Monday, September 29, 2014
The Search for Usability
It seems that all computer programs go through growing pains during their conception. FamilySearch, for example, started off with disks, CD's, PAF's and databases - things not usable or easily taught to its target demographic. Like most programs, it started its life as essentially functional, but not necessarily usable by the general public. Yet successful programs must achieve usability. A computer program is a means to an end, rather than the end itself, and therefore, the most important thing it can do is to stay out of the user's way. That is the end goal of usability. FamilySearch has enjoyed great success thanks to continued efforts to make the program easier to understand and simpler to use for all of its users.
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That's an interesting point. Often times simpler is better. The best user experience, in my opinion, is one that you don't even notice!
ReplyDeleteI agree. The interface must be designed in a way that you just know where to go and what to do. It takes a lot of work to come up with something like that, but it is definitely worth it.
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