Practical coverage of handheld usability issues/tools, 4 Oct 2002

The book starts with initial 'grounding' for readers - covering issues including the challenges of designing for handheld products compared to desktop products.

The sections about Information Architecture, Prototyping and Usability Testing offer excellent insights and practical methods. These sections will teach 'new-comers' to the field all they need to know - and will provide new perspectives and ideas for current practitioners of handheld usability.

Information Architecture, Prototyping and Usability Testing are the fundamental tools in creating products that are usable - and this book covers them in-depth and with a practical style.

This is the only book currently to offer a comprehensive approach to designing handheld usability and is a must for all those involved with handheld design.

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Essential, 14 Oct 2003

Such innovation is just amusingly clever on a PC, but on the small screens of handheld devices, it is essential. A good user interface converts a small device from a limiting gadget to a useful tool. European consumers’ ‘wapathetic’ response to WAP-enable phones was due to over hyping by the telecommunications industry, but also poor usability of the devices.
So a textbook on the topic is certainly appropriate.

Handheld usability defines handheld devices as highly portable machines that can operate with no cables and can be operated within one’s hand. In addition, they must either allow the addition of applications or support internet connectivity. So the book’s focus includes handheld computers (such as Palm-powered machines and Pocket PCs) and mobile phones (with WAP, i-mode or email connectivity) but excludes devices such as music players.

Naturally the discussion includes details of devices that are obsolete. Such is usually the case with any discussion of the details in information technology. But the principles are timeless and the practices will remain practical.
Perhaps the most useful chapter is the one on prototyping. Weiss’ advice is that this should be done with a pen and several pieces of paper. For example the designer would draw the first screen on the paper. The user would then say what he or she expects to see on interacting with each element of the “screen”. During this feedback, the designer would draw the next screen, and again ask the user what he or she expects. This technique is of course cheap but I was surprised by its effectiveness. No doubt Weiss’ clients also found it useful.

If your team is designing applications for handheld devices, consider hiring Weiss. If you cannot afford that, buy his book. You cannot afford not to.

Review appeared in British Medical Informatics Today, Issue 41

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