Title: 'Soft' usability problems with consumer electronics: the interaction between user characteristics and usability

Authors: Chajoong Kim; Henri Christiaans

Addresses: Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Landbergstraat 15, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands. ' Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Landbergstraat 15, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands

Abstract: The paper reports a study into consumers' 'soft' usability problems they experience using electronic household products. These problems cannot be traced back to a specification violation failure, classified as no failure found (NFF). The aim of this study is to find a relationship between consumers' soft usability problems and their personal characteristics, encompassing demographical and cognitive aspects. The complaints collected through an exploratory survey were classified into three categories of soft usability problems. The findings indicate that demographic, socioeconomic and cultural characteristics as well as personal traits show significant correlations with these problem categories. Based on the data preliminary user profiles were made. By providing a new definition of usability problems and by user profiling, this study is expected to help design teams to get a better understanding of their target group. The implications of these findings for the product development process are discussed.

Keywords: soft usability problems; user characteristics; user profiles; user experience; cultural diversity; consumer electronics; household products; personal characteristics; demographics; cognition; culture; personal traits; design teams; product development; product design.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2012.047938

Journal of Design Research, 2012 Vol.10 No.3, pp.223 - 238

Received: 31 Mar 2011
Accepted: 09 Feb 2012

Published online: 30 Aug 2014 *

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