Connecting theory and practice: a case study of achieving usability goals

This paper describes a case study of the Human Factors design, development, and testing of a computer-based financial analysis package. The project applied the “usability goals” method proposed by Bennett (1984) to structure the definition, design, and testing of the new system. Learnability was defined as a key attribute in the product concept because of its salience in users' perception of system quality. The learnability attribute was assigned an operational definition in terms of time to mastery and error avoidance/recovery. The “back-to-front” strategy of Didner & Butler (1982) was applied for designing the menus. Empirical testing of user performance on sample problems in the alpha stage indicated that the new system surpassed the learnability objective. Lessons learned from this case study concern leverage in getting better managerial attention for Human Factors considerations in development projects, and clearer structure to direct needed research.