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doi:10.1006/ijhc.2001.0486    
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Copyright © 2001 Academic Press. All rights reserved.

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Context of Use within usability activities

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MARTIN MAGUIRE

HUSAT Research Institute, Loughborough University, The Elms, Elms Grove, Loughborough, Leics, LE11 1RG, UKf1


Received 22 November 2000; 
accepted 24 April 2001. ;
Available online 4 March 2002.

Abstract

Designing for usability involves establishing user requirements for a new system or product, developing design solutions, prototyping the system and the user interface, and testing it with representative users. However, before any usability design or evaluation activity can begin, it is necessary to understand the Context of Use for the product, i.e. the goals of the user community, and the main user, task and environmental characteristics of the situation in which it will be operated. This paper describes the background to, and importance of, understanding Context of Use, and presents a process for performing a context analysis. The method described is particularly aimed at non-experts in the area of user-centred design and evaluation.

Author Keywords: context of use; user; task; environment; usability.

f1 m.c.maguire@lboro.ac.uk


 
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