ISO/TR 25060:2023
(Main)Systems and software engineering — Systems and software Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) — General framework for Common Industry Format (CIF) for usability-related information
Systems and software engineering — Systems and software Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) — General framework for Common Industry Format (CIF) for usability-related information
This document describes information items enabling systematic human-centred design for interactive systems. Some of these information items are elaborated by separate International Standards, named the Common Industry Format (CIF) for usability-related information. This document provides the framework of information items, including definitions and the content for each information item. This document includes the following: — the intended users of the information items; — consistent terminology; — the high-level content structure to be used for documenting each information item. The information items are intended to be used as part of system-level documentation resulting from development processes such as those in ISO 9241-210, ISO 9241-220 and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 process standards (e.g. ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148). This document focuses on those information items needed for design, development and evaluation of usable systems, rather than prescribing a specific process. It is intended to be used in conjunction with existing International Standards, including the standards of the ISO 9241 series and the SQuaRE documents. This document does not prescribe any kind of method, life cycle or process. NOTE The information items produced by human-centred design activities can be incorporated in design approaches as diverse as object-oriented, waterfall, HFI (human factors integration), agile and rapid development.
Ingénierie des systèmes et du logiciel — Exigences de qualité et évaluation des systèmes et du logiciel (SQuaRE) — Cadre général pour le format industriel commun (CIF) concernant les informations relatives à l'utilisabilité
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TECHNICAL ISO/TR
REPORT 25060
First edition
2023-04
Systems and software engineering —
Systems and software Quality
Requirements and Evaluation
(SQuaRE) — General framework for
Common Industry Format (CIF) for
usability-related information
Ingénierie des systèmes et du logiciel — Exigences de qualité et
évaluation des systèmes et du logiciel (SQuaRE) — Cadre général
pour le format industriel commun (CIF) concernant les informations
relatives à l'utilisabilité
Reference number
ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
© ISO 2023
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ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2023
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
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ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 Terms related to usabililty . 2
3.2 Terms related to interaction and interface . 4
3.3 Terms related to products . 6
3.4 Terms related to processes . . 7
4 A general framework for usability-related information . 8
4.1 Common Industry Formats (CIFs) for usability-related information . 8
4.2 Intended users and uses of usability-related information items . 8
4.3 Situations in which the usability-related information items apply . 8
4.3.1 General . 8
4.3.2 Acquisition situation . 9
4.3.3 Development situation . 9
4.3.4 Maintenance situation . 9
4.4 Process independence . 9
4.5 Relationship to human-centred design (HCD) as described in ISO 9241-210 . 9
4.6 Iteration based on new insights . 11
5 Usability-related information items .11
5.1 General . 11
5.2 Context of use description (ISO/IEC 25063) . 11
5.3 User needs report (ISO/IEC 25064) .12
5.4 User requirements specification (ISO 25065) .12
5.5 User-system interaction and user interface specification .13
5.6 Types of evaluation reports . 14
5.6.1 Evaluation report (ISO/IEC 25066) . 14
5.6.2 Quantitative usability test report (ISO/IEC 25062) .15
5.6.3 Field data report . 15
Annex A (informative) Typical representations for information items within a CIF .17
Bibliography .19
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ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 159, Ergonomics, Subcommittee
SC 4, Ergonomics of human-system interaction, in collaboration with the European Committee for
Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 122, Ergonomics, in accordance with the
Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
This first edition cancels and replaces ISO/IEC TR 25060:2010, which has been technically revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— Information on the ISO 2506X family of documents has been updated.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
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ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to define a framework and consistent terminology for the specification
and evaluation of the usability of an interactive system. Specifying and evaluating usability assists
those developing and acquiring interactive systems. This document describes a framework that defines
a set of information items as part of a human-centred approach to the design of an interactive system.
The framework is intended to assist in documenting and communicating usability-related information
through the system development life cycle.
The human-centred design approach of ISO 9241-210 is well established and focuses specifically on
making systems usable. Usability can be achieved by applying human-centred design and testing
throughout the life cycle. In order to enable a human-centred design approach to be adopted, it is
important that all the relevant usability information items are identified and documented. This
identification and documentation enables the usability of a system to be designed and tested.
This framework forms the basis for a family of documents that will provide a Common Industry Format
(CIF) for specific information items to be used as part of a human-centred approach to the design of
interactive systems. ISO/IEC 25062, which standardizes the types of information that are documented
when providing a detailed report of the results of measuring effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction,
is the first specific International Standard in this family.
The CIF for usability documents are part of the SQuaRE documents on software product quality
requirements and evaluation. The scope of the CIF family covers systems rather than just software, so
is broader than that of the current SQuaRE documents. The CIF family of documents uses definitions
(reproduced in Clause 2) that are consistent with ISO 9241, as this is the terminology that is normally
used for this subject matter. In some cases, these definitions differ from those in ISO/IEC 25000.
NOTE Some CIF documents are prefixed “ISO” while others are prefixed “ISO/IEC”, depending on how they
are administered. However, all CIF documents are jointly developed by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 and ISO TC 159/SC 4.
To ensure that these information items can be used within the broadest range of process models and
can be used in combination with other information items, the descriptions are given in the format
defined in ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289 and ISO/IEC TS 33060.
The information items for documenting usability-related information can be integrated in
any process models. For the purpose of establishing process models, ISO/IEC/IEEE 24774 and
ISO/IEC TS 33061 specify the format and conformity requirements for process models, respectively. In
addition, ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289 defines the types and content of information items developed and used in
process models for system and software life cycle management. ISO/IEC TS 33060 and ISO/IEC TS 33061
define work products, including information items, for the purpose of process capability assessment.
Process models and associated information items for human-centred design of interactive systems are
contained in ISO 9241-210 and ISO TS 18152, respectively.
While this document focuses on information items needed as the basis for design and development
of interactive systems, the data contained in the information items can support post-development
activities such as (product) conformity assessment as defined in ISO/IEC 17000.
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TECHNICAL REPORT ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
Systems and software engineering — Systems and software
Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) —
General framework for Common Industry Format (CIF) for
usability-related information
1 Scope
This document describes information items enabling systematic human-centred design for interactive
systems.
Some of these information items are elaborated by separate International Standards, named the
Common Industry Format (CIF) for usability-related information.
This document provides the framework of information items, including definitions and the content for
each information item.
This document includes the following:
— the intended users of the information items;
— consistent terminology;
— the high-level content structure to be used for documenting each information item.
The information items are intended to be used as part of system-level documentation resulting from
development processes such as those in ISO 9241-210, ISO 9241-220 and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 process
standards (e.g. ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148).
This document focuses on those information items needed for design, development and evaluation
of usable systems, rather than prescribing a specific process. It is intended to be used in conjunction
with existing International Standards, including the standards of the ISO 9241 series and the SQuaRE
documents.
This document does not prescribe any kind of method, life cycle or process.
NOTE The information items produced by human-centred design activities can be incorporated in design
approaches as diverse as object-oriented, waterfall, HFI (human factors integration), agile and rapid development.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
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ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
3.1 Terms related to usabililty
3.1.1
usability
extent to which a system, product or service can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals
with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use
Note 1 to entry: The “specified” users, goals and context of use refer to the particular combination of users, goals
and context of use for which usability is being considered.
Note 2 to entry: The word “usability” is also used as a qualifier to refer to the design knowledge, competencies,
activities and design attributes that contribute to usability, such as usability expertise, usability professional,
usability engineering, usability method, usability evaluation and usability heuristic.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.1]
3.1.2
interactive system
system
combination of hardware and/or software and/or services and/or people that users interact with in
order to achieve specific goals
Note 1 to entry: This includes, where appropriate, packaging, user documentation, online and human help,
support and training.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.5]
3.1.3
product
item that is made or created by a person or machine
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.2]
3.1.4
service
means of delivering value for the customer by facilitating results the customer wants to achieve
Note 1 to entry: Services can include both human–system interactions (e.g. accessing a word processor through
the web) and human–human interactions (e.g. a citizen interacting with a clerk at the post office counter).
Note 2 to entry: The “customer” is a user and does not necessarily have a financial relationship.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.6]
3.1.5
user
person who interacts with a system, product or service
Note 1 to entry: Users of a system, product or service include people who operate the system, people who make
use of the output of the system and people who support the system (including providing maintenance and
training).
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.7]
3.1.6
goal
intended outcome
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.10]
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ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
3.1.7
effectiveness
accuracy and completeness with which users achieve specified goals
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.12]
3.1.8
efficiency
resources used in relation to the results achieved
Note 1 to entry: Typical resources include time, human effort, costs and materials.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.13]
3.1.9
satisfaction
extent to which the user's physical, cognitive and emotional responses that result from the use of a
system, product or service meet the user’s needs and expectations
Note 1 to entry: Satisfaction includes the extent to which the user experience that results from actual use meets
the user’s needs and expectations.
Note 2 to entry: Anticipated use can influence satisfaction with actual use.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.14]
3.1.10
context of use
combination of users, goals and tasks, resources and environment
Note 1 to entry: The “environment” in a context of use includes the technical, physical, social, cultural and
organizational environments.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.15]
3.1.11
task
set of activities undertaken in order to achieve a specific goal
Note 1 to entry: These activities can be physical, perceptual and/or cognitive.
Note 2 to entry: While goals are independent of the means used to achieve them, tasks describe particular means
of achieving goals.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.11]
3.1.12
stakeholder
person or organization that can affect, be affected by or perceive themselves to be affected by a decision
or activity
Note 1 to entry: Stakeholders can include users, purchasers, systems owners or managers and people who are
indirectly affected by the operation of a system, product or service.
Note 2 to entry: Different stakeholders can have different needs, requirements or expectations.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.9]
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ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
3.1.13
human-centred quality
extent to which requirements relating to usability, accessibility, user experience and avoidance of harm
from use are met
Note 1 to entry: Human-centred quality is a collective term for the intended outcomes of interaction of the user
with the system.
Note 2 to entry: Provision of the necessary technical functionality is a prerequisite for human-centred quality.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.2.1, modified — Original note 2 to entry removed.]
3.1.14
accessibility
extent to which products, systems, services, environments and facilities can be used by people from a
population with the widest range of user needs, characteristics and capabilities to achieve identified
goals in identified contexts of use
Note 1 to entry: Context of use includes direct use or use supported by assistive technologies.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-112:2017, 3.15]
3.1.15
user experience
user’s perceptions and responses that result from the use and/or anticipated use of a system, product
or service
Note 1 to entry: Users’ perceptions and responses include the users’ emotions, beliefs, preferences, perceptions,
comfort, behaviours and accomplishments that occur before, during and after use.
Note 2 to entry: User experience is a consequence of brand image, presentation, functionality, system
performance, interactive behaviour and assistive capabilities of a system, product or service. It also results from
the user’s internal and physical state resulting from prior experiences, attitudes, skills, abilities and personality,
and from the context of use.
Note 3 to entry: The term “user experience” can also be used to refer to competence or processes such as user
experience professional, user experience design, user experience method, user experience evaluation, user
experience research and user experience department.
Note 4 to entry: Human-centred design can only manage those aspects of user experience that result from
designed aspects of the interactive system.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.2.3]
3.1.16
harm from use
negative consequences regarding health, safety, finances or the environment that result from use of the
system
Note 1 to entry: The negative consequences can be for the user or for any other stakeholder.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.2.4]
3.2 Terms related to interaction and interface
3.2.1
interaction
user-system interaction
exchange of information between a user and an interactive system via the user interface
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-110:2020, 3.11, modified — Definition revised.]
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ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
3.2.2
user interface
set of all the components of an interactive system that provide information and controls for the user to
accomplish specific tasks with the interactive system
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-110:2020, 3.10]
3.2.3
interaction sequence
exchange of information between a user and an interactive system via the user interface to complete an
intended task or to navigate through the interactive system
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-110:2020, 3.11, modified — Term and definition revised.]
3.2.4
action
user behaviour that a system accepts as a request for a particular operation
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC TR 11580:2007, 2.3, modified — Examples removed.]
3.2.5
control
object, often analogous to physical controls, which allows a user to take some action which manipulates
data, other objects or their attributes
[SOURCE: ISO 14915-2:2003, 3.8]
3.2.6
data item
data element or well-defined set of data elements that is associated with a single tag, which defines its
meaning and layout
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11694-5:2014, 3.4]
3.2.7
user interface element
user interface object
entity of the user interface that is presented to the user by the software
EXAMPLE Text, graphic, control.
Note 1 to entry: User interface elements can be interactive or not.
Note 2 to entry: Both entities relevant to the task and entities of the user interface are regarded as user interface
elements. A user interface element can be a visual representation or an interaction mechanism for a task object
(e.g. letter, sales order, electronic part, wiring diagram) or a system object (e.g. printer, hard disk, network
connection). It can be possible for the user to directly manipulate some of these user interface elements.
Note 3 to entry: User interface elements in a graphical user interface include such things as basic objects (e.g.
window title bars, menu items, push buttons, image maps, editable text fields) or containers (e.g. windows,
grouping boxes, menu bars, menus, groups of mutually-exclusive option buttons, compound images that are
made up of several smaller images). User interface elements in an audio user interface include such things as
menus, menu items, messages and action prompts.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-171:2008, 3.38, modified — Term revised.]
3.2.8
content chunk
unit of content that satisfies a requirement of a specific task for a specific user
Note 1 to entry: to entry A content chunk can also meet other requirements of one or more tasks for one or more
users, either by itself or in combination with other content chunks.
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ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
Note 2 to entry: A content chunk defines a subtopic that justifies separate consideration by the user. However,
designers can decide whether or not to present one or more content chunks together within a single presentation
segment.
EXAMPLE A research report is divided into five content chunks that deal with background information,
methodology, results, conclusions and recommendations.
[SOURCE: ISO 14915-2:2003, 3.1, modified — Note 2 to entry revised.]
3.2.9
individual interface
physical implementation of one or more user interface elements and content chunks that is presented at
a point in time
3.3 Terms related to products
3.3.1
information item
information product
separately identifiable body of information that is produced, stored and delivered for human use
Note 1 to entry: A document produced to meet information requirements can be an information item, part of an
information item or a combination of several information items.
Note 2 to entry: An information item can be produced in several versions during a project or system life cycle.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289:2019, 3.1.12]
3.3.2
information item content
information included in an information item, associated with a system, product or service, to satisfy a
requirement or need
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289:2019, 3.1.13]
3.3.3
user need
prerequisite identified as necessary for a user, or a set of users, to achieve an intended outcome, implied
or stated within a specific context of use
EXAMPLE 1 A presenter (user) needs to know how much time is left (prerequisite) in order to complete the
presentation in time (goal) during a presentation with a fixed time limit (context of use).
EXAMPLE 2 An account manager (user) needs to know the number of invoices received and their amounts
(prerequisite), in order to complete the daily accounting log (goal) as part of monitoring the cash flow (context of
use).
Note 1 to entry: A user need is independent of any proposed solution for that need.
Note 2 to entry: User needs are identified based on various approaches, including interviews with users,
observations, surveys, evaluations and expert analysis.
Note 3 to entry: User needs often represent gaps (or discrepancies) between what should be and what is.
Note 4 to entry: User needs are transformed into user requirements considering the context of use, user priorities,
trade-offs with other system requirements and constraints.
[SOURCE: ISO 25065:2019, 3.1.9]
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ISO/TR 25060:2023(E)
3.3.4
user requirements
set of requirements for use that provide the basis for design and evaluation of interactive systems to
meet identified user needs
Note 1 to entry: User requirements are derived from user needs and capabilities in order to allow the user to
make use of the system in an effective, efficient, safe and satisfying manner.
Note 2 to entry: User requirements are not requirements on the users.
Note 3 to entry: User requirements include user-system interaction requirements and use-related quality
requirements.
Note 4 to entry: In software engineering terms, user requirements include both “functional” and “non-functional”
requirements derived from user needs and capabilities.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-220:2019, 3.46, modified — Note 3 to entry added.]
3.3.5
user-system interaction requirements
user requirements that specify the interactions (e.g. recognizing information, making inputs, making
selections, receiving outputs) required by users to achieve the goals
[SOURCE: ISO 25065:2019, 3.1.11]
3.3.6
use-related quality requirements
user requirements that specify the intended outcomes of use of the interactive system and associated
quality criteria
[SOURCE: ISO 25065:2019, 3.1.12]
3.4 Terms related to processes
3.4.1
usability testing
evaluation that involves representative users performing specific tasks with the system to enable the
measurement of efficiency, effectiveness and/or user satisfaction
3.4.2
usability inspection
evaluation based on the considered judgment of evaluators who examine the usability-related aspects
of a user interface with respect to specified criteria
Note 1 to entry: The inspectors can include usability specialists, developers, end users or other types of
professionals.
Note 2 to entry: The evaluative criteria can include good practice and/or documented principles, guidelines,
requirements or standards.
Note 3 to entry: The evaluation can be conducted with or without the help of referenced documents.
Note 4 to entry: Usability inspection is the generic term for several methods, including but not limited to heuristic
evaluation, cognitive walkthroughs, standards inspection, pluralistic walkthroughs and consistency inspections.
3.4.3
cognitive walkthrough
usability evaluation in which one or more evaluators (and/or users) step through a use scenario
identifying usability problems from a user's
...
TC /SC ISO/TC 159/SC 4
Date: 2022-10-18
TC /SC /WG ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
Secretariat:BSI
Document type:
Document subtype:
Document stage:
Document language:
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Systems and software engineering — Systems and software Quality
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Industry Format (CIF) for usability-related information
Document type:
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Document stage:
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or
utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be
requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of the
requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 •• CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
www.iso.org
www.iso.org
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
Contents Page
Foreword . vi
Introduction . vii
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 Terms related to usabililty . 2
3.2 Terms related to interaction and interface . 5
3.3 Terms related to products . 6
3.4 Terms related to processes . 8
4 A general framework for usability-related information . 9
4.1 Common Industry Formats (CIFs) for usability-related information . 9
4.2 Intended users and uses of usability-related information items . 9
4.3 Situations in which the usability-related information items apply . 10
4.3.1 General . 10
4.3.2 Acquisition situation . 10
4.3.3 Development situation . 10
4.3.4 Maintenance situation . 10
4.4 Process independence . 11
4.5 Relationship to human-centred design (HCD) as described in ISO 9241-210 . 11
4.6 Iteration based on new insights . 12
5 Usability-related information items . 12
5.1 General . 12
5.2 Context of use description (ISO/IEC 25063) . 12
5.3 User needs report (ISO/IEC 25064) . 13
5.4 User requirements specification (ISO 25065) . 14
5.5 User-system interaction and user interface specification . 15
5.6 Types of evaluation reports . 16
5.6.1 Evaluation report (ISO/IEC 25066) . 16
5.6.2 Quantitative usability test report (ISO/IEC 25062) . 17
5.6.3 Field data report . 18
Annex A (informative) Typical representations for information items within a CIF . 19
Bibliography. 21
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO
collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any
patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on
the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation onof the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World
Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)), see the following URL:
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 159, Ergonomics, Subcommittee SC 4,
Ergonomics of human-system interaction., in collaboration with the European Committee for
Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 122, Ergonomics, in accordance with the Agreement
on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC TR 25060:2010), which has been
technically revised.
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
— Information on various partsthe ISO 2506X family of the 2506x series of standards documents has
been updated.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.htmlreflect currently published
standards.
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to define a framework and consistent terminology for the specification
and evaluation of the usability of an interactive system. Specifying and evaluating usability assists those
developing and acquiring interactive systems. This document describes a framework that defines a set of
information items as part of a human-centred approach to the design of an interactive system. The
framework is intended to assist in documenting and communicating usability-related information
through the system development life cycle.
The human-centred design approach of ISO 9241-210 is well established and focuses specifically on
making systems usable. Usability can be achieved by applying human-centred design and testing
throughout the life cycle. In order to enable a human-centred design approach to be adopted, it is
important that all the relevant usability information items are identified and documented. This
identification and documentation enables the usability of a system to be designed and tested.
This framework forms the basis for a family of International Standardsdocuments that will provide a
Common Industry Format (CIF) for specific information items to be used as part of a human-centred
approach to the design of interactive systems. ISO/IEC 25062, which standardizes the types of
information that are documented when providing a detailed report of the results of measuring
effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction, is the first specific International Standard in this family.
The CIF for usability standardsdocuments are part of the SQuaRE series of International
Standardsdocuments (ISO/IEC 25000 to ISO/IEC 25099) on software product quality requirements and
evaluation. The scope of the CIF family covers systems rather than just software, so is broader than that
of the current SQuaRE seriesdocuments. The CIF family of International Standardsdocuments uses
definitions (reproduced in Clause 2) that are consistent with ISO 9241, as this is the terminology that is
normally used for this subject matter. In some cases, these definitions differ from those in ISO/IEC 25000.
NOTE Some CIF Standardsdocuments are prefixed "“ISO"” while others are prefixed "“ISO/IEC"”, depending on
how they are administered, however. However, all CIF standardsdocuments are jouintlyjointly developed by
ISO/IEC JTC1/SC7JTC 1/SC 7 and ISO TC159/SC4TC 159/SC 4.
To ensure that these information items can be used within the broadest range of process models and can
be used in combination with other information items, the descriptions are given in the format defined in
ISO/IEC 15289 and ISO/IEC TS 33060.
The information items for documenting usability-related information can be integrated in any process
models. For the purpose of establishing process models, ISO/IEC/IEEE 24774 and ISO/IEC TS 33061
specify the format and conformanceconformity requirements for process models, respectively. In
addition, ISO/IEC 15289 defines the types and content of information items developed and used in
process models for system and software life cycle management. ISO/IEC TS 22060 and ISO/IEC TS 33061
define work products, including information items, for the purpose of process capability assessment.
Process models and associated information items for human-centred design of interactive systems are
contained in ISO 9241-210 and ISO TS 18152, respectively.
While this Technical Reportdocument focuses on information items needed as the basis for design and
development of interactive systems, the data contained in the information items can support post-
development activities such as (product) conformity assessment as defined in ISO/IEC 17000:2020.
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TECHNICAL REPORT ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
Systems and software engineering — Systems and software
Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) — General
framework for Common Industry Format (CIF) for usability-
related information
1 Scope
This document describes information items enabling systematic human-centred design for interactive
systems.
Some of these information items are elaborated by separate International Standards, named the Common
Industry FormatsFormat (CIF) for usability-related information.
This document provides the framework of information items, including definitions and the content for
each information item.
This document includes the following:
— the intended users of the information items;
— consistent terminology;
— the high-level content structure to be used for documenting each information item.
The information items are intended to be used as part of system-level documentation resulting from
development processes such as those in ISO 9241-210, ISO 9241-220, and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 process
standards (e.g. ISO/IEC 15288, ISO/IEC 29148).
This document focuses on those information items needed for design, development and evaluation of
usable systems, rather than prescribing a specific process. It is intended to be used in conjunction with
existing International Standards, including the standards of the ISO 9241 series, and the standards of the
SQuaRE seriesdocuments (ISO/IEC 25000 to ISO/IEC 25099).
This document does not prescribe any kind of method, life cycle or process.
NOTE The information items produced by Humanhuman-centred design activities can be incorporated in design
approaches as diverse as object-oriented, waterfall, HFI (human factors integration), agile, and rapid development,
etc.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminologicalterminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1 3.1 Usabililty andTerms related definitionsto usabililty
3.1.1
usability
extent to which a system, product or service can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with
effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use
Note 1 to entry: The "“specified"” users, goals and context of use refer to the particular combination of users, goals
and context of use for which usability is being considered.
Note 2 to entry: The word "“usability"” is also used as a qualifier to refer to the design knowledge, competencies,
activities and design attributes that contribute to usability, such as usability expertise, usability professional,
usability engineering, usability method, usability evaluation, and usability heuristic.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.1]
3.1.2
interactive system
system
combination of hardware and/or software and/or services and/or people that users interact with in
order to achieve specific goals
Note 1 to entry: This includes, where appropriate, packaging, user documentation, on-lineonline and human help,
support and training.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.5]
3.1.3
product
item that is made or created by a person or machine
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.2]
3.1.4
service
means of delivering value for the customer by facilitating results the customer wants to achieve
Note 1 to entry: Services can include both human-–system interactions (e.g. accessing a word processor through
the web) and human-–human interactions (e.g. a citizen interacting with a clerk at the post office counter).
Note 2 to entry: The “customer” is a user, and does not necessarily have a financial relationship.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.6]
3.1.5
user
person who interacts with a system, product or service
Note 1 to entry: Users of a system, product or service include people who operate the system, people who make
use of the output of the system and people who support the system (including providing maintenance and training).
2
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.7]
3.1.6
goal
intended outcome
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.10]
3.1.7
effectiveness
accuracy and completeness with which users achieve specified goals
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.12]
3.1.8
efficiency
resources used in relation to the results achieved
Note 1 to entry: Typical resources include time, human effort, costs and materials.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.13]
3.1.9
satisfaction
extent to which the user's physical, cognitive and emotional responses that result from the use of a
system, product or service meet the user’s needs and expectations
Note 1 to entry: Satisfaction includes the extent to which the user experience that results from actual use meets
the user’s needs and expectations.
Note 2 to entry: Anticipated use can influence satisfaction with actual use.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.14]
3.1.10
context of use
combination of users, goals and tasks, resources, and environment
Note 1 to entry: The “environment” in a context of use includes the technical, physical, social, cultural and
organizational environments.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.15]
3.1.11
task
set of activities undertaken in order to achieve a specific goal
Note 1 to entry: These activities can be physical, perceptual and/or cognitive.
Note 2 to entry: While goals are independent of the means used to achieve them, tasks describe particular means
of achieving goals.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.11]
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
3.1.12
stakeholder
person or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by a decision
or activity
Note 1 to entry: Stakeholders can include: users, purchasers, systems owners or managers and people who are
indirectly affected by the operation of a system, product or service.
Note 2 to entry: Different stakeholders can have different needs, requirements or expectations.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.1.9]
3.1.13
human-centred quality
extent to which requirements relating to usability, accessibility, user experience and avoidance of harm
from use are met
Note 1 to entry: Human-centred quality is a collective term for the intended outcomes of interaction of the user with
the system.
Note 2 to entry: Provision of the necessary technical functionality is a prerequisite for human-centred quality.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.2.1], modified — Note 2 to entry removed.]
3.1.14
accessibility
extent to which products, systems, services, environments and facilities can be used by people from a
population with the widest range of user needs, characteristics and capabilities to achieve identified goals
in identified contexts of use
Note 1 to entry: Context of use includes direct use or use supported by assistive technologies.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-112:2017, 3.15]
3.1.15
user experience
user’s perceptions and responses that result from the use and/or anticipated use of a system, product or
service
Note 1 to entry: Users’ perceptions and responses include the users’ emotions, beliefs, preferences, perceptions,
comfort, behaviours, and accomplishments that occur before, during and after use.
Note 2 to entry: User experience is a consequence of brand image, presentation, functionality, system
performance, interactive behaviour, and assistive capabilities of a system, product or service. It also results from
the user’s internal and physical state resulting from prior experiences, attitudes, skills, abilities and personality;,
and from the context of use.
Note 3 to entry: The term "“user experience"” can also be used to refer to competence or processes such as user
experience professional, user experience design, user experience method, user experience evaluation, user
experience research, and user experience department.
Note 4 to entry: Human-centred design can only manage those aspects of user experience that result from
designed aspects of the interactive system.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.2.3]
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
3.1.16
harm from use
negative consequences regarding health, safety, finances or the environment that result from use of the
system
Note 1 to entry: theThe negative consequences can be for the user or for any other stakeholder.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241--11:2018, 3.2.4]
3.2 3.2 Interaction, Terms related to interaction and interface and related definitions
3.2.1
interaction
user-system interaction
exchange of information between a user and an interactive system via the user interface
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-110:2020, 3.11 definition of user-system interaction, modified with "to complete the
intended task" removed]— Definition revised.]
3.2.2
user interface
set of all the components of an interactive system that provide information and controls for the user to
accomplish specific tasks with the interactive system
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-110:2020, 3.10]
3.2.3
interaction sequence
exchange of informaitoninformation between a user and an interactive system via the user interface to
complete an intended task or to navigate through the interactive system
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-110:2020, 3.11, modified — Term and definition of user-system interaction, with the
addition of "or to navigate through the interactive system"]revised.]
3.2.4
action
user behaviour that a system accepts as a request for a particular operation
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC TR 11580:2007, 2.3], modified — Examples removed.]
3.2.5
control
object, often analogous to physical controls, which allows a user to take some action which manipulates
data, other objects or their attributes
[SOURCE: ISO 14915-2:2003, 3.8]
3.2.6
data item
data element or well-defined set of data elements that is associated with a single tag, which defines its
meaning and layout
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11694-5:2014, 3.4, with "that is associated with a single tag" removed]
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
3.2.7
user interface element
user interface object
entity of the user interface that is presented to the user by the software
EXAMPLE Text, graphic, control.
Note 1 to entry: User interface elements can be interactive or not.
Note 2 to entry: Both entities relevant to the task and entities of the user interface are regarded as user interface
elements. A user interface element can be a visual representation or an interaction mechanism for a task object
(such as ae.g. letter, sales order, electronic part, or wiring diagram) or a system object (such as ae.g. printer, hard
disk, or network connection). It can be possible for the user to directly manipulate some of these user interface
elements.
Note 3 to entry: User interface elements in a graphical user interface include such things as basic objects (such ase.g.
window title bars, menu items, push buttons, image maps, and editable text fields) or containers (such ase.g.
windows, grouping boxes, menu bars, menus, groups of mutually-exclusive option buttons, and compound images
that are made up of several smaller images). User interface elements in an audio user interface include such things
as menus, menu items, messages, and action prompts.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-171:2008, 3.38, with term modified to remove the hyphen between user and
interface, to be consistent with definition of user interface and note 4 replaced by a synonym term] —
Term revised.]
3.2.8
content chunk
unit of content that satisfies a requirement of a specific task for a specific user
Note 1 to entry A content chunk can also meet other requirements of one or more tasks for one or more users,
either by itself or in combination with other content chunks.
Note 2 to entry A content chunk defines a subtopic that justifies separate consideration by the user. However,
designers can decide whether or not to present one or more content chunks together within a single presentation
segment.
EXAMPLE A research report is divided into five content chunks that deal with: background information,
methodology, results, conclusions, and recommendations.
[SOURCE: ISO 14915-2:2003, 3.1, with "may" replaced with "can" inmodified — Note 2 to entry.] revised.
3.2.9
individual interface
physical implementation of one or more user interface elements and content chunks that is presented at
a point in time
3.3 Product-oriented definitions
3.3 Terms related to products
3.3.1
information item
information product
separately identifiable body of information that is produced, stored, and delivered for human use
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
Note 1 to entry: A document produced to meet information requirements can be an information item, part of an
information item, or a combination of several information items.
Note 2 to entry: An information item can be produced in several versions during a project or system life cycle.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289:2019, 3.1.12]
3.3.2
information item content
information included in an information item, associated with a system, product or service, to satisfy a
requirement or need
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289:2019, 3.1.13]
3.3.23
user need
prerequisite identified as necessary for a user, or a set of users, to achieve an intended outcome, implied
or stated within a specific context of use
EXAMPLE 1 A presenter (user) needs to know how much time is left (prerequisite) in order to complete the
presentation in time (goal) during a presentation with a fixed time limit (context of use).
EXAMPLE 2 An account manager (user) needs to know the number of invoices received and their amounts
(prerequisite), in order to complete the daily accounting log (goal) as part of monitoring the cash flow (context of
use).
Note 1 to entry: A user need is independent of any proposed solution for that need.
Note 2 to entry: User needs are identified based on various approaches, including interviews with users,
observations, surveys, evaluations, and expert analysis, etc.
Note 3 to entry: User needs often represent gaps (or discrepancies) between what should be and what is.
Note 4 to entry: User needs are transformed into user requirements considering the context of use, user priorities,
trade-offs with other system requirements and constraints.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 25065:2020, 3.1.9]
3.3.34
user requirements
set of requirements for use that provide the basis for design and evaluation of interactive systems to meet
identified user needs
Note 1 to entry: User requirements are derived from user needs and capabilities in order to allow the user to make
use of the system in an effective, efficient, safe and satisfying manner.
Note 2 to entry: User requirements are not requirements on the users.
Note 3 to entry: User requirements include user-system interaction requirements and use-related quality
requirements.
Note 4 to entry: In software engineering terms, user requirements include both "“functional"” and "“non-
functional"” requirements derived from user needs and capabilities.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-220:2019, 3.46]
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
, modified — Note 3. to entry added.
3.43.5
user-system interaction requirements
user requirements that specify the interactions (including:e.g. recognizing information, making inputs,
making selections, and receiving outputs) required by the users to achieve the goals
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 25065:20202019, 3.1.11]
3.3.56
use-related quality requirements
user requirements that specify the intended outcomes of use of the interactive system and associated
quality criteria
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 25065:20202019, 3.1.1112]
3.4 Process-oriented definitions
3.4 Terms related to processes
3.4.1
usability testing
evaluation that involves representative users performing specific tasks with the system to enable the
measurement of efficiency, effectiveness, and/or user satisfaction
3.4.2
usability inspection
evaluation based on the considered judgment of evaluators who examine the usability-related aspects of
a user interface with respect to specified criteria
Note 1 to entry: The inspectors can include usability specialists, developers, end users or other types of
professionals.
Note 2 to entry: The evaluative criteria can include good practice and/or documented principles, guidelines,
requirements or standards.
Note 3 to entry: The evaluation can be conducted with or without the help of referenced documents.
Note 4 to entry: Usability inspection is the generic term for several methods, including but not limited to heuristic
evaluation, cognitive walkthroughs, standards inspection, pluralistic walkthroughs, and consistency inspections.
3.4.3
cognitive walkthrough
usability evaluat
...
FINAL
TECHNICAL ISO/DTR
DRAFT
REPORT 25060
ISO/TC 159/SC 4
Systems and software engineering —
Secretariat: BSI
Systems and software Quality
Voting begins on:
2022-11-02 Requirements and Evaluation
(SQuaRE) — General framework for
Voting terminates on:
2023-01-25
Common Industry Format (CIF) for
usability-related information
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO
SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION
OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH
THEY ARE AWARE AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING
DOCUMENTATION.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
Reference number
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO-
ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES,
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON
OCCASION HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE
LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL TO BECOME STAN-
DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
NATIONAL REGULATIONS. © ISO 2022
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
FINAL
TECHNICAL ISO/DTR
DRAFT
REPORT 25060
ISO/TC 159/SC 4
Systems and software engineering —
Secretariat: BSI
Systems and software Quality
Voting begins on:
Requirements and Evaluation
(SQuaRE) — General framework for
Voting terminates on:
Common Industry Format (CIF) for
usability-related information
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© ISO 2022
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be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO
ISO copyright office
SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION
OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH
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THEY ARE AWARE AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING
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DOCUMENTATION.
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
Reference number
Email: copyright@iso.org
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO
ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
Website: www.iso.org
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES,
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON
Published in Switzerland
OCCASION HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE
LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL TO BECOME STAN
DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
ii
© ISO 2022 – All rights reserved
NATIONAL REGULATIONS. © ISO 2022
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 Terms related to usabililty . 2
3.2 Terms related to interaction and interface . 4
3.3 Terms related to products . 6
3.4 Terms related to processes . . 7
4 A general framework for usability-related information . 8
4.1 Common Industry Formats (CIFs) for usability-related information . 8
4.2 Intended users and uses of usability-related information items . 8
4.3 Situations in which the usability-related information items apply . 8
4.3.1 General . 8
4.3.2 Acquisition situation . 9
4.3.3 Development situation . 9
4.3.4 Maintenance situation . 9
4.4 Process independence . 9
4.5 Relationship to humancentred design (HCD) as described in ISO 9241210 . 9
4.6 Iteration based on new insights . 11
5 Usability-related information items .11
5.1 General . 11
5.2 Context of use description (ISO/IEC 25063) . 11
5.3 User needs report (ISO/IEC 25064) .12
5.4 User requirements specification (ISO 25065) .12
5.5 User-system interaction and user interface specification .13
5.6 Types of evaluation reports . 14
5.6.1 Evaluation report (ISO/IEC 25066) . 14
5.6.2 Quantitative usability test report (ISO/IEC 25062) .15
5.6.3 Field data report . 15
Annex A (informative) Typical representations for information items within a CIF.17
Bibliography .19
iii
© ISO 2022 – All rights reserved
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and nongovernmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 159, Ergonomics, Subcommittee
SC 4, Ergonomics of human-system interaction, in collaboration with the European Committee for
Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 122, Ergonomics, in accordance with the
Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC TR 25060:2010), which has been
technically revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— Information on the ISO 2506X family of documents has been updated.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
© ISO 2022 – All rights reserved
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ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to define a framework and consistent terminology for the specification
and evaluation of the usability of an interactive system. Specifying and evaluating usability assists
those developing and acquiring interactive systems. This document describes a framework that defines
a set of information items as part of a human-centred approach to the design of an interactive system.
The framework is intended to assist in documenting and communicating usability-related information
through the system development life cycle.
The human-centred design approach of ISO 9241-210 is well established and focuses specifically on
making systems usable. Usability can be achieved by applying human-centred design and testing
throughout the life cycle. In order to enable a human-centred design approach to be adopted, it is
important that all the relevant usability information items are identified and documented. This
identification and documentation enables the usability of a system to be designed and tested.
This framework forms the basis for a family of documents that will provide a Common Industry Format
(CIF) for specific information items to be used as part of a human-centred approach to the design of
interactive systems. ISO/IEC 25062, which standardizes the types of information that are documented
when providing a detailed report of the results of measuring effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction,
is the first specific International Standard in this family.
The CIF for usability documents are part of the SQuaRE documents (ISO/IEC 25000 to ISO/IEC 25099)
on software product quality requirements and evaluation. The scope of the CIF family covers systems
rather than just software, so is broader than that of the current SQuaRE documents. The CIF family of
documents uses definitions (reproduced in Clause 2) that are consistent with ISO 9241, as this is the
terminology that is normally used for this subject matter. In some cases, these definitions differ from
those in ISO/IEC 25000.
NOTE Some CIF documents are prefixed “ISO” while others are prefixed “ISO/IEC”, depending on how they
are administered. However, all CIF documents are jointly developed by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 and ISO TC 159/SC 4.
To ensure that these information items can be used within the broadest range of process models and
can be used in combination with other information items, the descriptions are given in the format
defined in ISO/IEC 15289 and ISO/IEC TS 33060.
The information items for documenting usability-related information can be integrated in
any process models. For the purpose of establishing process models, ISO/IEC/IEEE 24774 and
ISO/IEC TS 33061 specify the format and conformity requirements for process models, respectively.
In addition, ISO/IEC 15289 defines the types and content of information items developed and used in
process models for system and software life cycle management. ISO/IEC TS 22060 and ISO/IEC TS 33061
define work products, including information items, for the purpose of process capability assessment.
Process models and associated information items for human-centred design of interactive systems are
contained in ISO 9241-210 and ISO TS 18152, respectively.
While this document focuses on information items needed as the basis for design and development
of interactive systems, the data contained in the information items can support post-development
activities such as (product) conformity assessment as defined in ISO/IEC 17000.
v
© ISO 2022 – All rights reserved
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TECHNICAL REPORT ISO/DTR 25060:2022(E)
Systems and software engineering — Systems and software
Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) —
General framework for Common Industry Format (CIF) for
usability-related information
1 Scope
This document describes information items enabling systematic human-centred design for interactive
systems.
Some of these information items are elaborated by separate International Standards, named the
Common Industry Format (CIF) for usability-related information.
This document provides the framework of information items, including definitions and the content for
each information item.
This document includes the following:
— the intended users of the information items;
— consistent terminology;
— the highlevel content structure to be used for documenting each information item.
The information items are intended to be used as part of system-level documentation resulting from
development processes such as those in ISO 9241-210, ISO 9241-220 and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 7 process
standards (e.g. ISO/IEC 15288, ISO/IEC 29148).
This document focuses on those information items needed for design, development and evaluation
of usable systems, rather than prescribing a specific process. It is intended to be used in conjunction
with existing International Standards, including the standards of the ISO 9241 series and the SQuaRE
documents (ISO/IEC 25000 to ISO/IEC 25099).
This document does not prescribe any kind of method, life cycle or process.
NOTE The information items produced by human-centred design activities can be incorporated in design
approaches as diverse as object-oriented, waterfall, HFI (human factors integration), agile and rapid development.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
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3.1 Terms related to usabililty
3.1.1
usability
extent to which a system, product or service can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals
with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use
Note 1 to entry: The “specified” users, goals and context of use refer to the particular combination of users, goals
and context of use for which usability is being considered.
Note 2 to entry: The word “usability” is also used as a qualifier to refer to the design knowledge, competencies,
activities and design attributes that contribute to usability, such as usability expertise, usability professional,
usability engineering, usability method, usability evaluation and usability heuristic.
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.1]
3.1.2
interactive system
system
combination of hardware and/or software and/or services and/or people that users interact with in
order to achieve specific goals
Note 1 to entry: This includes, where appropriate, packaging, user documentation, online and human help,
support and training.
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.5]
3.1.3
product
item that is made or created by a person or machine
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.2]
3.1.4
service
means of delivering value for the customer by facilitating results the customer wants to achieve
Note 1 to entry: Services can include both human–system interactions (e.g. accessing a word processor through
the web) and human–human interactions (e.g. a citizen interacting with a clerk at the post office counter).
Note 2 to entry: The “customer” is a user and does not necessarily have a financial relationship.
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.6]
3.1.5
user
person who interacts with a system, product or service
Note 1 to entry: Users of a system, product or service include people who operate the system, people who make
use of the output of the system and people who support the system (including providing maintenance and
training).
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.7]
3.1.6
goal
intended outcome
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.10]
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3.1.7
effectiveness
accuracy and completeness with which users achieve specified goals
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.12]
3.1.8
efficiency
resources used in relation to the results achieved
Note 1 to entry: Typical resources include time, human effort, costs and materials.
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.13]
3.1.9
satisfaction
extent to which the user's physical, cognitive and emotional responses that result from the use of a
system, product or service meet the user’s needs and expectations
Note 1 to entry: Satisfaction includes the extent to which the user experience that results from actual use meets
the user’s needs and expectations.
Note 2 to entry: Anticipated use can influence satisfaction with actual use.
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.14]
3.1.10
context of use
combination of users, goals and tasks, resources and environment
Note 1 to entry: The “environment” in a context of use includes the technical, physical, social, cultural and
organizational environments.
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.15]
3.1.11
task
set of activities undertaken in order to achieve a specific goal
Note 1 to entry: These activities can be physical, perceptual and/or cognitive.
Note 2 to entry: While goals are independent of the means used to achieve them, tasks describe particular means
of achieving goals.
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.11]
3.1.12
stakeholder
person or organization that can affect, be affected by or perceive themselves to be affected by a decision
or activity
Note 1 to entry: Stakeholders can include users, purchasers, systems owners or managers and people who are
indirectly affected by the operation of a system, product or service.
Note 2 to entry: Different stakeholders can have different needs, requirements or expectations.
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.1.9]
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3.1.13
human-centred quality
extent to which requirements relating to usability, accessibility, user experience and avoidance of harm
from use are met
Note 1 to entry: Human-centred quality is a collective term for the intended outcomes of interaction of the user
with the system.
Note 2 to entry: Provision of the necessary technical functionality is a prerequisite for human-centred quality.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-11:2018, 3.2.1, modified — Note 2 to entry removed.]
3.1.14
accessibility
extent to which products, systems, services, environments and facilities can be used by people from a
population with the widest range of user needs, characteristics and capabilities to achieve identified
goals in identified contexts of use
Note 1 to entry: Context of use includes direct use or use supported by assistive technologies.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241112:2017, 3.15]
3.1.15
user experience
user’s perceptions and responses that result from the use and/or anticipated use of a system, product
or service
Note 1 to entry: Users’ perceptions and responses include the users’ emotions, beliefs, preferences, perceptions,
comfort, behaviours and accomplishments that occur before, during and after use.
Note 2 to entry: User experience is a consequence of brand image, presentation, functionality, system
performance, interactive behaviour and assistive capabilities of a system, product or service. It also results from
the user’s internal and physical state resulting from prior experiences, attitudes, skills, abilities and personality,
and from the context of use.
Note 3 to entry: The term “user experience” can also be used to refer to competence or processes such as user
experience professional, user experience design, user experience method, user experience evaluation, user
experience research and user experience department.
Note 4 to entry: Human-centred design can only manage those aspects of user experience that result from
designed aspects of the interactive system.
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.2.3]
3.1.16
harm from use
negative consequences regarding health, safety, finances or the environment that result from use of the
system
Note 1 to entry: The negative consequences can be for the user or for any other stakeholder.
[SOURCE: ISO 924111:2018, 3.2.4]
3.2 Terms related to interaction and interface
3.2.1
interaction
user-system interaction
exchange of information between a user and an interactive system via the user interface
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-110:2020, 3.11, modified — Definition revised.]
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3.2.2
user interface
set of all the components of an interactive system that provide information and controls for the user to
accomplish specific tasks with the interactive system
[SOURCE: ISO 9241110:2020, 3.10]
3.2.3
interaction sequence
exchange of information between a user and an interactive system via the user interface to complete an
intended task or to navigate through the interactive system
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-110:2020, 3.11, modified — Term and definition revised.]
3.2.4
action
user behaviour that a system accepts as a request for a particular operation
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC TR 11580:2007, 2.3, modified — Examples removed.]
3.2.5
control
object, often analogous to physical controls, which allows a user to take some action which manipulates
data, other objects or their attributes
[SOURCE: ISO 149152:2003, 3.8]
3.2.6
data item
data element or well-defined set of data elements that is associated with a single tag, which defines its
meaning and layout
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 116945:2014, 3.4]
3.2.7
user interface element
user interface object
entity of the user interface that is presented to the user by the software
EXAMPLE Text, graphic, control.
Note 1 to entry: User interface elements can be interactive or not.
Note 2 to entry: Both entities relevant to the task and entities of the user interface are regarded as user interface
elements. A user interface element can be a visual representation or an interaction mechanism for a task object
(e.g. letter, sales order, electronic part, wiring diagram) or a system object (e.g. printer, hard disk, network
connection). It can be possible for the user to directly manipulate some of these user interface elements.
Note 3 to entry: User interface elements in a graphical user interface include such things as basic objects (e.g.
window title bars, menu items, push buttons, image maps, editable text fields) or containers (e.g. windows,
grouping boxes, menu bars, menus, groups of mutually-exclusive option buttons, compound images that are
made up of several smaller images). User interface elements in an audio user interface include such things as
menus, menu items, messages and action prompts.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-171:2008, 3.38, modified — Term revised.]
3.2.8
content chunk
unit of content that satisfies a requirement of a specific task for a specific user
Note 1 to entry: to entry A content chunk can also meet other requirements of one or more tasks for one or more
users, either by itself or in combination with other content chunks.
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Note 2 to entry: A content chunk defines a subtopic that justifies separate consideration by the user. However,
designers can decide whether or not to present one or more content chunks together within a single presentation
segment.
EXAMPLE A research report is divided into five content chunks that deal with background information,
methodology, results, conclusions and recommendations.
[SOURCE: ISO 14915-2:2003, 3.1, modified — Note 2 to entry revised.
3.2.9
individual interface
physical implementation of one or more user interface elements and content chunks that is presented at
a point in time
3.3 Terms related to products
3.3.1
information item
information product
separately identifiable body of information that is produced, stored and delivered for human use
Note 1 to entry: A document produced to meet information requirements can be an information item, part of an
information item or a combination of several information items.
Note 2 to entry: An information item can be produced in several versions during a project or system life cycle.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289:2019, 3.1.12]
3.3.2
information item content
information included in an information item, associated with a system, product or service, to satisfy a
requirement or need
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15289:2019, 3.1.13]
3.3.3
user need
prerequisite identified as necessary for a user, or a set of users, to achieve an intended outcome, implied
or stated within a specific context of use
EXAMPLE 1 A presenter (user) needs to know how much time is left (prerequisite) in order to complete the
presentation in time (goal) during a presentation with a fixed time limit (context of use).
EXAMPLE 2 An account manager (user) needs to know the number of invoices received and their amounts
(prerequisite), in order to complete the daily accounting log (goal) as part of monitoring the cash flow (context of
use).
Note 1 to entry: A user need is independent of any proposed solution for that need.
Note 2 to entry: User needs are identified based on various approaches, including interviews with users,
observations, surveys, evaluations and expert analysis.
Note 3 to entry: User needs often represent gaps (or discrepancies) between what should be and what is.
Note 4 to entry: User needs are transformed into user requirements considering the context of use, user priorities,
trade-offs with other system requirements and constraints.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 25065:2020, 3.1.9]
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3.3.4
user requirements
set of requirements for use that provide the basis for design and evaluation of interactive systems to
meet identified user needs
Note 1 to entry: User requirements are derived from user needs and capabilities in order to allow the user to
make use of the system in an effective, efficient, safe and satisfying manner.
Note 2 to entry: User requirements are not requirements on the users.
Note 3 to entry: User requirements include user-system interaction requirements and use-related quality
requirements.
Note 4 to entry: In software engineering terms, user requirements include both “functional” and “non-functional”
requirements derived from user needs and capabilities.
[SOURCE: ISO 9241-220:2019, 3.46, modified — Note 3 to entry added.
3.3.5
user-system interaction requirements
user requirements that specify the interactions (e.g. recognizing information, making inputs, making
selections, receiving outputs) required by users to achieve the goals
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 25065:2019, 3.1.11]
3.3.6
use-related quality requirements
user requirements that specify the intended outcome
...
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