Usability criteria and stakeholder involvement in product evaluation

¶ … usability has been increasingly brought to the forefront. This is because the look and feel of a particular product or service will provide customers with a lasting image of the organization. Over the course of time, this will have an impact on the competitive position of a firm inside the marketplace. As a result, these kinds of issues have been receiving increasing amounts of attention. To determine the effectiveness of this approach there will be a focus on: accessing usability, who should make these kinds of judgments and how disagreements should be resolved. Together, these different elements will provide specific insights as to how these issues can be effectively addressed. This is when an organization can build upon these favorable perceptions, to have a positive impact on their bottom line results.

What do you believe are the appropriate criteria for assessing usability?

Usability is when someone can easily interface a particular device or web site. There are several different criteria that are focused on to achieve these objectives. The most notable includes: learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors and satisfaction. The combination of these factors will have an impact on favorability of the organization and way it stands out against competitors. ("Usability 101," 2011)

In the case of learnability, there is a focus on how easy it is for visitors to accomplish some of the most basic tasks. Efficiency is when users have learned the design of the web site or device and they can easily navigate it. Memorability is concentrating on if someone will remember the web site or product in the future. At the same time, there is an emphasis on how quickly someone is able to establish a connection with the organization. Errors are when there is a focus on reducing dead links and anything that can slowdown functionality. Satisfaction is how easy the product or web site is to use. These factors are providing organizations with the ability to determine their popularity among various stakeholders. ("Usability 101," 2011)

Who should make such judgments?

To make different kinds of judgments requires having objective procedures. This means that there must be an emphasis on taking into account the views of different stakeholders during the process. The best way to achieve these goals is to create a procedure surrounding: who should make these judgments and the role they will play in the process. Once this happens, is when the usability will improve by taking into consideration a number of viewpoints. (Schutz, 2005)

Identify various stakeholders: During this process, there must a focus on understanding the different viewpoints of stakeholders. The way that this can be achieved is to conduct an anonymous survey about how to improve usability. At the same time, a focus group could be utilized to determine the initial reaction of stakeholders to a particular image. This will help a firm to analyze if these kinds of transformations will improve their image over the long-term. Moreover, this will allow executives to identify individuals who can provide them with specific insights. (Schutz, 2005)

Communicate with stakeholders: The best way to communicate with stakeholders is to create some kind of committee. This is when select individuals from different segments will be invited to severe as a member of the group. They will have the responsibility of overseeing how different products are perceived for usability. When this happens, a firm can be more successful in creating merchandise and services that will help the company to improve upon its image. (Schutz, 2005)

Present a formal report to the board of directors: A formal report should be presented to the board of directors. This will provide them with actionable steps they can take to deal with these challenge. At the same time, any kind of recommendations will be tested and considered for the possible risks facing the organization. This is when any kind of adverse consequences can be effectively mitigated during the process. (Schutz, 2005)

Follow up: To ensure that usability standards remain favorable requires conducting periodic surveys. This will be accomplished by looking at the changes that have been introduced by competitors and the impact they are having on the firm. Once this takes place, is the point that new ideas will be discussed and tested with a sample audience. This will allow the company to decide how they should be addressing potential challenges. When this happens, everyone can create platforms and devices that will enhance the firm's reputation among stakeholders. (Schutz, 2005)

As a result, those individuals who should be making these kinds of considerations include: executives, employees, customers, general consumers, regulators and select individuals from the board of directors. This will ensure that any kind of strategy is taking into account the different viewpoints of stakeholders. Once this occurs, is when the company can create strategies that will take these ideas into account. (Schutz, 2005)

Conclusion

Clearly, the best way that all organizations can address the issue of usability is through having polices in place that are defining these standards. This means that an all-encompassing approach must be taken (which will carefully examine different ideas from stakeholders). In the event that there are differences of opinions, is when these issues must be resolved quickly. The best way to do this is to: understand the situation, negotiate with each side and create a new definition of usability. The combination of these factors will ensure that the company is able to consider these opinions during the process. This is how the firm will protect its reputation and image among a variety of stakeholders. When this happens, the organization will see an increase in their market share and bottom line results.