In-process Usability Problem Classification, Analysis and Improvement

In recent years, more organizations began to address usability problems to improve their competitive position and foster customer loyalty. Although there are some classification schemes to address usability problems, there is no cause-effect framework to enable in-process usability feedback and improvement. Orthogonal defect classification (ODC) had been widely used in software development process, but with insufficient attention to usability problems. In this paper, we present a classification and analysis framework to integrate usability practices with ODC framework. With our framework, the cause-effect relationship can be identified. By addressing the usability problems during the whole development cycle, human computer interface (HCI) and software process can be improved together. A case study was conducted to demonstrate the viability and effectiveness of our framework.