User Analysis
Following are the ways by which one can learn What the user wants from the user interface.
- User
Interviews
This is the most
effective technique in which some representatives from software team meet the
end user to better understand the user needs, motivations and many other
issues. Meetings are conducted for this
purpose.
- Sales Input
Sales people
interact with the users regularly and collect the information. Based on this information the users are
categorized in particular groups and thereby their requirements are better
understood.
- Marketing
Input
Market analysis
is made in order to understand the usage of software.
- Support Input
Support staff
keeps are regular interaction with the user interaction for knowing the certain
things like the likings and dis-likes of the users, which features are easy to
use and son on.
Following is a
set of questions that will help the
interface designer better understand the users of a system :
- Are user trained professionals, technicians, or worker
? - Are the users capable of learning from written
material ? OR they require any classroom training ? - What is the formal education of the user ?
- Are users aware of using keyboard ?
- What is the age group of user ?
- Will user be represented dominantly by one gender ?
- Does the user work in office hour or do they work
until the job is done ? - What kind of compensation will be given to the user
for the work they perform ? - Will the user make use of the software frequently or
occasionally ? - What is the primary spoken language among the users ?
- What will happen if the user makes a mistake in
handling the system ? - Are the expert users addressed by the system.
- Do uses want to know the technology used behind the
interface ?
The answers to
the questions help in understanding the end-user.
