usability

Usability of Email

by Vishal Mehta June 28, 2011 User Experience

Email Communication paradigm was blessed with the invention of Email a few decades ago. Over so many years, there have been hundreds of Email programs and clients that have served us; but very little has changed really – in terms of Usability of Email. This, primarily in two aspects – how usable, and how useful. [...]

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The Unsung Nuisance

by Arpit Shah June 16, 2011 User Experience

I am of the opinion that a ‘saturated’ situation enables us to understand a situation to its fullest detail and examine the flaws. For example, all luxury cars are tested at full throttle in a simulated environment to understand if there are any issues/digressions from their stipulated targets. I am also of the opinion that [...]

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Usability Quotes – II

by Vishal Mehta June 12, 2011 Usability

In science and engineering, some of the greatest discoveries seem so simple that you say to yourself, I could have thought of that. The discoverer is entitled to reply, why didn’t you? (Paul Graham) There’s a trade off between capability and usability. This is, as far as I know, no one has figured out how [...]

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If Content is the King, Format is the Queen!

by Vishal Mehta June 9, 2011 User Experience

Think of a Book. Undeniably, it’s the Content that makes the book useful. However, the Format is what makes it usable. Content + Format; King and Queen. For a great user experience in any literature (print or electronic), marrying both is very essential. Particularly in case of an electronic book. Some characteristics of most readers [...]

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Usability at Traffic Signals

by Vishal Panchal June 8, 2011 User Expression

The other day, I was on my way to meet a friend and I crossed the signal just as it turned yellow. My fault. Theoretically, ideally and even practically, my fault. While I can go on with reasons why slamming the brakes as the signal turned yellow would have been a near disaster etc etc [...]

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Augmented Reality

by Praneet Pyati May 21, 2011 User Expression

As the technology grows, the end users of any product demands ease of use. Innovation combined with ease of use is what matters in the fast-changing-moving world of today. One such innovation that has become popular thanks to the smartphones of today is “Augmented Reality“. It makes the surrounding world of the user come alive, [...]

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User Speaketh – iPhone 4

by Wei Kong May 20, 2011 User Experience

iPhone 4 is by far the best out of all the phones I have owned. It has a simple yet sleek design but is packed with features. I love the smooth transitioning between windows. It is something I didn’t realize how nice it was until I tried an Android phone which is quite choppy when [...]

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Usability – The Process…

by Vishal Mehta May 10, 2011 Process

I’m often asked: Is Usability a scientific process? In other words, can anybody use documented methods, guidelines and techniques step-by-step and achieve a good usability output? I say: What about interpretations? You cannot institutionalize how one interprets the findings and executes the project. I believe that interpretation and applying patterns is the strongest aspect of [...]

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Security and Usability – I

by Amol Dharmadhikari May 3, 2011 Usability

It is a truth universally acknowledged that systems that are deemed secure are unusable and systems that are usable are not very secure. As the old joke goes, the best way to prevent your computer from getting hacked is to shut it down! If the computer industry is to come up with secure systems that [...]

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