Prototypes

A prototype is an inexpensive yet very valuable instrument. It can be used for feasibility or usability testing, or as a proof of concept tool. Userthink offers different prototyping services to address the goals of your project. The prototype tools may be functional or non-functional, depending on their uses or their intended audiences.

Userthink can provide interactive demos of varying fidelity to assist your organization in different ways. A conceptual user interface (CUI) is a lower fidelity tool that may be used for usability testing. It consists of interactive wireframes, or functional screen designs, that can be tailored to emphasize tasks or work-flows of interest to the testing program. This tool is an excellent means to collect data without the expense of the full visual design.

Another possibility is to develop the graphical user interface and create a canned or scripted screen flow to address specific task flows or usability issues.

Research

Userthink consultants earned advanced degrees in human factors and cognitive psychology. You may question the significance of those achievements, but many usability and design professionals do not possess the knowledge, skills or abilities to create user interfaces that capitalize on the strengths of and offset the weaknesses of human operators.

The professionals that make up Userthink understand the cognitive and physiological capabilities and limitations of human beings. These principles include many issues relevant to interface design, whether that interface is a computer screen, a cellular phone, or the control panel of a dialysis machine. Inherent in usable design is attention to the relationships between users and their environments. We know how people process information. We understand the implication of task load and how it impacts human performance. We are familiar with training principles and how best to promote retention. Userthink has the tools to help your organization fulfill its goals.