Usability Centric Product Design
Less than a decade ago it was fairly common for usability testing to be formally conducted in closed-door sound proof rooms with a facilitator driving the discussions with potential end users and product teams watching the process from outside the room to interpret results first hand. There used to be most valuable player (MVP) discussions with feedback coming in from a select set of end users especially for large enterprise software. While all of these continue to happen today, the whole process and timing of usability testing has significantly changed. The change is being driven by several factors including technology evolutions such as social, mobile and cloud computing, the way end users interpret and use products, their willingness to participate early on in product design and engineering, the kind of products that are being developed, the start-up mentality and nimbleness quotient even amongst large organizations and overall how product organizations, both big and small are keen in upholding end user wants to retain and enhance market-share.
