Usability Engineering: Scenario-Based Development of Human-Computer Interaction
Provides a different and essential perspective of advancing and analyzing the development of interactive systems.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Usability Engineering: Scenario-Based Development of Human-Computer Interaction
Chapter 1: Scenario-Based Usability Engineering
During the 1990s scenario-based software development techniques became increasingly prominent in software engineering and human-computer interaction. Anecdotal reports suggest that they are pervasive in contemporary software development practice. A study of 15 software companies in northern Europe reported that all were using various scenario-based techniques. Most of the projects used scenarios in the iterative development and analysis of prototypes. Scenarios were found to be especially useful in helping development teams reach sufficient agreement to enable work to proceed, and in ensuring consistency with predecessor systems. Two of the projects turned to scenario-based techniques after the standard software development methods they had been employing became too cumbersome! All of the projects surveyed emphasized the need for more comprehensive scenario-based methods (Weidenhaupt, et al. 1998).
Overview
This introductory chapter discusses the problems in software development that motivate the use of scenario-based development methods. It also provides an overview of the scenario-based framework that forms the basis for the rest of the book and the case study that will be used to illustrate the techniques. We start with a brief example of scenario-based design, then shift to a historical survey of issues in software and usability engineering. We conclude with a discussion of the major phases and methods employed in scenario-based development.
1.1 Design by Scenario: Marissa's Gravity Project
In the mid-1990s, the U.S. government initiated a broad program of research and development in computer networking called the National Information Infrastructure. One target of this program was public education. It was hoped...
Copyright Academic Press 2002 under license agreement with Books24x7
