Welcome. Our aim is to give a monthly overview of the main events and debates in the Usability world. We also hope to provide a good introduction to the code for those of you new to the concept in the form of a multipart introduction, Usability, an introduction. This month we are highlighting Mobile applications and we've got the low down on Online Banks with a summary of one of our most recent studies. Now to get us into a festive mood..

 
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, nothing was clicking, not even a mouse.
Amazon's stocking was bulging, Ebay was well fed, but little old Etoys had long been dead.
Old Father Jakob had come to these shores, to preach usability, over the snores.
Back on the net, flash and porn sites still reigned, but every year their takings waned.
Agencies scrambled to make new deals
While businesses wondered how their site "feels".
Usability had become the new catchphrase, almost as big as the boy wizard craze.
Lists were being written and popped in the post, Usability comes top, at least on most.
So when writing your budget try not to forget
Usability spells success… on the net

Merry Christmas

In Oliver Stone's business thriller: 1987s Wall Street, Gordon Gekko strolls along a beach, barking instructions to one of his lackeys down his mobile phone. We see him slowly turn around and the phone is revealed... today, viewers find themselves wondering why he's talking into something that looks more like a clown's shoe than a phone. The simple truth is, that in 1987 even tycoons had phones the size of bricks.

Now that times have changed and around 70% of us possess a wireless app, the features, are advancing at a faster rate than ever before. The problem now is, that while Gordon Gekko could use his brick, he'd have a bit more trouble mastering all the features on a palm pilot or a communicator.

What's the answer?

Read more about Mobile Applications

Usability is a science which is aimed at maximising the benefits we receive from our various and multiple screen technologies.

Read more about Usability 

There's a great argument to suggest that usability is the Darwinism of the online world. Great academic debates rage in the various seats of learning, the Dinosaurs refuse to evolve and die out in a sudden implosion and those who change over time survive to become stronger. 

The Usability Company recently undertook some site testing across 8 different online banking services.