Abstract: Developers are encouraged to adhere to standards and follow principles and guidelines when designing screens. Each has its place and its limitations in designing screens. Because of the limited research behind current standards and because each product involves many considerations, just applying today's standards, principles, and guidelines does not guarantee good screen design. Designers should also test screen design with users in a usability test laboratory.

This paper discusses the importance of conducting laboratory usability testing. It focuses on the role of usability testing in the process of refining screen design. The paper also presents some of the major advantages that usability testing offers over other methods of improving screen design.

Keywords: Complex systems; Design; Empirical studies; Evaluation; Keyboard input; Models and theories; Prototyping; Screen output; Usability testing

Originally published: Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 30th Annual Meeting, 1986, pp. 1212-1215

Republished: G. Perlman, G. K. Green, & M. S. Wogalter (Eds.) Human Factors Perspectives on Human-Computer Interaction: Selections from Proceedings of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meetings, 1983-1994, Santa Monica, CA: HFES, 1995, pp. 61-64.