On 05/01/2008, Dan Saffer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On Jan 4, 2008, at 2:11 PM, Tom Illmensee wrote: > > > There's a fun demonstration technique called [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > On Jan 4, 2008, at 12:04 PM, Billy Cox wrote: > > > If it were me, I would use a simulation exercise to illustrate the > > value of > > usability. > > > Now, I don't want to go off on a rant here, but this is the second > time in a very short thread that the term "usability" has been > substituted for "interaction design" (or simply "design"). We should > know better and we certainly shouldn't be teaching people that they > are the same! > > Usability is a by-product of good design. It's a baseline. It's a > characteristic. It's "hygiene." It is not the same as interaction > design.
Well said Dan. I've been trying to 'descope' the term usability for years now, just as once everything had interaction or interactive tacked on it as well (er, like interaction design). But anyway I've always described usability as something that is ambient, it's just present. It's not someones job or an activity you do before after or during a project. The aim of the whole team is to create a user experience that is usable, useful, engaging and whatever else it needs to be. Sometimes usability is second fiddle to something being engaging depending or being functinoal. After all in terms of usability a guitar or a car are not intuitive so would not really be described as that usable BUT they are very ergonomic once you have learnt how to use them so are good for the task they set out to do (be it play smoke on the water or haul a potted plant and set of shelves back from IKEA). I digress but Dan, well said. -- Stewart Dean ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
