What is meant by usability and what characteristics of an interface are used to assess a system’s usability?

Usability is a term to describe how easy it is to use a tool to get a task done. Pretty generic, eh?

I like to think of it as having the right tool at the right time to get the job done right.

When applied to software design, we say an app has high usability if a person can complete their task without complications. These complications could come from:

Buttons that are poorly labeled in comparison to what they do.

A step-by-step process that seems to have irrelevant steps to the main purpose of the task.

Confusing placement of interactive elements on the screen which don’t flow with the task.

Delays or long response times which seem to slow down the completion of the task.

Usability is all about the connection between the person’s expectation and the actual software flow. A person has imagined in their mind what they want to accomplish. They may not be aware of the number of steps or details it might take, but they want to complete their task.

If software is designed to force people to think the way data is structured and not how people think about accomplishing their task, then it has low usability. These apps are frustrating to use. Frustrated people don’t typically choose to use those apps, so businesses may lose customers. Sometimes they don’t lose customers but hurt their brand reputation by being know for a frustrating process. For software used by employees (who must use the software they're given), they not only may become frustrated with their job, but also may develop manual workarounds or otherwise create other inefficiencies to get their job done. This loss in productivity is multiplied across the organization and could affect morale and profitability.

The best way to gauge your software’s usability is to understand the thought process of the users by asking them. Create a prototype or regularly test a software application to get direct user feedback. This gives the software team insight to make stronger design decisions toward higher usability.

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