ACM Interactions

As we make interacting with technology more like interacting with human beings, it is important that we understand how people use technology.…That is why usability is so important.  
— Bill Gates [1]

Professionals in user experience (UX) and technology recognize the significant impact well-designed technology has on everyday life. In a digital age where interfaces are everywhere, ensuring a positive user experience is crucial. It’s not merely about creating visually appealing designs; it’s about making technology intuitive, accessible, and genuinely useful for everyone.

We aim to do more than just influence individual applications; we strive to influence policymakers and decision-makers worldwide. Our advocacy revolves around recognizing usability as a fundamental human right. We firmly believe that access to technology that is easy to use and understand should be a universal entitlement, akin to essentials like clean water and education.

Our vision is to create a world where technology becomes a tool for empowerment, enabling individuals to navigate the digital landscape with confidence and ease. By championing usability as a basic human right, we’re paving the way for a future where innovative solutions are not only cutting edge but also universally accessible. Our goal is to ensure technology becomes a catalyst for positive change in the lives of people across the globe.

To achieve this vision, we emphasize the significance of World Usability Day (WUD), a pivotal event promoting the values of usability and user-centered design. By enhancing the visibility of this initiative, we can raise not only professionals’ awareness but also that of the general public. WUD serves as a platform to showcase inventive ideas, best practices, and research findings, highlighting how usability directly affects people’s lives. It embodies a global commitment to enhancing user experiences and ensuring technology is accessible to everyone. This influential event transcends geographical boundaries, uniting diverse communities, from professionals and industrial experts to educators, citizens, and government representatives.

The fundamental objective of WUD is both profound and straightforward: to ensure that essential services and products, vital to everyone’s lives, are user friendly and straightforward. By advocating for usability, WUD ensures that technological advancements don’t isolate users with complexity but empower them, regardless of their background, expertise, or physical abilities.

History of World Usability Day
The first invited essay about World Usability Day was in August 2006; the message still rings true today: “Every citizen on our planet deserves the right to usable products and services. It is time we reframe our work and look at a bigger global picture” [2].

For nearly two decades, WUD has been a catalyst for change, reaching practitioners in every corner of the globe. Across more than 140 countries, WUD has engaged over 250,000 individuals and had an impact on their local communities (see Table 1). WUD has opened up the field of UX and usability in places where it did not exist before the event, such as Eastern Europe (including Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey). With its annual theme, practitioners and volunteers have come together across the globe to tackle topics that matter to humanity.

Table 1. Themes and global WUD participation.

World Usability Initiative
The founders of World Usability Day want to mobilize people in countries around the world to develop technology that works for the greater good. We want to expand the reach of recognizing the significance of usability once per year so that we can have a larger impact in tackling the world’s biggest problems.

To achieve this goal, they collaborated with renowned professional associations like SIGCHI, HCII, PLAIN, and IFIP. Together, they established the World Usability Initiative (WUI), a focused global organization.

Operating as a singular, dedicated entity, WUI works closely with the United Nations, particularly concerning the human factors integral to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative unites experts from various fields, including human-computer interaction, user experience, and interaction design. Their collective efforts are geared toward leading researchers, developers, and countries in creating technology that is not only user centered but also aligned with core human values.

Our mission is to partner with the UN to tackle the 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Our initial initiatives will focus on:

• Establishing World Usability Day as an internationally observed day: WUI aims to connect the HCI-UX field with the United Nations by listing WUD on the UN calendar, ensuring global recognition.
• Rewarding good design with the WUI Design Challenge: This initiative rewards exceptional design by professionals across five countries each year, promoting user-centered innovation.
• Connecting communities through the International Speaker Series: To foster community engagement, WUI hosts an international speaker series, providing a platform for professionals to connect and share ideas.
• Creating projects that achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Create projects within developed and developing countries that connect with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, adopting a user-centered approach.
• Creating a UN-based World Usability Organization: From the perspective of public policy formulation and implementation, the organization will focus on ensuring technology products and services will be made accessible and usable for everyone.

Returning to that 2006 essay about World Usability Day: “The challenge of World Usability Day is not small; it is to change the way the world is developing and using technology” [2]. 

Your support is instrumental in achieving WUI’s objectives and transforming the world into a more inclusive, equitable place. You can actively contribute by:

• Participating in the WUI Design Challenge: Showcase your innovative designs, promoting user-centered solutions.
• Organizing a World Usability Day event: Contribute to the global conversation by hosting an event, fostering awareness and inclusivity.
• Engaging in the speaker series: Share your expertise and ideas, connecting with professionals worldwide.
• Signing the petition: Join the collective voice urging the UN to recognize World Usability Day’s significance.
• Sponsoring WUD: Support WUD financially, enabling the movement to reach new horizons.

In the spirit of global collaboration, let us unite to create technology that serves humanity inclusively, ensuring usability becomes a universal reality. Together, we can pave the way for a world where technology truly becomes a force for good, enriching lives, fostering innovation, and championing inclusivity.

Endnotes
1. Bill Gates at World Usability Day 2007. YouTube;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpxYYz1QHqQ&t=7s
2. Rosenzweig, E. World Usability Day: A challenge for everyone. Journal of User Experience 1, 4 (2006), 151–155; https://uxpajournal.org/world-...

Elizabeth Rosenzweig

Amanda Davis

Zhengjie Liu

Deborah Bosley