There are many subjects to explore in order to describe the usability profession, as well as all the related disciplines that have significant overlap with usability and user-centered design. The Usability BoK is constructed around 'Topics' - each page on the site is a stand-alone topic, with relationships to other topics.
- Users can get a clear summary of any particular topic without having to look in a number of different places.
- 'Related links' between topics allow users to follow connections from things they know to techniques and information that may be new to them.
- Topics provide a doorway to relevant information on the Web, through links to online articles and sites, as well as references to books and publications.
We decided, after reviewing a number of reference sites and descriptions of usability, that many organizing schemes risked 'freezing in time' a particular view of the profession and the knowledge that represents the profession. We also realized that, in the near future, categorization and semantic technologies would allow us to potentially represent the content in different ways for different user needs. As a result, we decided that a simple organizing scheme for the Usability BoK Web site itself could be sufficient, supported by rich cross-linking and categorization. The main navigation provides access to:
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What is Usability?
Introduction to the field, and its relationships to associated fields of practice and research. -
Usability Topics
Individual topics, organized by Methods, Design, and Managing UX. -
About the Usability BoK
Background on the project itself, providing information for people who may want to get involved or potential collaborators who are working on related resource sites.
If there is sufficient volunteer interest, future resources could include:
- Emerging Ideas & Research
- Reading List
- Tools & Templates
- Case Studies / Examples
Content Creation
The Usability BoK content is created and managed initially in a wiki (draft.usabilitybok.org - login required), shared by over 500 volunteers. The wiki provides a lot of flexibility when adding content to existing topics and allowing contributors to identify new topics. The process for contribution is:
