ISSUE-53: augment general usability wisdom because you are operating on a fringe (as is WAI) (Public Comnment)

ISSUE-53: augment general usability wisdom because you are operating on a fringe (as is WAI) (Public Comnment)

http://www.w3.org/2006/WSC/Group/track/issues/53

Raised by: Bill Doyle
On product: Note: use cases etc.

>From public comments
raised by: Al Gilman Alfred.S.Gilman@ieee.org

http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-usable-
authentication/2007Apr/0000.html


augment general usability wisdom because you are operating on a fringe (as is 
WAI) 
where it says, in 10.1 Reliance on general usability expertise
These aims are also a prerequisite for
   usable security. Listed below are design principles, drawn from the
   research literature, recognized by the Working Group as relevant to
   usable security.
please consider
General usability wisdom is necessary, but not sufficient.  Neither for 
accessibility, nor for the security aspect of the browsing experience.

Specifically seek expertise related to usability under
adapted-delivery-context conditions such as are used by people
with disabilities.  General usability expertise is not sufficient to 
assure usability that is robust in the face of variations in user ability and
situation.  Take specific steps to broaden the base in
usability-related expertise that you tap as regards diversity in user
ability and situation.  'Ability' means tap assistive technology trainers
and Rehabilitation Engineers.  'Situation' means tap the resources
of the Ubiquitous Web Initiative.
Why? 
Security operates outside the sweet spot of usability.  Safety and security 
have operating points where the likelihood of the downside is unusually small 
and the significance of the downside is unusually large.  For this reason it's 
incumbent to benchmark what works in safety and security, and not just 
usability, and especially not just HCI usability, in the small.  Likewise, 
robust usability for people with disabilities can be achieved through 
universal design, but it takes structuring the query; just looking for 
anything that matches the epithet 'usability' will not assure you of success.

Received on Tuesday, 17 April 2007 12:17:22 UTC