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Usability -- The Irish Experience

by Tom Farrell  (WebWord Guest Author)

Ireland’s meteoric growth and current status as the world’s largest software exporter (larger even than the US) is already the stuff of IT folklore - or at least it is over here in Europe. Such a large and fast-growing industry, which emerged from almost nothing in the space of a dozen years or so, creates an interesting environment for those practicing usability. There is certainly a sizable potential market out there, in the shape of indigenous software houses and major web developments. The question is when the consultancy sector will catch up with them. 

The pace of growth has meant that those agencies and consultancies providing specialist services, which might be expected to grow alongside the software development sector, have been slow to emerge. This effect is particularly noticeable in the usability-engineering field. What expertise there is remains very firmly ‘in-house’ and, apart from ourselves in Frontend, there are few specialist consultancies in the area. 

Three factors are working to change this situation in Ireland:

1. As the software development industry and infrastructure matures, those companies that in their infancy had little option but to build GUI development teams in-house are now realizing that outsourcing interface design is a realistic, cost-effective and practical option. In fact there is a general trend toward out-sourcing throughout the software industry that is likely to make the practice of usability a more public affair. 
   

2. The country has witnessed a recent boom in web and Internet firms, many of which are acutely aware of the need for state-of-the-art usability. A  good proportion of these businesses outsource almost all development work, and as a result create a significant market for specialist organisations. 
   

3. There’s no doubt about it – usability is becoming more and more popular. Thanks to sites like Webword, and many others, there is absolutely no doubt that in Ireland there is a growing awareness of just how important tackling the usability issue can be to a successful business. 

Our experience certainly bears this out - over the last couple of years we have witnessed a sea change in attitudes to usability. When Frontend was founded in 1998, there was a tendency for a customer’s eyes to glaze over at the mention of user-requirement gathering or post-implementation testing. 

Jobs tended to be defined solely by the end product, be it an interface, a website, or whatever. To mention user testing or other such ‘arcane’ topics was to invite skepticism and accusations of ‘wasting money’! The most practical response in this case was to take the job anyway and work in whatever techniques we felt were necessary to the successful delivery of the end-product. 

In contrast, many of those approaching us today are already familiar with the concepts and techniques behind user-centred design and the development of usable interfaces. Some even ask for them by name. Our experience built up in the years before ‘usability’ became something of a buzzword stands us in good stead now the market is finally booming. 

If anything, we now have a problem convincing customers that a usability company can also provide the design expertise to provide a solution rather than just a list of problems. We undertake many projects which involve only usability analysis and user testing, with little or no design work. 

In this situation we suggest to clients that we carry out professional interaction design and visual design, rather than just handover evaluation reports and recommendations to their own development teams. 

About Frontend 

Frontend is a usability engineering and interface design consultancy with offices in Dublin and London. Our work combines usability analysis with a user-centred design process, assisting our clients in interface development from user requirement gathering to graphic design finalisation and implemtation. 

We can be contacted at mail@frontend.com

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