How do software engineers apply an early usability inspection technique? A qualitative study

Abstract

Usability inspections can be employed in early phases of the software development process. They improve usability through artifacts that are built during the development of the software. These artifacts will influence the usability of the developed software. Usability inspection techniques have been proposed and considered as an effective alternative for addressing usability issues in early phases. However, these techniques are often avoided by software engineers due to their lack of experience and knowledge in the field. Therefore, there is an opportunity to investigate how industry practitioners have employed an early usability inspection technique in practice. This paper describes an observational study in the industry aimed at eliciting the process used by software engineers when applying an early usability inspection technique. We analyzed the qualitative data, discussing their impact in the improvement of the technique. The results indicated which steps the software engineers adopted in the technique's application.