@proceedings{32149,
  author = {Alan K Meier and Cecilia Aragon and Daniel Perry and Therese Peffer and Marco Pritoni and Jessica Granderson},
  title = {Measuring the Usability of Appliance Controls},
  abstract = {<p>A “smart” device will remain efficient only as long as the settings and other parameters allow it to be.<br />Thus, the degree of usability is becoming an element of energy efficiency similar to other physical<br />characteristics. We developed and tested a procedure to quantify the usability of thermostats. The<br />procedure assumes that usability can be represented by a user’s ability to accomplish a set of tasks.<br />Thirty-one subjects were tested in their ability to accomplish six essential tasks on programmable<br />thermostats. The tests revealed a wide variation in the subjects’ ability to accomplish the same task on<br />different thermostats. Thus it was possible to discern thermostats that were more effective than others.<br />We created a metric based on data that are easy to collect and unambiguous that appears to reflect the<br />usability of a task. Metrics from different tasks can be added and an overall usability “score” calculated.<br />This approach, as well as the metric, can be applied to other devices where poor usability may impede<br />energy-saving behaviour.</p>},
  year = {2011},
  journal = {Energy Efficiency in Domestic Appliances and Lighting Conference},
  month = {03/2011},
  address = {Copenhagen},
  language = {eng},
}