you sent localhost man. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chunshen (Don) Li" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "CF-Talk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 11:27 PM 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/In d > >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
