UX Resources

Articles on Usability

Usability Is Next to Profitability BusinessWeek Online – December, 2002	BusinessWeek Online's Jane Black interviewed HFI's Eric Schaffer for this article on software's next stage – usability. She points out the changing landscape in software development as more and more companies take user expectations seriously.
Avoid the mouse trap The Delaware News Journal – November, 2002	Dale Dallabrida of the News Journal writes about the pitfalls of relying too heavily on the mouse to navigate through applications and Web sites. HFI's John Sorflaten is quoted in this article.
Giving the Human Touch to Software StickyMinds.com – 2002	Yogita Sahoo of Mindfire Solutions discusses the importance of knowing users’ expectations in order to deliver better usability. She acknowledges HFI's Eric Schaffer and Mahesh Menon for their help with the article.
Making do Federal Computer Week – October, 2002	Brian Johnson of Federal Computer Week talks about the challanges government agencies face when trying to make their Web sites both accessible and usable. HFI's Eric Schaffer is quoted in this article.
User-Friendly Web Sites Keep Agencies in Touch With Citizens Federal Times – August, 2002	Dr. Bob Bailey, Chief Scientist for HFI, discusses the importance of usability in government Web sites. The Web has become a crucial tool to disseminate information to citizens, but poorly done Web sites can drive a wedge between government and the people.
Giving micro-finance the IT edge Express Computer - July, 2002	India's number one IT business weekly discusses Hisaab, a micro-finance software product aimed at low literacy users. HFI India has been working on the interface to make it easy to use for those with little computer and reading experience.
Helping Businesses Evaluate Their Internet Presence NY Times – June, 2002	Karen Bannan interviews HFI's CEO, Eric Schaffer, and others about the importance of usability testing in terms of brand acceptance.
Easy Reader: an old technology may be the answer to content delivery woes edesign – January, 2002	This article by Ariana Donalds discusses RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation), a possible solution for delivering content on small hand-held screens. Eric Schaffer talks about FlashReader, a version of RSVP developed by HFI.
Where am I? , Know thy user , Get organized or get lost Online Learning Magazine – October 2001 to January, 2002	Three articles by Patti Shank of Online Learning Magazine. She discusses usability principles that she learned at HFI's seminar The Science and Art of Effective Web Design.
Tests Require Constant Feedback eWeek Magazine – January, 2002	Matt Hicks of eWeek Magazine interviewed HFI's Director of Training, Phil Goddard, in this piece on usability testing. Phil points out the need for different kinds of testing at various stages of the development cycle to create a successful Web site.mmm