Usability vs. Scope: Fight!

A project I’m currently working on is encountering a problem that I believe is not all that rare.  They are faced with a challenging question mid-project: should the team focus on producing software that is easy to use and learn, or should they focus on getting as many features and bug fixes in as possible before the final release?  I have seen many people frustrated that we can’t seem to have our pie and eat it too – we can’t seem to find ways to “do usability” without somehow impacting the project’s timeline or scope.  And sadly, at this point in time, I agree that this is true for this project.  Kinda.

I’d like to take a closer look at these two options, and propose a few solutions for future project teams to consider.

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Feeling Stuck? Seek Ignorance.

I was reviewing a wireframe of mine the other day with my team and we felt a little stumped by one particular part of the design.  It felt like it was a good design but I couldn’t put into words why I preferred it over the alternate I had proposed.  The team also struggled with giving a name to why it was a better design – until our newest member spoke up. 

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