A Newcomer to Usability

by Justin Locke

Up until 2 years ago I was completely unaware of the concept of "usability." I mean, I had the idea in my head that "things" were supposed to be usable. That's just common sense. Or so I thought. What I hadn't realized is, while there is such a thing as "user centered design," there is also something called "designer centered design." In other words, many products and services are designed for the convenience of the person making it or providing something, not for the person who will ultimately be using it. This is not consciously intended, it's just the default. And, like so many people, I had been beaten into acceptance of this so called fact of life.

I had encountered my fair share of "designer-centered design" (DCD) in the music business. In all my years at the New England Conservatory I never once heard the world "customer" or even a thought about what the audience was about or what they might expect from a concert. Our product was designed to be very much of a "look at me and how much I have suffered in practice rooms" philosophy. I thought I had put such self centered arrogance behind me when I left the orchestral world, but I soon discovered it is everywhere.

After learning about the world of usability, I feel I have entered into a sort of support group for the tolerance-challenged. This has made me much more aware of, and less tolerant of, bad design. Now that I feel empowered to say something about it, I notice usability problems everywhere . . . and I see them as being, not so much as a technical matter, as a representation of the consciousness of the designer. I ask of designers (as I ask of musicians who work for me), how conscious are you of other people? Do you expect others to understand you and your system, or do you endeavor to understand the systems and perceptions of others?

One's consciousness of others, as represented in design, has a huge impact on the sales process that is not easy to see.

I went into an electronics store the other day and they had this big carousel of batteries for sale- but I could see no prices listed. Turns out the price was on the carousel, but only on the other side from where I was, and so I couldn't see it. They lost a sale, because I was miffed that I had to walk around and find the price sign. Silly, but . . . I felt insulted. Why wasn't it in plain view for ME? To me, a big part of the advantage of what is called usability is really showing at least some concern and empathy for the consumer. As any salesperson will tell you, if you can make a customer believe you care about them, sales happen much quicker.

I guess the main thing I have learned from the world of usability is to question how I present things to other people . . . and try to see it, not from my point of view, but from theirs, and not take it personally or feel like I am losing an argument in the process. Sounds simple and obvious- but as we all know, making things easy to use isn't so easy!

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