14 November 2006 marked World Usability Day. With over 210 events in 39 countries, this earth day style event promotes the value of user-centred design and every user's right to ask for things that work better.
Also in South Africa the day focused on raising awareness and visibility of usability engineering and user-centred design.
The importance of usability is not trivial; it is connected to important everyday things such as education, healthcare and safety. Tools and systems that are usable are more effective in teaching students. Healthcare professionals can be more confident with safer and understandable tools providing better quality healthcare to their patients. Government institutions can rely on easy to use and understandable Web sites making it easier for the population to be informed. Usable technology makes a difference to everyone, everywhere around the world.
The local organising committee together with the Computer Society of South Africa presented a seminar with the theme "Making Life easier using IT".
The seminar was attended by representatives from many different sectors ranging from financial institutions to tertiary education to software development companies.
Darelle van Greunen, the co-ordinator of the World Usability Day event, paid tribute to specific institutions in South Africa that have made a large contribution to the theme of 2006. For their efforts, these institutions were presented with a World Usability Day Making Life Easy award.
The institutions that have made a real contribution to the everyday lives of individual South Africans are The African Drive Portal Project under the auspices of SAP CEC Research in Pretoria and the e-Innovation Academy from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
Both these groups have worked towards achieving not only usability in their respective application areas but to also use information technology to assist people from the local communities in their quest for information. By using innovative ideas to take new initiatives to rural and urban areas, these institutions have brought technology to those who are in need of social upliftment.
Other speakers at the seminar included Richard Halford, a user interface specialist from FNB Cellphone Banking. Halford gave an overview of issues relevant to designing usable interfaces for cellphone banking within the South African environment. His presentation focused on usability and security and best practices to ensure effective cellphone banking for the banking population of South Africa.
A further presentation on Web site design and information architecture was given by Nathalie Williams from Usable Planet. Williams focused on the practical tips of how to successfully design the navigation and layout of a Web site to ensure intuitive access to information. She also gave some practical examples of good copywriting, ie making the text simple and easy to understand.
Companies wishing to know more about usability and related issues, can contact either the CSSA Secretariat in Midrand or Darelle van Greunen on e-mail address: Darelle.vanGreunen@nmmu.ac.za, or via the Internet on www.worldusabilityday.co.za.
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