Usability Engineering - Standards and Guidelines

Standards and Guidelines

Usability engineers sometimes work to shape an interface such that it adheres to accepted operational definitions of user requirements. For example, the International Organisation for Standardisation-approved definitions (see e.g., ISO 9241 part 11) usability are held by some to be a context-dependent yardstick for the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which specific users should be able to perform tasks. Advocates of this approach engage in task analysis, then prototype interface design, and usability testing on those designs. On the basis of such tests, the technology is (ideally) re-designed or (occasionally) the operational targets for user performance are revised. .

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has collaborated with industry to develop the Common Industry Specification for Usability - Requirements, which serves as a guide for many industry professionals. The specifications for successful usability in biometrics were also developed by the NIST. Usability.Gov provides a tutorial and wide general reference for the design of usable websites.

Usability, especially with the goal of Universal Usability, encompasses the standards and guidelines of design for accessibility. The aim of these guidelines is to facilitate the use of a software application for people with disabilities. Some primary guidelines for web accessibility are:

1. The Web Accessibility Initiative Guidelines
2. The Section 508 government guidelines applicable to all public-sector websites.
3. The ADA Guidelines for accessibility of state and local government websites.
4. The IBM Guidelines for accessibility of websites.