Usability-Errors

From openSUSE

Tracking usability issues via Bugzilla

• If you want to create a new usability bug in Novell Bugzilla, you have to select "Usability" in the "Component" list and determine a severity level in the "Severity" combobox.
• This seems to be easy, but the experience shows that many usability bugs belong to other product components, e.g. mobile devices, X-Server, etc.
• This short tutorial will inform you how to use the component and severity list like an expert ;).

Is your bug an usability bug? -- Which item should you select in the "Component" combo box?

There is a problem to make a clear cut between usability bugs and other bugs. Usability problems can come from multiple sources like usability testing, tech support feedback, QA, and one's own early use of the application.

Even if the user cannot go on working, lost his data and is very angry, the usability problem might be a secondary problem and not the primary one. Generally, the real usability bug is located in the design of the user interface and not based on the lack of hardware functionality or support.

One help could be to check if you can sort your bug into one of the following topics:

• The user cannot understand the information given by the system (gulf of evaluation)
• The user has a specific goal, but cannot execute this with the system (gulf of execution)
  

Usability bugs describe problems similar to this ones:

• The general use of the interface is very complicate, you can design it more easy with less dialogs, e.g. you can merge dialog 2 with dialog 3 -- or: you should split dialog 3 into two parts
• The elements at the dialog page are not self explaining because the used wording is hard to understand, even for expert users
• The button "abc" is not placed at its standard location
• The user cannot understand the sorting in the provided selection menu, what is the logic behind?
• The user cannot verify its username in the login-manager, the height of the text entry field is too small and the font is cut
  

Usability bugs do not describe such problems:

• I cannot make "suspend to disk" with my motherboard "abc"
• My graphics accelerator "efg" was not detected during installation with your distribution
• The system load is up to 100% during use of software "xyz"
• I cannot connet to the update source "qwertz"

Which item should you select in the "severity" combo box? Use of severity codes

Similar to other bugs, the usability bug has a severity level. Our use of level is parallel to the other bugs. (Status: 2007-01-10)

Please use one of the following values:

• Blocker or Critical
  • A catastrophic usability problem that causes system failure or unrecoverable loss of data
  • A usability bug that is likely to cause frequent data integrity errors.
  • These problems have no workaround.
• Major
  • A serious condition that impairs the operation, or continued operation, of one or more product functions and cannot be easily circumvented or avoided.
  • The software does not prevent the user from making a serious mistake.
  • The usability problem is frequent, persistent, and affects many users.
  • Standards are seriously violated.
• Normal
  • A limited problem (no data lost or system failure).
  • It does not hinder operation and can be temporarily circumvented or avoided.
  • The problem causes users moderate confusion or irritation.
• Minor
  • Noncritical problems or general questions about the product.
  • There are minor inconsistencies that cause hesitation or small aesthetic issues like labels and fields that are not aligned properly.
  • The problem is rare and causes no data loss or major loss of time.

Special item:

• Enhancement
  • Use enhancement if you have a kind of usability feature request and not a real bug.
  • It is possible to transfer enhancement bugs into the Feature Tool.

References

• Usability Severity Codes - A resource list from stcsig.org, find the *.doc-document in the section "Conducting Usability Tests"
• A forum member asks, 'What is a convenient severity scale for classifying usability problems?' - read Chauncey Wilson's respond here
• Thoughts of Jakob Nielson
• Article in interactions, may+june 2001: Wilson, Ch. & Coyne K. (2001) Tracking Usability Issues: To Bug or Not to Bug?. pp. 15