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This is the given sentence: Usability: “The extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use.”

I'm trying to use another word to replace extent in the above sentence.

In the google dictionary, extent means the area covered by something.

So, usability is an "area" which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use.

Does it make any sense in English?

After doing more google search, there are two more ways to paraphrase the sentence.

  1. Usability refers to methods for accessing or improving the way to achieve specified goals by specified users with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use during the design process.

  2. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a software can be used by specified consumers to achieve quantified objectives with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a quantified context of use.

How could I write a better sentence?

Thank you for reading this question.

3
  • A measure of the ease with which a product can be used ...
    – Jim
    Sep 17, 2018 at 15:31
  • First, what's wrong with extent? Second, degree (which you already mention) would be an equivalent. What's wrong with it? Sep 17, 2018 at 19:28
  • Hello Jason, there is nothing wrong with extent in the sentence. Because I have a hard time to understanding the word extent, so I try to find out another word or other words to replace extent for understanding the sentence better. Probably I should try to understand the word extent more.
    – Charles
    Sep 18, 2018 at 4:50

1 Answer 1

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You could replace your definition with a noun clause introduced by where, or how far a product...

Usability:“where a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use.”

The problem is that 'where' 'how far' creates a partial ambiguity, 'a garden path.' because the reader will be expecting a direct question. The ambiguity might be removed by adding a verb:

Usability:“explains where a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use.”

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