Usability of workplaces: phase two: philosophy and concepts

The purpose of this paper is introduce basic principles and to stimulate further discussion about the philosophical and conceptual underpinnings of usability, to enable the development of robust theory and to support practical applications in the built environment. The paper introduces the background to an international action research project, now in its seventh year. Research organisations from nine countries, together with industrial partners from different sectors, are collaborating to understand the nature of usability and user experience, to identify develop practical methods for improvement and to promote an inclusive, participatory approach to adaptation of the built environment. Early work in the project focused on the dimensions identified in international standards that apply to the usability of consumer products – efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction. Later work has identified other key concepts – context, culture, situation and experience - that underlie efforts to understand and improve usability in the built environment. The paper concludes that usability is a cultural phenomenon that can only be improved through a better understanding user experience, considered as situated action in a specific context. The paper discusses practical implications for built environment professions and for the development of design and management processes and raises specific issues for usability research in the built environment