HumanCentric Joins International Usability Partners

[HumanCentric]

HumanCentric (www.humancentric.com), an integrated product design and development company, announces today that it has joined the International Usability Partners (IUP) as the U.S.A. usability research and design partner. This partnership of firms will establish uniform guidelines for testing and heighten credibility for the human factors and usability design industry.

The IUP (www.international-usability-partners.com) is a network of independent usability companies who have joined together to establish research and testing guidelines and provide user-experience services worldwide. Each partner is an expert in global user-experience design, specializing in the cultural and linguistic characteristics of their home country.

“I am pleased to join the IUP,” says Barry Beith president and CEO, HumanCentric. “Developing a set of standardized international guidelines is greatly beneficial to companies that look to expand their global market presence. In addition, being part of an international network of usability researchers allows us to provide more efficient cross-cultural usability testing to our clients.”

HumanCentric joins with international usability companies from seven other countries including: China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Providing standardized usability research, testing and design for 27 cultural markets, these eight companies will establish the gold standard for product usability design and testing.

One of the first IUP guidelines applies to the recruitment of usability test participants. According to the IUP, the risk of recruiting the wrong participants is much greater in international studies. Cultural differences, economic factors and the maturity of the local usability industry all affect the likelihood of success in finding the right people. IUP guidelines are available free to all usability practitioners through the IUP Web site at www.international-usability-partners.com.

A recent IUP study shows how users perform transactions with their mobile phones in Europe and China. This study is the first presentation made public by the group and was presented this past weekend at the Usability Professionals Association (UPA) Europe Conference in Turin, Italy. To view a PowerPoint of the research findings, visit http://www.amber-light.co.uk/iup/IUP...ionsReport.ppt.

About HumanCentric:
HumanCentric is an integrated design and development company with a foundation based on the commitment to make user-friendly products by studying and understanding the end user. HumanCentric leverages Human Factors, Design Research, Industrial Design, Graphic and Interaction Design and Design Engineering to simplify and enhance user experiences. At HumanCentric, the goal is to understand how users interact with a product or system and translate that understanding into a compelling solution–blending form with function, utility with usability, safety with satisfaction. HumanCentric is headquartered in Cary, N.C. with a regional office in Chicago. Visit www.humancentric.com.

About International Usability Partners:
IUP is a network of equals, run by all partners for their clients’ benefit. “IUP quality” stands for companies that offer world-class user experience services of consistently high quality in a reliable and efficient manner. All IUP members have a common understanding of the methods, processes and scientific background of the field of user experience (human computer interaction). All IUP members have effective quality assurance and process improvement programs in place as well as regular professional training for their staff. All IUP members have state of the art equipment and tools that facilitate in-house and mobile user research. Facilities are conveniently located around the world in major cities including: London, Paris, Torino, Munich and Beijing.
For more information, visit www.international-usability-partners.com.