Use Problems

Christelle Harkema - TUe

The designer makes decisions on the design of a product during the design process, about the looks & feel, the functionality, the interaction of the product, etc. A part of the interaction is about how the user will use the product. What will he do first, where will he be looking for connections. The designer makes decisions about the intended use. When the expectations of the designer about the use do not match the expectations of the user, use problems are likely to happen.

The problem for companies in the consumer electronics industry are the increasing costs of product returns and repairs, due to the ever growing number of usability problems. The costs are currently estimated to be $13,8 billion for US, which is believed to only represent the peak of the iceberg. 50 to 70% of the problems with returned products have a non-technical origin.

Previous research showed that the decisions, related to use problems, are made in the wide scope of the new product development process. Due to uncertainties in the development process incorrect decisions are made. Taking away the uncertainties around usability in the development process will lead to less usability problems. Generating information about the consequences of usability problems in the field, the usability risk, will help to reduce the uncertainties in the new product development process.

Main research question

How to estimate in the new product development process the risk of usability problems in the field?