"usability"?

[Henry J. Wicko II]

There is a ton of information here on usability.

http://www.stcsig.org/usability/

I hope you can log in because I was logged in as a member.  If not I will
work with you to make sure you can get access.  I believe it is free to
everyone.

Henry


On 8/10/06, Geoff Hart <ghart at videotron.ca> wrote:
>
> Ronald Schwarz wondered: <<For a long time I thought "usability" was
> the tech writers' shorthand for human factors engineering, as in
> design for usability.>>
>
> It is. But note that you said "tech writers". It pays to remember
> that words change meaning when used for different audiences, and
> unless the audience for your question is "us" <g>, the jargon needs
> to change to accomodate the expectations of the audience.
>
> <<Now I have before me a document where the reader is told he will
> become familiar with the "usability" of the product - meaning how to
> use it. What is the definition of "usability?">>
>
> In this case, the definition is clearly (according to the context you
> provided) "how to use it". That isn't the correct definition of
> usability in any dialect I'm familiar with, other than perhaps in an
> archaic sense, so the solution would be to revise: "will become
> familiar with how to use the product". But that's kind of verbose, so
> I'd prefer "learn to use the product".
>
> ----------------------------------------------------
> -- Geoff Hart
> ghart at videotron.ca / geoffhart at mac.com
> www.geoff-hart.com
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
> format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
> delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
>
> Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any popular
> Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at
> http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as henry.wicko at gmail.com.
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-unsubscribe at lists.techwr-l.com
> or visit
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/henry.wicko%40gmail.com
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join at lists.techwr-l.com
>
> Send administrative questions to lisa at techwr-l.com. Visit
> http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
>
>