January 2010


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Savvy organizations know that it simply isn’t enough for their information portals and websites to be functional. Not if they want to maximize revenue. To satisfy web-based end user needs and to remain competitive in the online community, websites must be intuitive. Designers must be able to fit themselves fully into the users’ shoes. Websites and web services that are useful, usable, and appealing must put the user at the centre of the website design process. Designing web interfaces according to user-oriented guidelines usually significantly increases (2-10 times) the website’s profitability, as well as increases the chance that key messages are communicated to the user.

To help organizations achieve a powerful and effective online presence, the Faculty of Science & Agriculture’s Usability Lab (UL) at The UWI held a one-day training workshop on Modern Consumer-Oriented Website Design (http://www2.sta.uwi.edu/usability) in December 2009.

The workshop was organized by the Business Development Unit of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture. There were 13 participants from the Ministries of National Security, Foreign Affairs, Information, Agriculture, Legal Affairs and Sports & Youth Affairs; as well as from the National Library and Telios Systems Ltd. The workshop provided training on the latest international trends in user-centered design for building efficient, effective, user-satisfying, competitive and highly profitable websites and web-based services.

This understanding helped workshop participants define ways to improve their current website designs.

The full-day event combined lectures, practical training and testing of workshop participants’ websites in the UL. Participants were trained in:

  • Modern principles of user-oriented web design and development
  • Maximising user productivity with highly effective website design
  • Avoiding costly design mistakes by properly implementing a proven user-centered design approach
  • Applying user-centered design integration during the website creation process
  • Applying practical website design know-how
  • Conducting usability testing

The usability testing of participants’ websites uncovered considerable usability problems and led to development of proposals for improvement.

Attendees took away a complete set of user-centered website design principles that they could quickly implement within their organizations.

The Usability Lab
The UL is the Caribbean’s foremost usability resource for promoting usability practices within the Caribbean by providing usability testing facilities, resources and services including analysis, engineering and design of ICT systems and industrial products in addition to offering training in these areas.

In well-equipped stationary and mobile usability labs, users are studied interacting with a system. That interaction is evaluated to determine the system's usability. Types of products analysed include web-based and desk-top applications; large, and small (including mobile technology) hardware devices and even entire workplaces. The UL will help to develop leading edge products through unbeatable user experiences.

The Usability Laboratory promotes and facilitates innovation and quality through academic-industry relationships within many areas of Human-Computer Interaction: user-centered design, usability and interaction design.

Types of products studied in the UL

  • Traditional to web-based or multi-media systems
  • Most types of software or web-based services, e.g. eCommerce, informational, educational or entertainment websites, mCommerce or online information services.
  • Most types of hardware, e.g. kiosk systems, mobile computing (mobile phones, PDAs).
  • Industrial products, e.g. TVs, washing machines, refrigerators, ovens with displays.
  • Most types of procedures, e.g. assembly procedures, task instructions, software installations, and so on.
  • Workplace design and workplace furniture—elements to consider in purchasing, layout and deployment

UL services

User-Centered Design and Development
User-oriented design and development of interactive systems and products like websites, software, mobile devices, etc.

Usability Testing
Usability tests in the Caribbean’s first usability lab

Personalization
Design and development of user-adapted/personalized interactive systems and products.

Emotive design
Design and development of interfaces that adaptively and positively appeal to the emotions of the user.Usability, personalization and emotive design are hi-tech approaches for any web-based services and websites. They can increase web user productivity and satisfaction; decrease user errors, training time and need for user support.

Human-oriented workplace design

For More Information:
 Contact: Dr. Alexander Nikov (head of UL) Usability lab, Frank Stockdale Building, The University of the West Indies. Phone: 6622002 ext. 4127/3117 alexander.nikov@sta.uwi.edu, www2.sta.uwi.edu/~anikov The Business Development Unit: 662-3719, Fax: 663-9686 /662-1182