Book Review: Understanding Your Users
By , SAP AG, User Experience – 02/09/2006
This review takes a personal look at Catherine Courage & Kathy Baxter's book Understanding Your Users.
Book
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Catherine Courage & Kathy Baxter Usability: Methods |
Authors
Catherine Courage is the usability program manager at Salesforce.com where she leads and manages all aspects of their usability program. Prior to joining Salesforce.com, Catherine worked at Oracle as a principal usability engineer and manager of the Customer Design Partners Program. (From HCI-International Website)
Kathy Baxter is a senior user experience researcher at eBay. She supports multiple areas of eBay's Web site through the user-centered development lifecycle. Her primary focus is on community, help, and trust and safety. Kathy received her Masters of Science degree in engineering psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. (From HCI-International Website)
Review
Introduction
Imagine you ask someone if they think chocolate is unhealthy and they agree. How do you know that this opinion actually stops them eating chocolate? Would observing the person's daily routine for a week help to answer the question? Which methods are available for finding out what people really want and need, or what they do on a regular basis? And how can we be sure that we understand the answers to these questions correctly and interpret people's behavior accurately?
- The world of software development faces similar problems. To optimally tailor products to users' needs, you have to understand exactly how users work and what they need to carry out their tasks successfully. These user requirements are gathered in a variety of different situations, and user actions and responses are not always clear and easy to interpret. A host of different methods has therefore emerged over the years, with various pros and cons that must be considered before deciding which one to implement in a specific situation.
In “Understanding Your Users,” Catherine Courage and Kathy Baxter provide an excellent overview of the different methods in requirements gathering, and discuss all aspects of the process in detail. The book comprehensively demonstrates how to gather and analyze user requirements correctly.
Content
Courage and Baxter's book is divided into four parts plus an appendix.
The first part deals with the prerequisites that must be fulfilled before the requirements gathering stage or a site visit. The authors differentiate between the term “user requirement” and other terms related to requirements. They also cover ethical and legal considerations, as well as the facilities needed and the technical prerequisites for requirements gathering and usability tests. Also, there are detailed descriptions and recommendations for setting up a usability lab, right down to the wiring of the various media, such as PC, camera, and microphone.
Part 2 is about recruiting participants and how to interact with them during usability activities. It is discussed what sort of problems you can anticipate, and the best way to deal with them. Part 2 provides extremely practical suggestions and hints on dealing with late participants, moderating group activities, monitoring activities, and tax implications, for example.
The third part contains a detailed description of the various methods for gathering usability requirements. Seven methods are presented: interviews, surveys, wants and needs analysis, card sorting, group task analysis, focus groups, and field studies. The discussion of each method follows a similar pattern: There is a short introduction, followed by a recommendation of when you should use the particular method. Important factors to be aware of when using the method are highlighted, such as awkward situations that might occur if you use a specific technique of asking questions in an interview. There then follows a description of preparing for the method, and a thorough assessment of the proper use of each method. Finally, there is advice on how to analyze and interpret the data, and suggestions of how best to communicate your findings.
The fourth part deals with prioritizing, presenting, and reporting your findings, and last but not least, how to ensure the incorporation of your results.
Part 5 of the book is the appendix, which is divided into separate chapters and contains a host of useful and practical information including:
- A link list with Web links, important societies, journals, and conferences
- A list with vendors involved in usability activities (consulting, training, renting lab facilities, recruiting of test participants, conducting tests)
- Information about setting up a database
- Instructions on creating an affinity diagram
- Information about computerized, qualitative analysis tools
- Report templates
- Glossary and references
Each part finishes with one or more case studies. The chapters also include templates and checklists that are easily customizable and provide a good basis for preparing and conducting activities, and also for wrap-up activities.
Target Audience
According to the authors, this book is suitable both for those starting out in the field of user research and for seasoned professionals. I would agree. It caters to all target audiences, whatever their level of proficiency, with its successful blend of general and detailed knowledge. The book is a must for anyone involved in gathering usability requirements to get an overall insight into the subject, read about new methods, and as a reference for specific aspects of the process.
Reviewer's Verdict
I can highly recommend this book. For those new to the field, it provides detailed but practical instructions on gathering, preparing, and analyzing requirements. Instead of having to tediously gather information from different sources, it is all there in one book. Experts will value the practical aspects, such as the templates, case studies, and appendix, which are a valuable contribution to their daily work. The only potential disadvantage is that the book is designed primarily for an American or English-speaking audience, which is obvious from the links, journals, and vendors that are referenced. The legal considerations are also presented from a U.S. perspective.
However, the fact remains that Courage and Baxter's book makes an excellent contribution toward ensuring the quality of requirements gathering processes, and in turn, incorporating usability requirements into the development of future products to meet the user's needs.
