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>
> Sorry Bonnie, but Andrew had it right. Usability is an
> objective study into the objective means by which people
> interact with a product.
> Subjectivity indeed exists on the flip side, being the user
> side of things. That subjective interaction is indeed
> studied, but the means by which data is collected and
> weighed, the research that goes into market awareness, the
> testing that occurs, and the design input, is all very much
> objective. If it were not, there would be absolutely no value
> gained in conducting usability studies.
>
I said "The subject of usability," not "usability studies." Perhaps I should
not have used "subject" in that way. ; )
I meant "the activity that is studied." I meant the following idea: what is
studied. What is studied are the highly subjective responses of people.
Yes, the studies attempt to be "objective," but the responses are not, and
the freely offered feedback from individual users has the same *subjective*
essence.
> Users can think or interact with a product however they like.
> It's all well and good to get their feedback too. But
> subjectivity NEVER enters proper usability study as more than
> mere noise. If there's a lot of noise about a particular
> feature, then it sets a direction for further research and
> testing. However, subjective feedback is never, ever weighed
> by itself or in bulk with like subjective comments, in a
> non-objective manner.
>
I hope I've cleared up that I was talking about the responses, not the
studies or their interpretation.
Objectivity in the analysis of the results of studies and in the analysis of
individual feedback may be a goal, but if attained, doesn't help a person
determine the "best" course to take, which is, of course, a subjective
perception.
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