The Q&A is your chance to tell us what you think about working in digital media. Everybody can take part � just go to www.surveyshack.com to fill in the questionnaire.

Lisa Halabi, The Usability Company (www.theusabilitycompany.com), lisa (A)theusabilitycompany.com

August 2003

1. What does your business do?
   The Usability Company is the UK's foremost provider of independent business focused usability consultancy.
   
   
2. What's currently hot for your business?
   Accessibility and Usability Analytics..
   
   
3. What's not?
   Bad practice & unusable websites.
   
   
4. How long have you worked in digital media?
   4 years.
   
   
5. What's been the high point?
   Seeing your work put into practice successfully, especially when it impacts the clients bottom line favourably.
   
   
6. Any regrets?
   None.
   
   
7. Best digital marketing / advertising campaign you've seen recently?
   Channel 4's Six Feet Under campaign, that had to be pulled...not before generating considerable debate and publicity!
   
   
8. What websites help you most in your job?
   The interface hall of shame for a laugh at bad user interface design: http://www.rha.com/ui_hall_of_shame.htm. Dogpile for finding information: http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/. Information about accessibility: http://www.webaim.org/.
   
   
9. What websites distract you most when you should be working?
   Banging Tunes for purchasing vinyl: http://www.bangingtunes.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1. 'I want one of those' for checking out great gadgets: http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/.
   
   
10. Have you got a personal site or blog?
    http://www.toorakusability.co.uk/
    
11. 
    
12. Most useful application or software that you use?
    SnagIt.
    
    
13. Best advice you've been given about working in this industry?
    If it looks like shit, smells like shit, it probably is shit!
    
    
14. What, if anything, should the Government be doing to help digital media companies?
    They should be advising on standards, especially with regards to accessibility. They should be opening up the e-commerce awards to include interactive agencies as opposed to just small businesses. There should be more loans for training from the DTI for small businesses.
    
    
15. Most annoying jargon used in digital media?
    Paradigm shift.
    
    
16. Any bad things about your line of work?
    Getting called in to a design project, too late just to rubber stamp usability and pay lip service.
    
    
17. What's playing on your ipod?
    Eamon Fevah on Vinyl.
    
    
18. What's the next big thing in digital media?
    The ability to quantify the impact of usability on business. This will revolutionise people's perception of usability.
    
    
19. If you didn't work in this industry, what would you do?
    International DJ.
    
    
20. Anything else you'd like to say?
    If they can't use it, they won't use it. Or there's no such thing as a stupid user.