Usability now!

[j4]

So, the boss's son is temping for us.

"Usability? Is that even a word?"
"Yes."
"What, really?"
"Yes, really."
"[pause] What does it mean?"
"How you use things."
"Huh? That's 'usefulness'."
"No, that's whether something's useful to you or not. Usability is about how people use things, how they interact with applications, systems, and so on."
"Huh?"
"Look, Google for 'usability'. I'm not making it up, really."
"Nah, I'll defer to your professional judgement."
"No, really, why don't you Google for it. You'll see that I'm not making it up, and you might find out a bit more about it, if you're interested. And if you're not interested, well, never mind."

[tappity-tappity]

"Gosh, it is actually a real thing, isn't it?"

Comments

whillikers

[vinaigrettegirl.livejournal.com]

Two origins I know of: the comic strip called "L'il Orphan Annie", a genuine strip from 1930-ca. 1965 in the USA; and a strip-within-a-strip: the immortal political commentary in "Pogo", which included "Li'l Arf an' Nonny":

gee whilliker woozles, Arf!