Web Usability Today : Theories , Approach and Methods

The aim of this work is to introduce the constant transformation and evolution of the usability concept. An overview of methods, techniques and theories concerning usability is supplied. The reported review starts from the description of traditional ergonomic methods and models, coming to the suggestion of innovative theoretical and methodological proposals. We claim that usability should always take context into account when studying artifacts such as hardware and software, as they are not to be considered as mere tools, unrelated to the concrete situation in which they are used. Thus, usability has to be implemented within a cultural framework, from which actions take their meaning.

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