Design with the End (User) in Mind

Implementing new technology is never easy, but getting end users to embrace it is the real challenge. Applications are often developed by technologists with limited (if any) end-user involvement. Not surprisingly, they are frequently unintuitive, and difficult to use - with unnecessary keystrokes, badly structured information, lack of online help, complex interactions, etc. All of these are problems point to usability issues, which results in frustrated users, abandoned applications, and management wondering “What went wrong?” Fortunately, this situation can be mitigated or avoided by using usability-engineering experts during the entire software development lifecycle. Usability engineering is a structured approach to build software that meets the needs of end users in different environments with varying levels of computer experience. Usability engineering creates a perfect balance between the analytical and creative aspects of an application to guarantee project success.

Flexible Usability Services…when and where you need them

The Venza Group offers Usability Engineering services that span the entire software development lifecycle. Our Usability Engineers conduct usability evaluations of proposed or existing applications, and their findings are fed back for use in design/ redesign.

Our usability evaluation methods include:

• Usability benchmarking and testing
• User interviews, focus groups, and/or questionnaires
• Cognitive walkthroughs
• Heuristic evaluations
• Task analysis
• Contextual inquiry
• Think aloud protocol
• User-centric conceptual design and requirements definition
• Prototyping, validation, design revisions

Venza Group usability studies are typically conducted at a state-of-the-art Usability Lab facility located in the Atlanta metro area. Participants are asked to use the actual or prototype interface. Their reactions, behaviors, errors, and self-reports in interviews are then carefully observed and recorded. On the basis of this data, our Usability Engineers recommend interface changes to improve usability.

For more information regarding our usability engineering services or to setup a usability study, please contact us or dial (770) 685-6500.