Claims analysis "in the wild": A case study on digital library development

One of the long-standing challenges in human-computer interaction has been the integration of usability evaluation methods within design practice. In the work reported here, the question of how to include user concerns within an unstructured, system-focused development process was investigated. The project looked into the use of Claims Analysis as a method for assessing the effects of design decisions on users' experience. Claims Analysis was found to be more difficult than expected to learn, to communicate to systems developers, and to apply effectively in practice. The work has highlighted a tension between user-centered and function-oriented design approaches and differences in values and perspectives between the human factors specialists and traditional developers involved in the study.