CUA of the Month – November, 2011

Valuing User Experience

by Sheldon Kreger

In today's global market place, software is a keystone in the success of any business. However, understanding the needs of these tools, creating their designs, and implementing practical solutions is a tricky process. Ross Sutherland, CUA and Usability Analyst/Designer, helps the software development teams at Imaginet in Winnipeg, Canada build robust and useful solutions for their clients.

"Imaginet highly values creating good user experiences and making usable software and web sites. We interact with other departments throughout the development process, right from the beginning of collecting requirements, through to testing and deployment. In a lot of cases using CUA techniques like task flow analysis and wire framing we help drive out what the requirements are."

Although Ross started off as a graphic designer, his career quickly developed into web site development as a whole. In his work, Ross realized the advantages of creating web sites which both attracted and pleased the end user. It was this perspective that led him to the field of usability and HFI's Certified Usability Analyst training.

"It became apparent to me early on that I could differentiate myself from other web site designers by promoting and designing with usability in mind. This strategy was successful. Throughout the years user experience has become more and more important which has resulted in me focusing even more on usability. This led to me getting certified by Human Factors, the next logical step for me."

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Like many web development professionals, Ross had a lot of experience - more than 13 years - and was a skilled designer. And a competitive company like Imaginet holds the highest standards of excellence in their work. Ross has contributed to the successful launch of an entire division at Imaginet, called Imaginet Interactive Design. By building upon the understanding that feature-rich software is no longer adequate in itself, Imaginet consults with other companies to help them find ways to fully engage the user and create a positive user experience. Ross has played a central role in making this branch of the company successful.

"I was hired by Imaginet just under 3 years ago with the intention of designing better user experiences based on good design principles. Since that time Imaginet has created a new division in the company that focuses on usability and creating a great user experience. It has become another way that Imaginet stands out from the competition."

Today, Ross works with a partner managing Imaginet's usability projects. By consulting with other development teams on usability practices and undertaking usability testing projects, Ross faces a wide variety of challenges in his work.

"One of the biggest challenges is trying to educate clients that making products user friendly and creating great user experiences doesn't just happen. There is a lot of work that goes into it – research, analysis, and finally, the deliverables. This process takes resources and time, which does result in more cost to the client. Once the client realizes the value, the cost is less of an issue but there is usually an initial hurdle to overcome."

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This challenge, however, is rewarding not only for Ross, but for the clients of Imaginet.

"I remember once redeveloping a web application for a client. I had made recommendations on how to improve the usability of the web site, and I ran a small usability study on the the web site and recorded the sessions for the client. The client was amazed at the information they learned from watching the videos. At one point the users were yelling "just click it" at the screen! Actually seeing users struggle with their product was eye opening for them and the development team thanked me for showing them."

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