Beyond the Individual: Usability, Utility and Community.
A Keynote by Susan McGregor, Assistant Director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at the 14th Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS) 2018.
Why Usability?
The international standard ISO 9241–11 provides guidance on usability and defines it as “The extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use.”
Generally, usability of a technology should afford users the ability to do what they need to do. In lay man terms usability of a technology allows people to use it successfully. This makes it imperative to make technologies that people can use well and for researchers to listen, observe and credit the things that contribute and sometimes challenge the ability of people to use a technology. However it is important to to note that Usability != Utility.
What is Utility?
Utility is the “state of being useful, profitable or beneficial”. The idea that something is usable doesn’t always mean that it is also useful in a particular context. We can get technologies to be useful and usable by combining (Usable + Utility = Use) and understanding user goals and contexts. Researchers have been found to define the goals and context of use for a particular technology rather than the user. Thus the research community, should let the goals and contexts be defined by users rather than researchers unless if researchers have identified goals explicitly and worked with users closely, they are not the experts in what users are trying to do. Otherwise, researchers risk missing out on the user challenges and new research questions/problems that they might have otherwise not thought about.
How should User communities be engaged?
- Listen
Ask user community members about their needs and concerns given that the topic a researcher might be looking at such as privacy and security is not a user primary need/task.Try to elicit stories about their experiences, rather than asking why they do (or don’t) use a particular technology or process to learn more about who they are , what they are struggling with. Users know they should be doing more about their privacy and security just as most of us know we should be eating healthy or doing more exercise. Thus it is imperative to avoid asking users Why they are not doing a particular task or following a specified process!
2. Observe
Spend some time with the user community in an environment that is natural for them. When there just watch and see what happens to get a sense about the execution of the on going roles, tasks and activities.Make notes about anything that is unclear but don’t interrupt. Follow up with individuals to inquire about anything not understood.
3. Credit
Give credence to what you are hearing and seeing. It is important to appreciate that things are working the way they do for a reason-even if one may not understand what it is. People do what they do for reasons best known to them.Learning about communities is time-consuming thus seek allies within the community who are willing to act as translators or guides, but be mindful of their own constraints.Be as generous as you can be with your own expertise and connections
