November 2003 - Posts

• Sidebar API usability study

  We just finished up a usability study investigating the new Sidebar and Tile APIs. We asked participants to write code to accomplish the following: Create a tile that says 'Hello World'. Create a tile that displays an image covering the whole tile and Read More... Posted Wednesday, November 26, 2003 4:43 PM by stevencl | 6 Comments Filed under: API Usability

• Using the cognitive dimensions, continued - learning style

  Here's the next howto on how to analyse an API using the cognitive dimensions framework. As always, your comments are much appreciated!   For each user goal that the API supports, describe the minimum understanding of the API that the user needs Read More... Posted Monday, November 24, 2003 8:36 PM by stevencl | 0 Comments Filed under: API Usability

• More cognitive dimensions links

  I should have posted these a while ago... Alan Blackwell works on the cognitive dimensions framework as part of his larger research program on the psychology of programming and has many useful links to papers etc on his page. Thomas Green  originally Read More... Posted Friday, November 14, 2003 11:56 AM by stevencl | 0 Comments Filed under: API Usability

• Sign up for a usability study

  If you'd like to get the chance to participate in an API usability study and give us your feedback about Avalon, Indigo, WinFS or other APIs, sign up as a usability participant at http://www.microsoft.com/usability/ . We're running studies fairly regularly Read More... Posted Friday, November 14, 2003 11:49 AM by stevencl | 9 Comments Filed under: Usability

• Using the cognitive dimensions framework to design usable APIs

  Describes how to combine scenario based design, task analysis and the cognitive dimensions framework when designing an API. Read More... Posted Friday, November 14, 2003 11:38 AM by stevencl | 5 Comments Filed under: API Usability

• Experts and non experts

  I had an interesting conversation with a colleague of mine last week. We were discussing the extent to which full details of a technology or feature should be exposed to end-users. We were discussing this issue in the context of the IDE specifically, Read More... Posted Monday, November 03, 2003 3:42 PM by stevencl | 9 Comments Filed under: Usability, API Usability