Evaluating WIMP interfaces through the SUE approach

SUE (systematic usability evaluation) is a novel methodology based on the assumption that the evaluation of an interactive application must be conducted under different perspectives, each one focusing on a specific set of application features. The main characteristics of SUE are: (i) the combination of inspection techniques and user testing; (ii) the use of models for describing the application and identifying the objects relevant for the evaluation; (iii) the use of evaluation patterns, called abstract tasks, that precisely describe the evaluator's activity during the inspection. This paper describes how SUE can be applied for the inspection of interactive applications that adopt WIMP interfaces. In particular, the OO-WIMP model is introduced for specifying the interfaces, and a sample of abstract tasks for their inspection is provided. Fragments of inspection results, obtained by applying the abstract tasks to some commercial products, are also reported.