Framework for evaluating usability problems: a case study low-cost interfaces for thermostats

When an evaluation for detecting usability problems is conducted in low-cost thermostat interfaces, several usability problems can show up in one evaluation, and sometimes results are difficult to interpret to correct those problems. If an expert is not implementing, evaluating, and analyzing the test, part of the information could be lost. In addition, designers of interfaces need support in order to provide the most important usability problems. On the other hand, it is important that consumers of low-cost thermostat interfaces use the interface in a correct manner to save energy and time when they are installing and programming the thermostat. Therefore, the usability problems must be eliminated in interfaces before the consumer uses the interface. Thus, the critical usability problems, which drive thermostats to a catastrophe usability problem in the interfaces, have to be found and solved during the design stage to get a successful interface design in the early stages. This paper presents a framework based on information from experts and consumers to solve usability problems. Moreover, it gives a structure and guidelines for designing and evaluating thermostat interfaces. This proposal assumes that it is possible to use information from experts and consumers for detecting and solving usability problems. The framework includes information from experts who rank the usability problems, and then this information is used to design the time on task and success rate evaluations for end users during the design process.