Another approach to justifying the cost of usability

Reviewer: Thomas C. Richards

The purpose of this paper is to provide a model for measuring the effectiveness of usability studies. Lund defines usability as making a system or product easy to learn, easy to use, useful, compelling, and safe. For internal systems, usability creates savings in the form of improved employee productivity. The benefits for communications and information products include greater usage, increased revenue, and greater competitive success. To demonstrate the value of usability improvements, the author shows how his company represents the value of usability studies using several quantitative models. He discusses the statistics that must be collected and the metrics that result from the usability program, including increases in earnings and stock price. These value drivers for the usability program allow the company to relate usability activities to overall corporate earnings and to objectively establish productivity goals. The metrics produce the types of data often included in a business case and therefore allow decision makers to make reasonable business decisions. The metrics described have provided an effective way to discuss an overall usability program with management and to adjust its size on the basis of corporate earning goals in the author's enterprise. The usefulness of this approach needs to be demonstrated in other business environments.