Abstract
(Englisch)
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VNET5 is a thematic network that provides support for user-centred product creation, helping EU-funded projects involved in electronic publishing to understand the needs of users early, adapt product design to user needs and validate acceptability for users.
Any IST project and any partner of IST projects can join VNET5 as a member and benefit from the VNET5 expertise on user-centred design and usability evaluation techniques. VNET5 offers workshops and specific coaching to projects for enhancing the quality of the applications and for creating more usable products. Swiss partners are especially involved in user testing, namely heuristic evaluation and user testing. They carry their expertise to other projects and offer training in specific methods.
Evaluating the usability of interactive products is essential to the success of projects developing new solutions in electronic publishing. Yet a lot of EU-funded projects find it difficult to integrate suitable user-centred approaches into their design. They miss the opportunities to understand the needs of the user early in design and development process, to adapt the product to user needs and preferences, and to assure that their product will be accepted in the market.
The VNET5 project is a thematic network project, whose aim is to support other IST projects to find, select and adopt suitable approaches, methods and techniques to develop and evaluate their applications in a user-centred perspective, that is shaping products enhancing the quality of everyday life of the users
A lot of electronic applications and devices, from Web sites to mobile phones, from palm computers to innovative Internet applications are difficult to use by their end-users. Users strive to accomplish their goals with these sophisticated services but often fail. People find it difficult to buy products online, to find information they are looking for, to navigate easily and effectively through sites: electronic products should be more user-oriented, more effective, in a word: usable.
VNET5 is a consortium of industrial and academic partners who possess a long-standing experience in user-centred product creation. The project is helping to advance the level of user-centred product creation in electronic publishing industry and in particular in the IST programme.
Most of the IST projects developing innovative electronic applications (e.g. new e-business solutions, e-work and e-learning environments) need support and coaching about the most effective methods to build usable products. For this purpose, IST projects are invited to join VNET5 and benefit from access to support activities, knowledge sharing and specific coaching on user-oriented development.
In order to reach a great number of IST projects needing support in validating their products, VNET5 organises events and workshops, where hands-on training on user-centred methods and tools are offered. During VNET5 workshop, plenary and work-group session on specific topics of usability evaluation are offered. The participation to the workshops is entirely free for IST projects! The 4th VNET5 workshop will be held in Zurich on October 7-9, 2002.
Beside the workshops, IST projects can ask VNET5 for specific coaching on their own application under development or under evaluation. During this activity, called VNET5 on-site coaching, one or more VNET5 partners meet the project team to support them in developing and evaluating a usable application. VNET5 can be seen as an EU-funded support for IST projects: VNET5 partners offer their expertise to help projects to develop superior applications.
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