Usability Inspection Methods [Hardcover]

Jakob Nielsen (Editor), Robert L. Mack (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0471018775 | ISBN-13: 978-0471018773 | Edition: 1

Computer Science/Computers-Human Interaction Usability Inspection Methods is the first comprehensive, book-length work in this important new field. Designed to get you quickly up and running with the full complement of UI strategies, tools, and techniques, this extremely practical guide offers you a unique opportunity to learn them from the women and men who invented them. With the help of numerous real-life case studies, the authors give you: Step-by-step guidance on all important methods now in use, including the heuristic evaluation method, the pluralistic walkthrough method, the cognitive walkthrough method, and more Proven techniques for integrating usability inspections with other methods now in use An in-depth, comparative analysis of UI versus user testing A cost-benefit analysis of UI as compared to other approaches Program prototypes that provide UI computer support for interface designers An important resource for user interface developers, software designers, as well as graduate students and researchers

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Considered the founder of this research area, Nielsen presents a contributed exposition written by the foremost experts in this rapidly growing and important field. Devised for user interface practitioners searching for cost-effective ways of improving their designs, the book begins with descriptions of simple discount usability engineering methods such as heuristic evaluation which can be learned quickly and immediately applied to the reader's current project. Later chapters cover more formal inspection techniques offering additional benefits and discuss practical aspects of comparing the methods and user testing along with suggestions for when to use what techniques.

From the Inside Flap

The last few years have seen the emergence of usability inspection (UI) as an important new tool to help user interface designers and software developers guarantee that their products meet the highest standards of usability. Everywhere UI methods have been implemented they have proven to be faster, cheaper, and in many regards, more reliable than user testing and other standard approaches to ensuring design usability. Usability Inspection Methods is the first comprehensive, book-length work in this rapidly growing field. Coedited by Jakob Nielsen, the man who coined the term "usability inspection," it offers readers the unique opportunity to learn stateof-the-art UI methods from the women and men who developed them. Designed to get readers quickly up and running with the full complement of UI strategies, tools, and techniques, this extremely practical guide offers step-by-step guidance to all important methods now in use, in chapters authored by the methods’ inventors themselves. Following a detailed overview of the field is a series of chapters devoted to detailed descriptions of the heuristic evaluation method, the pluralistic walk-through method, the cognitive walk-through method, techniques for integrating formal usability inspections with other methods into a coherent frame-work, and other proven UI methods. Each chapter in this section includes reports on the valuable empirical evidence of the benefits of the method covered. Later chapters offer numerous case studies, and a comparative analysis of UI with user testing, as well as a thorough breakdown of the cost-benefit characteristics of UI as compared to other approaches, several UI program prototypes providing computer support for interface designers, and much more. Authoritative, timely, and offering a wealth of hands-on instruction on all important methods and techniques, Usability Inspection Methods is an indispensable resource for user interface developers and software designers, as well as graduate students and researchers specializing in interfaces.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471018775
• ISBN-13: 978-0471018773
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence > Heuristic & Constrained Search
  • #16 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Software Engineering > Methodology
  • #56 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Human-Computer Interaction

More About the Author

Jakob Nielsen, Ph.D. is a principal of Nielsen Norman Group. He is the founder of the "discount usability engineering" movement, which emphasizes fast and efficient methods for improving the quality of user interfaces. Nielsen was noted as "the world's leading expert on Web usability" by U.S. News and World Report and "the next best thing to a true time machine" by USA Today. Nielsen's Alertbox column on Web usability has been published on the Internet since 1995 and currently has about 200,000 readers. From 1994 to 1998, Nielsen was a Sun Microsystems Distinguished Engineer. His previous affiliations include Bell Communications Research, the Technical University of Denmark, and the IBM User Interface Institute. See his biography page at useit.com for additional biographical information.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid, June 15, 2000

By 

Thomas H. Hughes-croucher (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Usability Inspection Methods (Hardcover)

I bought this book at a discount from a local retailer due to its age. After looking at some of Jakobs new material I was eager to get my hands of some of his previous work. Although I found this book useful, it was not as apporiate as some of his more recent work. Worthwhile all the same.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, September 26, 2000

By 

J. Grey (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Usability Inspection Methods (Hardcover)

I do usability inspections as part of my job. I bought this book based on Nielsen's reputation and the description of this book here on Amazon.com. I was very disappointed to find that this book was scholarly, not practical. After scanning the book, I returned it for refund.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Book of Research, not Ideas, January 15, 2003

By 

pech "food lover, mystery lover" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Usability Inspection Methods (Hardcover)

This book is academic and a dry read. There are better books out there which address this same material that makes for an easier read. But if you want to read the original work that paved the road for those books and usability now, here it is. Academic research that is usability's foundation!