Sunday, November 25, 2007

IKnowU, software development, usability and our users

How does the name "IKnowU" relates to what I've been working on for the past five years? I created the name IKnowU to mean the need for designing user interfaces based on the knowledge of the user. I haven't exactly worked with user interface adaptation as you might think at first. I have been working with software development processes and usability techniques aiming at making people with background knowledge on each of these two different areas communicate better.

Actually, my "users" ... just to explain, I call my users professionals or researchers who can profit from the research ideas produced up to now related to bridging the gap between software engineering and human computer interaction. Well, they are concerned with their users, who will interact with systems via user interfaces. It is their goals (both of my users and of their users) that this interaction will be the best possible. Therefore, it is expected that user interfaces are designed taking into consideration their actual users. Why? Well, in your case, do you like to use systems that seem to take you into account?

Of course, we are all users of one kind of system or another, but you are probably also an IT professional or researcher. So, what do you think that is lacking in your company or in your lab to better consider users' interests and improve the usability of the systems you develop, or design, or test, or manage...?

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