World Usability Day, or Make Things Easier Day, founded in 2005 by the Usability Professionals Association, is celebrated annually on the second Thursday in November. This year, it takes place on November 14. It promotes the values of usability, usability engineering, user-centered design, universal usability, and every user’s obligation to demand better things. Every year, a new theme is chosen for the discussion. This year’s theme, ‘Our Health,’ will look into virtual healthcare, electronic health records, and other digital health-related technologies. Professionals will talk about current concerns such as care continuity, treatment access, mental health, and nutrition.
History of World Usability Day
The User Experience Professional Association established World Usability Day in November 2005. The association was founded in 1991, with a membership of 50, and has since grown to serve a community of nearly 2,400 professionals around the world by promoting user experience (UX) concepts and techniques through annual international conferences, the “Journal of Usability Studies” (JUS), the “User Experience Magazine,” and 59 local chapters in 30 countries.
The principles of user experience may be traced all the way back to Ancient Greece. There is evidence that Greek civilizations used ergonomic concepts to build their instruments and workspaces as early as the 5th century B.C. Henry Dreyfuss, an American industrial engineer who published “Designing for People” in 1955, which pretty much sums up user experience design in a nutshell, is another major figure in the history of user experience design.
Engineers aren’t the only ones who have contributed to the development of user experience. In 1966, Walt Disney was hailed as one of the first user experience designers in history. Obsessed with creating magical, immersive, near-perfect user experiences, Disney envisioned a place where cutting-edge technology could be used to improve people’s lives. And from the original iPod in 2001 to the iPhone in 2007, Apple has also been a true user experience innovator. Even the term “user experience design” was coined by the IT behemoth.
World Usability Day timeline
Henry Dreyfuss publishes his definitive work, “Designing for People,” a book that shaped the cultural landscape of the 21 century.
Walt Disney becomes the first user experience designer who isn’t an engineer or a tech wonk.
The era of personal computers began in the 1970s, with psychologists and engineers collaborating to focus on the user experience.
Donald Norman coins the term "user experience design."
World Usability Day FAQs
Is UX design coding?
UX design is not coding, and you do not require a knowledge of coding to get into it.
What are the five Es of usability?
efficient, effective, engaging, errors-tolereant, and easy to learn.
What does usability mean in UX?
Usability in UX design is a quality metric that measures how user-friendly a product is.
World Usability Day Activities
Share the benefits of technology
Our lives have been revolutionized by the internet, which has made the world a global village. Various aspects of our daily lives, such as work, meetings, and medical appointments, are also going virtual. On this day, talk about all the benefits you enjoy from tech and your experience using digital devices.
Educate yourself on technology evolution
Read about the evolution of technology and user experience. Learn in detail about how humanity has advanced in technology, and what we can expect going forward.
Carry out your own research
Read on how technology has contributed to the advancement of all aspects of modern life. Then go ahead and share how technology has personally benefited you.
5 Random Facts About Technology
There’s a rampant spread of computer viruses
Every month, around 6,000 new computer viruses are generated and distributed.
Let us clarify a misconception
The Firefox emblem is actually a red panda, not a fox!
We have decades-old tech firms
Apple has been in existence for 38 years and is one month younger than Samsung.
The dawn of recorded conversations
To improve the Alexa experience, the virtual assistant technology saves all your conversation history in the cloud.
People are slower screen readers
Did you know that people read 10% slower on a screen than they do on paper?
Why We Love World Usability Day
It highlights the impact of technology
World Usability Day honors product usability by educating people and measuring the influence technology has on our lives. Product users are taught how best to use technological devices.
It promotes transparency
The usability of a product's interface enables transparency. This helps users to concentrate on their activity, make fewer errors, and quicker judgments.
It has led to advancements in various fields
The constant progress of technology leads to advancements in all fields such as medical, communication, transport among others. Thanks to technology, we now have access to quicker, more efficient ways of getting things done.
World Usability Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | November 10 | Thursday |
| 2023 | November 9 | Thursday |
| 2024 | November 14 | Thursday |
| 2025 | November 13 | Thursday |
| 2026 | November 12 | Thursday |
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