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微软可用性工程介绍 序 在网上看到这位叫做dozing的朋友翻译的微软可用性工程介绍，发现有些东西很有价值，我就接着他的工作把他没有翻译的部分完成，并作了简单的校对，与大家共享。 这篇文章里简单介绍了微软可用性的概念，微软可用性研究团队的发展历史，规模，运作模式，可用性实验 室的结构，组织，设备，用途，组织可用性研究活动的办法，用户测试的简单流程和测试技巧等。这些内容对于国内正处于起步阶段的同仁们具有实际的普及意义， 使我们对可用性的认识从仅有的概念和纯理论的水平扩展到实际的可操作层面，也许，迫于条件所限，我们一时半会还没有机会去做这些事情，先了解学习能够使我 们对这些先进的技术和手段不会太陌生，相信在不久的将来，机会总会有的。（大智 2007-5-18） 对于那些有志于Usabilty 研究的同学，如果你不知道该看什么书，使用什么方法，你可以在文章的末尾发现很多资源．．花时间去看吧．．这是微软的推荐读物．．也介绍了在微软跟 usability有关的工作职位，你可以从中清晰地了解这个职位的职业发展轨迹．翻译只是为了提供你信息，并不保证信息的准确性和完整性．． （dozing 引言 jack.lee注） 正文 What is the Microsoft Usability Group all about? Microsoft‘s Usability Group consists of over 120 Usability Engineers with a wide variety of educational backgrounds, including: human factors psychology, social psychology, industrial engineering, technical communications, developmental psychology, information science and computer science. 微软的可用性团队由120多位可用性工程师所组成，这些人具有广泛的多种教育背景，包括： 人因工程学，社会心理学，工业设计师，技术沟通，研发，信息科 学和计算机科学。〕 The Usability Group was created in 1988 to bring user-feedback into
the design of Microsoft products throughout the development process. By demonstrating the value of user-centered design and providing the
appropriate skills and information at the appropriate time, the
Usability Group has become an integral part of the product design
process at Microsoft. What is Usability Research? Most often, Usability Research at Microsoft refers to observational
research done in usability labs in which a Usability Engineer records
and analyzes exactly what happens when real users try to accomplish
real-life tasks with pre-released software. This information is
translated directly into product design improvements by usability
engineers, user-interface designers and other product team members. Though the majority of our product evaluations is one-on-one
observational research, Usability Engineers actually employ a wide
variety of experimental methodologies to address the breadth of design
questions that arise. For example, usability engineers also do - Field research (nationwide site visits) －现场调查研究 What‘s the difference between Usability Research and Market Research? Broadly speaking, usability researchers observe small samples of
people using a product in order to determine ease of learning and task
accomplishment. Market researchers interview large samples of people
about products, features and/or functionality in order to determine
customer perception and willingness to purchase. In practice, usability and marketing researchers often address related problems with similar methodologies. Where is Usability Research done? In June 1989 we opened our first usability lab with four individual
test suites, each with a test room and observation room. In 1992 we
opened a second usability lab with five test suites. We added the
Microsoft Home in 1995 as a research facility. Unlike our traditional
research suites, the Microsoft Home is designed as a home simulation
with living room, dining room, kitchen, home office and children‘s play
area. In 1996, we added a third lab with five test suites, including a
specifically designed ergonomics lab, for evaluating products from our
Interactive Media Division. In the fall of 1998 we added a total of eight more labs on campus
and a second focus group room. Winter of 2000 saw the completion of our
latest labs in Mountain View, CA. We‘ve also recently "inherited" Visio
Corporation‘s usability labs during that company‘s acquisition by
Microsoft. Where do you find people to participate in Usability Research? For our local studies, we recruit people from the Puget Sound area
to spend a few hours at our corporate campus working with products that
we are developing. Since we are researching software, not people, we are interested in
all levels of computer experience ranging from non-users to experts.
We also conduct on-site visits with individuals throughout the
United States. Thus, we recruit a variety of people in businesses and
homes across the nation to participate in our National Research
Program. Participants receive a gift as a token of our appreciation. It sounds like fun to be a participant. How can I be one? If you are interested in participating in a product evaluation or
national site visit, fill out our on-line questionnaire and we will add
you to our participant database. Once your information is entered in our proprietary database, we
will contact you when we have a study in your area that matches your
individual profile. The information collected in this database is strictly confidential
and will not be sold, distributed or otherwise publicized outside of
the Usability Research Group. Most of our research is conducted in Usability Labs based in
Redmond, WA. On average, approximately 750 participants per month
evaluate our software. A database of 35,000 people in the Seattle
area helps us find the right person to match the profile required for
each given study. Once an individual has enrolled to participate in the Usability Research program they are entered into this main database. From this database, we will look to match you with an appropriate
study or product evaluation. If we find a match, we will then call
to arrange a mutually agreeable time to participate in the study. On the day of your study, when you arrive at Microsoft, the
Usability Engineer will greet you in the lobby, and give a brief tour
of the lab. The Usability Engineer will then ask you to sign a non-disclosure
agreement, which asks you not to discuss the products you are about to
evaluate. The reason for this is due to the fact much software we
test in the labs is proprietary and not ready for public release. Once you have settled into the Participant side of the lab, the
Engineer will then explain the technique of thinking aloud. This
allows the Engineer to understand the participant‘s opinions,
expectations and thought processes. These perspectives help us to
design products for people. Once the study begins, typically you are then given a series of
tasks to complete. While you are working on these tasks, the Engineer
notes your actions and opinions. Each study is unique based on the
study you have been asked to participate in. Once you have completed the tasks given by the Engineer, you are
then asked to fill out an online questionnaire to record your opinions
and preferences. Finally, you will be offered a thank you gift from a list of Microsoft products, and the Engineer escorts you back to the lobby. We have over 25 labs on the Redmond campus. Each lab is separated
into two sections: the Observer side and the Participant side. Our
Usability Engineers sit on the Observer side, while our participants
are on the Participant side. The two sections are separated by a sound-proof wall and a one-way mirror (image below).  The Observer side The Observer side is where the Usability Engineer and other
observers may view the study. The one-way mirror allows observers to
clearly see the participant side during the study, while minimizing any
distractions for the participant. The wall and the one-way mirror are sound proof so observers can
discuss design ideas in a normal tone without disturbing the
participant. We have several tools in the observer room to collect the usability
data and efficiently analyze it. All of our tools have been designed to
help us quickly get usability data back to the software team. |
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