Consumability
Encyclopedia
A concept recently championed by International Business Machines (IBM)
, consumability is a description of customers' end-to-end experience with technology solutions (although the concept could easily apply to almost anything). The tasks associated with consumability start before the consumer purchases a product and continue until the customer stops using the product. By improving the consumability of the product, the value of that product to the client can be increased.
Understanding product consumability requires an in-depth understanding of how clients are actually trying to use the product, which is why consumability is so closely aligned with the user experience
and Outside-in software development
. While usability
addresses a client's ability to use a product, consumability is a higher-level concept that incorporates all the other aspects of the customer’s experience with the product.
Key consumability aspects of the user experience include:
How efficiently and effectively clients can complete these tasks affects the value they get from the product. Missteps anywhere along this path can have direct impacts on the customer's ability to complete the task they set out to do. By focusing on consumability, developers can smooth the path, allowing technology solution consumers to focus on the needs of their business, improving their perception and satisfaction with the product or solution.
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, consumability is a description of customers' end-to-end experience with technology solutions (although the concept could easily apply to almost anything). The tasks associated with consumability start before the consumer purchases a product and continue until the customer stops using the product. By improving the consumability of the product, the value of that product to the client can be increased.
Understanding product consumability requires an in-depth understanding of how clients are actually trying to use the product, which is why consumability is so closely aligned with the user experience
User experience
User experience is the way a person feels about using a product, system or service. User experience highlights the experiential, affective, meaningful and valuable aspects of human-computer interaction and product ownership, but it also includes a person’s perceptions of the practical aspects such...
and Outside-in software development
Outside-in software development
Of all the agile software development methodologies, outside–in software development takes a different approach to optimizing the software development process. Unlike other approaches, outside–in development focuses on satisfying the needs of stakeholders...
. While usability
Usability
Usability is the ease of use and learnability of a human-made object. The object of use can be a software application, website, book, tool, machine, process, or anything a human interacts with. A usability study may be conducted as a primary job function by a usability analyst or as a secondary job...
addresses a client's ability to use a product, consumability is a higher-level concept that incorporates all the other aspects of the customer’s experience with the product.
Key consumability aspects of the user experience include:
- Identifying the right product
- Acquiring the product
- Installing and configuring the product
- Using and administering the product
- Troubleshooting problems with the product
- Updating the product (e.g. installing fix packs)
How efficiently and effectively clients can complete these tasks affects the value they get from the product. Missteps anywhere along this path can have direct impacts on the customer's ability to complete the task they set out to do. By focusing on consumability, developers can smooth the path, allowing technology solution consumers to focus on the needs of their business, improving their perception and satisfaction with the product or solution.
See also
- International Business Machines (IBM)IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
- Outside-in software developmentOutside-in software developmentOf all the agile software development methodologies, outside–in software development takes a different approach to optimizing the software development process. Unlike other approaches, outside–in development focuses on satisfying the needs of stakeholders...
- Service-oriented architectureService-oriented architectureIn software engineering, a Service-Oriented Architecture is a set of principles and methodologies for designing and developing software in the form of interoperable services. These services are well-defined business functionalities that are built as software components that can be reused for...
- Software engineeringSoftware engineeringSoftware Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
- Software qualitySoftware qualityIn the context of software engineering, software quality refers to two related but distinct notions that exist wherever quality is defined in a business context:...
- UsabilityUsabilityUsability is the ease of use and learnability of a human-made object. The object of use can be a software application, website, book, tool, machine, process, or anything a human interacts with. A usability study may be conducted as a primary job function by a usability analyst or as a secondary job...