We wholeheartedly believe the most expensive type of project failure is having built software that no one ever uses. A close second? Software that is usable only by power users as opposed to the audience for which it was originally intended. To avoid these failures, the High-Tech Anthropology® team researches what makes users successful in their interactions with an application. We use the term "anthropologist" quite deliberately. The only way to understand what would make a new system successful is to study and observe its potential end users in their native environment. This includes gaining an understanding of the differences between users of the software, the kinds of mistakes each are prone to make, and how those differences should drive the design.
With an empathetic approach in mind, High-Tech Anthropologists® have a self-stated goal: to end human suffering in the world as it relates to technology™. They gather requirements by actually designing potential solutions and checking their design assumptions with representative users. This team includes experienced business analysts as well as those versed in the nuances of user interface design tools and techniques. In the process of creating a successful solution, High-Tech Anthropologists® utilize techniques such as job shadowing, personas, use cases, hand-drawn screen mockups, object models, workflow assessments, and high-level screen designs to ensure that the user's needs are met.
High-Tech Anthropologists® design, write storycards to outline implementation of the designs, and act as translators for both the users and the developers.
Recommended Reading
- The Inmates are Running the Asylum
by Alan Cooper - Don't Make Me Think
by Steve Krug - Planning Extreme Programming
by Kent Beck and Martin Fowler - The Rational Unified Process; An Introduction
by Philippe Kruchten
