Common criteria for usability review.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Software Engineering
• Usability Engineering

Background:

• Establishing effective user interfaces requires understanding diverse usability criteria.
• Several prominent frameworks exist, including those by Bastien and Scapin, Nielsen, Shneiderman, Dix et al., Preece et al., and ISO 9241-110.
• User characteristics are a prerequisite for defining and applying usability criteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a literature review of common usability criteria.
• To group and present usability approaches from key researchers and standards.
• To identify and explain shared usability criteria.

Main Methods:

• Literature review methodology.
• Synthesis and grouping of usability criteria from cited authors and standards.
• Analysis of common themes in usability evaluation.

Main Results:

• Identified common usability criteria: consistency, user control, ease of learning, flexibility, error management, reduction of redundancy, and system status visibility.
• Despite variations in specific approaches, a significant equivalence in adopted usability measures was observed.
• User characteristics are foundational for effective system design.

Conclusions:

• Common usability criteria are consistently recognized across different expert frameworks.
• While specific methodologies vary, the core principles for evaluating interface usability are largely equivalent.
• Understanding user characteristics is crucial for applying these usability criteria effectively.