capture
Marketing provides critical information to allow you to target sales and support, but what
do your customers - be they dealers, resellers or end-users - think of your products? What
usability improvements would they like to see? What matters to them? Use an independent
usability survey to provide this invaluable insight and so help you to focus your efforts.
We have already designed surveys to collect usability feedback from Support Call Centres
as well as directly from 'real' customers in the field.
Setting usability goals
It is essential to set firm usability goals such as ease-of-use, ease-of-learning, average
set-up time, etc. for your products. Then we can monitor improvements with each upgrade
and release. However, it is critical that we focus on real goals that matter to customers.
Also, using a variety of techniques, we can set metrics for prioritising improvements and
making future comparisons. This information helps focus the efforts of your design and
development teams allowing them to concentrate on the product improvements and
enhancements that really matter to your customers.
Training and process improvements
We can train your development teams to help them better address usability for themselves
and we offer advice on adapting your processes and product lifecycle stages to help
engineer more usable products. Working with you, we will develop and deliver a range of
bespoke training products that concentrate on the issues that matter to you and your
customers.
See also Human Applications'
Consultancy Services for:
Usable IT Systems -
usability explained 
Business Risk Management
Office Ergonomics
Industrial
Ergonomics
Health & Safety
Risk Management
Workplace Personal
Safety |
