Review: 'Usability is not Everything' declares Site

This is another site that questions the value of usability and whether it knows its place in the world. See also Chris McEvoy's Usability Must Die for an alternative view.

The front page declares that 'some people consider usability a scientific discipline that uses tests, measurements and factor analysis. others call themselves "usability gurus" and "interface evangelists" and preach usability like a religion. this manifesto questions the jihad of usability and tries to bring usability back from its lofty realms to the solid ground of planet earth.'

The result is a proposal for holistic usability: 'our approach is more demanding than orthodox usability. there are no ready-made heuristics, no one-size-fits-all solution. instead, each site must be seen as a new world, reaching out to the visitors, touching them'. There is an interesting diagram to accompany this and also some worthwhile words on inclusive design under a section called 'what about disabilities?'.

Lots of visitor comments appear in the forum to argue with or be amused by. The site's purpose has caused a lot of confusion. Perhaps the wisest is the writer who points out that the absence of capitals in the text on the site damages readability.

A final point: when I visited the site, the voting indicator on the homepage had it that only 49% found the site useful. How can you not love a site that advertises less than half its visitors were impressed?

Associated Link: Usability is not Everything

Study: Mobile Web sites need Improvement
Source: CNET, 13 October 2008
 
A new study suggests that the usability of many mobile Web sites still needs improvement.

Better Usability makes Online Backup more Appealing
Source: UN, 11 October 2008
 
Repeat after me: "Backup via the Internet is for everybody."

IBM Task Modeler version 6 now Available
Source: Unknown, 10 October 2008
 
The latest release of IBM Task Modeler is now available for download. This includes many new features to support efficient and collaborative task analysis and synthesis.

Caroline's Corner: Design to Read - Designing for People who do not Read easily
Source: Caroline Jarrett, 9 October 2008
 
Reading is a skill many of us take for granted. Chances are that if you’re reading this, you’re one of the lucky ones who read easily.

Bill Buxton to change Microsoft from within
Source: The Register, 8 October 2008
 
"Last year Steve Ballmer said to 85,000 employees 'If you don’t change and you don’t go in this direction, we’re dead, and I don’t want to die.' I wanted to go hug him when he said that."

New Report: Innovative Marketing in the Digital World
Source: E-consultancy, 7 October 2008
 
A new report from E-consultancy provides a distillation of ideas and suggestions provided by digital marketing experts.

Linking Industry with Academia
Source: unknown, 6 October 2008
 
Customer experience research consultancy, fhios, based in London, has just launched an innovative internship programme, aimed primarily at postgraduate students.

Online Travel Booking: What influences Consumers?
Source: Webcredible, 4 October 2008
 
What influences consumers when booking a holiday? How can travel companies offer the best user experience?

Getting the Word out
Source: UN, 3 October 2008
 
I SAID, I'M ON THE TRAIN... Voice recognition technology can now translate all those pesky garbled voicemails into manageable text messages.

Mobile hardware outpaces Software and User Capabilities
Source: ComputerWorld, 2 October 2008
 
The main issue dissuading users from employing all the capabilities of their mobile devices is the complexity involved in operating them.