From: martin@DMI.USherb.CA (Jean-francois Martin)
Newsgroups: comp.human-factors
Subject: Guidelines
Date: 22 Jan 93 19:00:24 GMT
Organization: Universite de Sherbrooke -- Dept. d'Informatique

Dear Mr, Claudy
 
Your questions are interesting to me because I'm doing something very
similar myself. Yes, there is a bunch of usability guidelines in the field.
Here is a list of references that might interest you:
 
1. Bastien, C.  Validation de criteres ergonomiques pour l'evaluation d'interfaces 
utilisateurs, INRIA, 1991.  
 
2. Chin, J. P. et al. Development of an Instrument Measuring User Satisfaction of the 
Human-Computer Interface, dans Proceedings of ACM CHI'88 Conference on Human 
Factors in Computing Systems, 1988, pp. 213-218.
 
3. Cote, V. et St-Denis, R.  Methode d'evaluation de logiciels, Universite de Sherbrooke, 
1990.  
 
4. Ebner, R. et al.  "A comparative evaluation of graphical user-interfaces", 
dans SIGCHI Bulletin, vol. 22, No. 1, (1990), pp. 12-15.
 
5. Galitz, W. O. User-Interface Screen Design, QED Information Sciences, Inc., 
1992, 532 pages.
 
6. Paap, K. R. et Roske-Hofstrand, R. J. Design of Menus, dans Handbook of 
Human-Computer Interaction, New York, Elsevier Science 
Publishing Company Inc, 1988, pp. 205-235.
 
7. Pollier, A.  Evaluation d'une interface par des ergonomes: diagnostics et strategies, 
INRIA, 1991.  
 
8. Scapin, D. L. Decyphering Human Factors recommendations, dans Proceedings
of the 2nd International Conference on human Aspects of Advanced Manufacturing 
and Hybrid Automation, Honolulu, 1990
 
9. Tullis, T. S. Screen Design, dans Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction, 
New York, Elsevier Science Publishing Company, 1988, pp. 377-411.
 
10. Aschehoug, F.  Construction d'une base de recommandations pour le diagnostic 
ergonomiques des interfaces multi-fenetres, Rapport Convention CNET, 1989.  
 
11. Bastien, C. et Scapin, D. L.  "A validation of Ergonomics Criteria for the Evalution of 
the Human-Computer Interfaces", dans International Journal of Human-Computer 
Interaction, vol. 4, No. 2, (1992), pp. 183-196.
 
12. Cook, P., Woods, McDonald.  "Evaluating the human engineering of
microprocessor-controlled operating room devices", dans Journal of Clinical Monitoring, 
No. 7, (1991), pp. 217-226.
 
13. Scapin, D. L.  Guidelines for user interface design: knowledge collection and
organization, Esprit II report to the ECC, 1989.  
 
14. Scapin, D. L.  "Organizing human factors knowledge for the evaluation and 
design of interfaces", dans International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 
vol. 2, No. 3, (1990), pp. 203-229.
 
15. Woods, J., and Potter. The sophistry of guidelines: revisiting recipes for color 
use in human computer interface design, dans Proceedings of the Human Factors Society. 
36th Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA., 1992,.
 
16. Smith, S. L. et Mosier, J. N.  Guidelines for Designing User-System Interface 
Software, The Mitre Corporation, 1986.  
 
Hope this help.
 
I'm curious to know why you are collecting usability guidelines because I'm doing
things that are similar to what you describe. Beware, a lot of people will tell
you that evaluating existing software with guidelines is not a good idea because
it is too subjective. Well, is it more subjective than any other evaluation
methodology? I'm not sure about that.
 
My work consist of collecting guidelines that will serve to build a database for the
evaluation of user interface quality. The guidelines are transfomed in criterias.
So, I'm looking for things like:
"When the system is working for a long period of time, a message is displayed
to inform the user".
"Each screen is well identified"
"The use of icons is consistent in all parts of the system"
"Menus are well balanced"
"Screens are clear"
"The use od colors is consistent in all parts of the system"
...
 
You should see that these criterias "looks" to be a little bit of higher level
than design rules like: "Menu should not contains no more than seven choices".
I'll give you a problem on which you could think:
 
In one on the reference I gave you (Smith & Mosier), there is more than 944
guidelines! When you'll collect the guidelines, you'll have to make a choice.
On which criterias you'll decide to keep a specific guideline instead of
ignoring it? The answer is not easy, even if you set variables like:
 
the type of user interface you would like to build or evaluate,
the type of user who will use the system,
the context of use of the system,
the evaluator experience in human-factors,
etc.
 
Hope to hear from you.
 
JF Martin
Graduate student, Universite de Sherbrooke, Qc, Canada
"User Interface quality evaluation methodology using criterias"

-- 
================================================================================
= Jean-Francois Martin                                     martin@dmi.usherb.ca=
= Graduate student of Universite de Sherbrooke (je parle francais)             =
= "In complete darkness we are all the same" Janet Jackson                     =
Newsgroups: comp.human-factors