Usability evaluation: a survey of software development organizations

The importance of usability engineering in software development is acknowledged by an increasing number of software organizations. This paper reports from a survey of the practical impact of usability engineering in software development organizations. The survey was conducted in Southern Italy, replicating one conducted in Northern Denmark three years earlier. The results show that the number of organizations conducting some form of usability activities is nearly the same, but there are important differences in the understanding of usability. The key advantages emphasized by the respondents are product quality, user satisfaction and competitiveness in both surveys. The main problems emphasized are developer mindset, resource demands and customer participation.