World Usability Day mobilises usability professionals in over 40 countries to raise awareness of usability through a series of public events. The theme for 2008 was transportation, with a focus on how we access and use transportation, and the role that transport systems, processes, and infrastructure play in shaping our society and culture. This year, Optimal consultants contributed to events in Auckland, Wellington and Sydney.

Auckland: First into the air

On the 13th of November Optimal Usability’s Auckland office held its first World Usability Day celebrations with a breakfast event held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

With the promise of Optimal’s famous ‘usability gift’ and a full cooked breakfast on the menu, the turnout to this year’s event was fantastic. Shailesh Manga introduced this year’s theme and, having got the ball rolling with poor usability examples from the transport industry, turned to a discussion of aspects of Air New Zealand’s self service.

Ed Sims from the Air New Zealand executive team then provided a fascinating glimpse into the heart of a large and complex organisation that not only takes notice of, but also takes action on the feedback received from both customers and employees alike. Ed reminded us to be mindful of usability factors when designing products and the interview proved to be the highlight of the event.

Next on the agenda was Sam Ng talking about Optimal Usability’s latest usability assessment tool - ChalkMark.

By taking a simple image and turning it into a clickable online task completion activity, ChalkMark can provide feedback from real users within hours, allowing time between design iterations to be significantly decreased. Best of all, design decisions can be based on an understanding the needs of the end users, ensuring they receive an optimal experience. Those working on the product can also finally feel confident of their direction during development and sure of success after completion. Thanks Sam!

All in all this year’s World Usability Day event was a resounding success and it was certainly great to have Ed Sims take part in the celebrations.

Wellington: Car nagging and card tagging

In Wellington, we had a different flavour. Trent Mankelow from Optimal Usability in Wellington and Gerry Gaffney from Information Design in Melbourne spoke with about 65 people who braved the 7am start be the first of the 170 events from around the world. (Well, first equal with Auckland).

We started out discussing the latest innovations in vehicle infotainment systems. These are systems that integrate the control of multiple devices in a single interface, and help control things such as the air-conditioning and stereo system. The latest versions of these devices (such as Ford and Microsoft’s Sync - watch the video) are voice activated, and will speak back commands to the driver. The most recent UX magazine, of which Gerry was the editor, had a number of interesting facts about the voices used in these systems. It seems that sexism and ageism are alive and well in the vehicle infotainment industry. For example: 

• BMW in Germany have just changed their voice system from a female voice to a male because male drivers got angry at being told what to do by a woman.
• Male voices typically get more attention and respect than female voices, from both males and female drivers.
• Older drivers apparently respond better to younger voices. One theory is that older drivers think of younger people as having better vision, and are more likely to see things that the driver may have missed.
• A perky voice can be irritating to a driver who is upset, but inspire better driving among happy drivers. For those who were upset, a calm, even slightly depressed-sounding voice actually improved their driving by 40%. 

We then talked about Hong Kong’s famed Octopus card, and our local equivalent, the brand new Snapper card. Passengers hold their Snapper card over a reader when they board the bus in Wellington and again as they get off. The reader on the bus uses GPS technology to deduct the appropriate fare. Audience members had a lot to say about the user experience when using the Snapper. Many found it difficult to check their balance and expensive to recharge, while others found they frequently forgot to "tag off" when leaving the bus, which meant they were charged the maximum fare.

In all, it was a fun morning with great views over the harbour capital.

Sydney: What would it take to get you out of your car?

In Sydney a day-long programme of speakers from different backgrounds tackled the transport theme. Between sessions, the attendees viewed and voted for the entries to a competition for transport-related insights and ideas.

This was the fourth time World Usability Day had been celebrated in Sydney, and included interesting speakers, plenty of volunteers and of course, good food! This year we used a seminar format, instead of the Open Day style of previous years. The organising group from the Sydney UPA chapter did a terrific job, thanks to months of careful preparation. Susan Wolfe, as past-president of the Sydney UPA chapter and one of the event organisers, did a great job of being MC for the day. The sessions were well-attended and a great rapport between the speakers and the audience developed over the course of the day.

While the first sessions looked at transport issues from a usability perspective, as the day progressed the range of speakers’ viewpoints broadened and we moved from the intimate (making personal transport choices) to the synoptic (considering human factors in bus and bicycle transport system planning). It was fascinating to see how some of the core concepts of usability and user-centred design have spread beyond IT into the design of transport networks and other systems, and how even some familiar technologies - such as eye tracking - are being applied to research into topics such as driver awareness of cyclists.

After the last session, judging of the design and photo exhibition became a contest between two entries that both analysed and redesigned the mess of unreadable and almost incomprehensible signage used in Australia to indicate kerbside parking restrictions. Both showed keen observation and insight, but the ultimate People’s Choice winner used a clock-face design to simplify different restrictions and time zones into an outstandingly simple display.

Finally, after a rich and rewarding day, the sense of professional community carried on into the evening at a nearby open-air bar. This was the best Sydney WUD ever, and with many new faces becoming involved the event promises to get better yet.