Usability Expert inquiry

[Kelly Miyashiro]

Hello,

I'm not sure if you guys got my email I sent from OpenUsability.org I
sent a few days ago, the site has gone down since then.

I was wondering if I could join your team as a UI Designer and
Usability Expert. I know you guys have been focusing on usability and
the interface recently and I'm very excited about that. I know you
have already gotten a lot of input from users and usability experts
alike, but I have yet to see talk of contextual interviews or
ethnographic observation, which should always start early and done
often. I believe I could contribute valuable and, most importantly,
concrete evidence of problems with amaroK's interface/workflow and how
they can be solved. I am aware that some major changes are already in
motion.

Sticking to conventions, past research, and heuristics is great; they
should always be taken into account by default. Usability Experts
(consultants) provide this analysis and expertise. User
complaints/feedback is also good, but all too often there are
contentious arguments about different aspects. But there are always
(ALWAYS) problems that go unseen and unheard by both the users and
experts. These are the kind of problems that can only be found through
user testing. These problems are often trivial to fix, have a large
impact, and are specific to the product.

I am an advocate of User Centered Design, which means the product is
designed around the user, and not the experts (usability expert or
coder). Yes, the usability expert has expertise and thinks he knows
users. Yes, the coder knows how to make awesome features the user
would love. But, the users are the best designers. This doesn't mean
dumbing down the interface for the lowest denominator, even experts
appreciate clarity.

Anyway, I'm sure you guys don't need this long spiel about usability
but I just wasn't sure what direction you guys were going in in terms
of usability and the process.

I wrote a long letter with all my credentials and why I would like to
help in my letter from OpenUsability.org but I don't have a copy of it
anywhere. I would be happy to talk about my qualifications if you are
interested.

Thank You,
Kelly Miyashiro