Beyond the ROI aspect of usability, an example came up this past week where an emergency response was slowed due to poor usability. (This is one of those areas that are difficult to assess an ROI.) The 911 software for NYC has apparently been designed such that, if the accident happens in a body of water, the operator is supposed to input the police force with jurisdiction for that body of water rather than the body of water itself. In a recent nighttime boating accident, the operator didn't know this, and her input was rejected by the system; her supervisor fared no better, because he did the same and had forgotten the contents of a September memo on the matter. (The supervisor is being reprimanded over this, and I've seen no discussion of whether or not anyone is re-thinking the usability issues involved.) Mayor Bloomberg knows the value of usabilty from his private sector experiences, but that word hasn't filetered through all of city government yet, apparently.

Posted by: Frank on February 22, 2003 10:17 AM

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sound statistics can be applied generally to UI development

Not generally, that would entail some sort of standards of skills and knowledge proven necessary to accomplish the results reported. Since the skills, knowledge, responsibilities, roles, etc. are all completely up in the air (usually completely undefined) there is no generalizeable roi.

Perhaps individuals using techniques and knowledge that they cannot express or teach may have actually accomplished the returns that these statistics are based upon (or maybe they've just deceived themselves into thinking so). The facts are that they do not know what is required for anyone else to accomplish similar results.

The UPA (and Aaron Marcus) would like you to be deceived into thinking different so they can gain monetarily.

Posted by: Ron Zeno on February 22, 2003 04:07 PM

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This article harms the cause of usability. For example the implied claim that unmet / unforeseen user requirements are a usability matter kills its credibility.

Posted by: Philip Chalmers on February 23, 2003 08:27 AM

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The "Proof" for a flat Earth.

Posted by: Mac - Dont Attack Iraq on February 23, 2003 10:53 AM

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Mac, like the zoom into where you live. Into the "Mac World" so to speak ...

Posted by: Daniel Szuc on February 24, 2003 11:07 PM

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Daniel, its there to 'prove' I am a real person who lives in a real place and not just a web construct.

Posted by: Mac - Dont Attack Iraq on February 28, 2003 03:05 AM

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