John Sorflaten , Ph.D., CPE, started out writing and directing training films and documanetaries then switched to UI design. The insouciant, Cheshire-cat smile of Alfred E. Newman characterizes the penetrating satire of Mad Magazine's writers and editors. Too bad we don't have time to watch it. We're too busy fixing applications developed with Alfred's philosophy. Test Early Good screen design requires usability testing early in the development cycle.
Designers try substitutes that all fail.
For example, dependence on user comments fails. Dependence soley on user representatives and solely on design walkthroughs fail. Usability outcomes from beta testing fail too, because beta results are too late. Usability changes become too costly to implement. Many managers in a hurry invoke ostrich mentality to solve their schedule problems.