Thanks Wendy. There is a lot to say about how easy it is to get lost in a Drupal administrative interface. Your stories about users not knowing where to find things rings true for me and certainly provides more evidence to suggest that Drupal has terrible spatial models. Again, I’m saying this from a position of support for Drupal and this forum discussion is certainly helping me, for one, to identify ways to overcome these usability problems.
But rather than dwell on all those Drupal specific details here I’d like to make sure I understand your situation accurately. There are some important process questions arising from your excellent account of the difficulties facing you and for your end users.
I can well imagine the stresses involved with figuring out needs of different users as you simultaneously work on designing and implementing the site architecture and operational details. I’ll be honest with you – one of the toughest jobs I’ve had as a designer is with my own site! I’m currently redesigning it for a Drupal platform and find no end of difficulties switching from end user to content administrator to designer and then to engineer. I’m just too close to it to get a clear view of any of it.
That being said, this is not an unusual situation. Many companies/organizations effectively do the same thing by not allocating enough resources to the usability requirements analysis. Time after time, I run into situations where the developers have produced, to the best of their ability, a ‘functionally complete’ application. But when the product is about to launch (i.e. when the people ‘upstairs’ and the beta users finally see it) there’s a sudden wealth of feedback about how it ‘should’ have been done. I don’t think anybody is to ‘blame’ for this situation (which happens more often than not). I think much of it derives from a general (cultural?) problem where functionality is seen as the only real (i.e. budgeted for) objective.
My belief is that if an application is not usable then it is effectively not functional. I define usability as ‘practical functionality’. Achieving practical functionality within a given project requires a conscious recognition of the importance of usability requirements analysis.
So getting back to your situation, it sounds like you were asked to gather usability requirements and at the same time formulate a functionality strategy for the system. If that is the case, then your job was almost impossible. From personal experience I would say it is highly inefficient to be simultaneously a usability designer and developer. Over the years I have functioned in both capacities - but never at the same moment! It takes a lot to switch one’s mindset and frame of reference from user-focused design to technology-focused development. It’s much, much more efficient to work in teams with people playing their strongest respective roles.
Sadly, the people who make budget decisions are often not aware enough about this basic reality of software creation. (And many don't even see building web sites as 'software creation'.) Business execs generally don't need to know the intricacies of how technology works so they often have to make budget/planning decisions with scant information. The problem is bad enough inside the high tech industry but I would guess that it's more pronounced in places such as libraries. Does that sound true?
In my own experience, I repeatedly hear (after the fact, when a project is failing) that there had been no budget for sufficient usability analysis or proper user interface design. I think this comes from a lack of understanding (on the part of decision makers) of what the true cost really is. Money ‘saved’ in the planning and design stages will be burned many times over in lost productivity. Would you not agree?
If you (Wendy or any one else reading this) do agree, tell me this: what would be useful to help make this argument with your business administrators? What could help them understand how to fund the project properly? Statistical studies? White papers? Blog rants from end users?
I’m throwing the question out there, knowing that the answers can/do fill endless books – but please feel free to chip in anyway!
Thanks again Wendy for taking the time to talk about the situation at your library.
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Does your administration get the big picture for on line tools?
Thanks Wendy. There is a lot to say about how easy it is to get lost in a Drupal administrative interface. Your stories about users not knowing where to find things rings true for me and certainly provides more evidence to suggest that Drupal has terrible spatial models. Again, I’m saying this from a position of support for Drupal and this forum discussion is certainly helping me, for one, to identify ways to overcome these usability problems.
But rather than dwell on all those Drupal specific details here I’d like to make sure I understand your situation accurately. There are some important process questions arising from your excellent account of the difficulties facing you and for your end users.
I can well imagine the stresses involved with figuring out needs of different users as you simultaneously work on designing and implementing the site architecture and operational details. I’ll be honest with you – one of the toughest jobs I’ve had as a designer is with my own site! I’m currently redesigning it for a Drupal platform and find no end of difficulties switching from end user to content administrator to designer and then to engineer. I’m just too close to it to get a clear view of any of it.
That being said, this is not an unusual situation. Many companies/organizations effectively do the same thing by not allocating enough resources to the usability requirements analysis. Time after time, I run into situations where the developers have produced, to the best of their ability, a ‘functionally complete’ application. But when the product is about to launch (i.e. when the people ‘upstairs’ and the beta users finally see it) there’s a sudden wealth of feedback about how it ‘should’ have been done. I don’t think anybody is to ‘blame’ for this situation (which happens more often than not). I think much of it derives from a general (cultural?) problem where functionality is seen as the only real (i.e. budgeted for) objective.
My belief is that if an application is not usable then it is effectively not functional. I define usability as ‘practical functionality’. Achieving practical functionality within a given project requires a conscious recognition of the importance of usability requirements analysis.
So getting back to your situation, it sounds like you were asked to gather usability requirements and at the same time formulate a functionality strategy for the system. If that is the case, then your job was almost impossible. From personal experience I would say it is highly inefficient to be simultaneously a usability designer and developer. Over the years I have functioned in both capacities - but never at the same moment! It takes a lot to switch one’s mindset and frame of reference from user-focused design to technology-focused development. It’s much, much more efficient to work in teams with people playing their strongest respective roles.
Sadly, the people who make budget decisions are often not aware enough about this basic reality of software creation. (And many don't even see building web sites as 'software creation'.) Business execs generally don't need to know the intricacies of how technology works so they often have to make budget/planning decisions with scant information. The problem is bad enough inside the high tech industry but I would guess that it's more pronounced in places such as libraries. Does that sound true?
In my own experience, I repeatedly hear (after the fact, when a project is failing) that there had been no budget for sufficient usability analysis or proper user interface design. I think this comes from a lack of understanding (on the part of decision makers) of what the true cost really is. Money ‘saved’ in the planning and design stages will be burned many times over in lost productivity. Would you not agree?
If you (Wendy or any one else reading this) do agree, tell me this: what would be useful to help make this argument with your business administrators? What could help them understand how to fund the project properly? Statistical studies? White papers? Blog rants from end users?
I’m throwing the question out there, knowing that the answers can/do fill endless books – but please feel free to chip in anyway!
Thanks again Wendy for taking the time to talk about the situation at your library.
Michael www.TheUserAdvocateGroup.com