What is the Usability Body of Knowledge?
The Usability BoK is a Usability Professionals’ Association projectThe Usability Body of Knowledge (BoK) project is dedicated to creating a living reference that represents the collective knowledge of the usability profession. Preliminary work has started, but there is more to do. This website introduces the subject areas that will eventually be included in the Usability Body of Knowledge and a preview of what to come. Please remember that this site is a draft for the purpose of gathering your feedback as you visit the pages. Send your thoughts!
Subject Areas
- Methods
- Description of usability and user-centered design techniques for gathering user needs, identifying usability problems, and collecting feedback.
- Design
- Principles and best practices for designing user interface that are easy to use.
- Organizational Topics
- Answers to common questions about managing usability teams, integration usability into software development, introducing usability.
- Research Issues
- What can practitioners can learn from the latest research and emerging issues? Is there new evidence to challenge established orthordoxies, or research to substantiate the value of specific methods and techniques? These are the questions that will be referenced in this section.
- Professional Development
- Opportunities to learn more about usability and to expand your professional skills.
- Related Fields
- Description of related fields like human factors, cognitive ergonomics, graphic design, and social psychology, which contribute to usability as a multidisciplinary field.
- Reading Lists
- On-line sources, books and papers that would be especially useful to active practitioners, people new to the field, and anyone who wants to explore more deeply.
- Glossary
- Definitions of common terms related to usability and user-centered design.
