I must have missed the first message - I never saw the interface before it improved.
However you'll need to send another link - you made the same mistake that I ALWAYS do: sent a local link to public people. ;^) Jim Davis > -----Original Message----- > From: Chunshen (Don) Li [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 11:28 PM > To: CF-Talk > Subject: Interface Assessment > > Thank you very much. The links are very interesting. Also, if you > wouldn't mind taking another look at URL, > http://localhost/datadata/DataMan.cfm > to see if the Interface has improved a bit, > initially I had the lazy notion that technical people don't care that much > about how things look if it's used by themselves (that's what the above > URL's intended audiences are) but after giving it another thought I think > that notion might be away from truth. We all like things look nice, good > even if I'm ugly :) > > > >> >The most popular (or so it seems) right now is UML (Unified Modeling > >> >Language). > >> Years ago, at BlueCross & BlueShield, I was taught to use Use Case (UC) > >> methodology but I guess UML is gaining ground. > >> > > >> >In UML you start "Top down". You first assign roles to each > >> participating > >> >user or system (these are "Actors") and then model, in increasing more > >> >detail, how these actors interact. > >> Sounds similar to UC. > > > >I'm not sure if they are different - Use Cases are a MAJOR aspect of UML. > I > >would bet that the UC you learned is a subset or an ancestor of UML. UML > is > >really a flow of many processes - different tools at different phases. > Use > >Cases are primarily done in the early, discovery phase (Use Cases > represent > >the possible actions/paths of the actors). > > > >I was "raised" on Summit-D which is OKAy, but focuses much, much more on > >documentation than process. We claim to use UML at Met, but it's a > partial > >implementation at best. > > > >> >I think what you mean by "Interface Assessment" is what we called > >> "Usability > >> >Inventory" - an after the fact usability review. These are good if > you > >> >failed to do usability during the project cycle, but are by their > nature > >> >attempts to fix something rather than build it correctly the first > time. > >> I was alerted to a potential project essentially called "XYZ Interface > >> Assessment", and this XYZ may very well be a legency > system/application. > > > >It's probably the same thing. The basic idea is just going through an > >existing site/package/tool/whatever and making usability focused > comments. > >I've heard many different names - but the results are pretty much all the > >same. > > > >> I agree it's never enough to stress the importance of usability through > >> project phases. Probably, application or system may be more > >> representative than "site" since the former could cover legency system > as > >> well. > > > >More than that - the same (or at least very similair) skills are used in > >industrial human factors work as well: where do you put the radio knobs > in > >car? What shape should they be? Where should the doors of a hotel be > >located in relation to the front desk? Pretty much everything you touch > has > >had (or could damn well use!) usability work done on it. > > > >One of the better books on the subject is "The Design of Useful Things" - > >pretty light reading, but totally engrossing. > > > >I've got a bunch of my favorite links here: > > > >http://www.depressedpress.com/DepressedPress/Content/WebDesign/Resources/ > Ind > >ex.cfm > > > >Jim Davis > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=4 FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq Signup for the Fusion Authority news alert and keep up with the latest news in ColdFusion and related topics. http://www.fusionauthority.com/signup.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.4
