Results

Step 7 Lite was subject to extensive usability testing: 10 sessions in Germany and 12 sessions in the United States. Overall, the system achieved the highest level of usability of any product ever tested by the U.S. facility.

According to users, the top-rated features included hardware configuration, the CPU control panel, and the ready access to all tools provided by the new navigation scheme. More than half of the test subjects rated the CPU panel “extraordinarily high” in usability, and, for the first time in the history of the product line, the dialog for parameterization of modules was cited as among the most usable features.

The vast majority of users found the system to be self-explanatory, describing it as particularly appropriate for novice users. In all, 21 of 22 test participants stated the system was easy to learn. In terms of the ISO 9241-10 standards of usability, which figure prominently in the European marketplace, the system ranked highest in learnability. Surprisingly, it was also rated high in terms of the “fun factor” in a questionnaire on user experience.

Ease of learning for the novice was achieved without sacrificing efficiency. Even before testing, an analysis of a representative mix of actual programming tasks showed that the new design cut the average number of user steps approximately in half.

To the delight of the design team, users also described the design as an effective mix of the novel and the known. They experienced it as a modest innovation that included new features and elements without departing too much from Windows conventions.