Solutions & Services
Service Capabilities
User Experience Practice
People who find an application too difficult to use won't use it effectively, if at all. Yet software usability is the one component of a project that regularly receives the least attention.
Time and again, we see evidence that the success of an IT project hinges on a clearly defined usability strategy. That's why imason's User Experience (UE) Practice acts as the end-user's chief advocate. By collaborating directly with the end user, and by using a consistent and effective process, the UE team ensures user needs and wants are heard and tied into the overall business objectives of the actual project.
Certified Usability capabilities are the foundation upon which imason's UE team has built intuitive, attractive and useable interfaces for companies like Bell, Labatt, Moslon, RBC Financial Group and Watson Wyatt.
The UE team plays a major role throughout the lifecycle of a project. The activities we engage in are focused around three pillars:
Requirements
Good design emerges from a full understanding of a project's objectives. That's why the UE team works with clients to gather detailed business requirements, such as business goals, the strategy that defines them, and end-user needs. We then identify the opportunities and inefficiencies that a solution needs to address - from both the business and end-user perspective. At the end of the Requirements Phase, the scope and complexity of a solution has been defined.
Requirements activities can include:
- focus groups
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stakeholder interviews
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contextual inquiries
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user profiles
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personas
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scenarios
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use case models
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use cases
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content audits.
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Usability
Usability focuses on optimizing an application's screens, or interfaces, to ensure they are as easy to understand and work with as possible.
We learn about the websites of our clients by conducting a variety of usability tests and tasks. For example:
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Can people find what they're looking for?
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Does the application's navigation and labels make sense to people?
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Can common tasks be simplified?
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Are there any roadblocks?
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Can people recover from making an error?
Usability activities, some of which involve testing with end-users, can include:
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information sorting exercises
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designing information architectures
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establishing a taxonomy
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usability tests
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tracking & reporting analysis
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preparing end-user help documentation.
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Design
The style, colour and location of elements in an application help determine the overall effectiveness of the application. Poor design can prevent users from achieving their goals. Good design applies branding consistently, helps end users process information, increases intuitiveness and considers cross-browser functionality and accessibility issues.
Design activities can include: Wireframes, Presentation Design and Brand Validation.
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