Usability Evaluation of Information Systems: A Review of Five International Standards

In this paper, we review five international standards that are concerned with defining and evaluating usability of information technology and interactive systems. The aim is to investigate the extent to which the international standards provide guidelines for planning and conducting usability evaluation of information systems. We first compare the standards in order to uncover the differences and relationships between the guidelines provided. Then, based on the guidelines, we provide a framework that highlights the activities required for usability evaluation of information systems. In the end, we discuss the way in which the standards cover the usability evaluation of information systems from the perspective of users, technology, system, and phase in system’s life cycle.