Subject:
Software Under the Microscope, and "Lazy" Users
Software Under the
Microscope
The battle rages against the effects of poor software
-- which include reduced productivity, increased user support from help desks,
increased training costs, and increased user stress and
frustration.
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Users Try Before They Buy
Some corporations are performing their own usability
testing on software applications before they make mass purchases.
"State Farm Insurance Cos. in Bloomington, Ill., was
all set a few years ago to spend more than $5 million on an intranet-based
career planning software package. But when the company brought the package to
its usability lab, it made a huge savings... The results prompted State Farm,
with its 75,000 desktops' worth of buying power, to walk away from the
deal."
Who else is involved? Boeing, Fidelity Investments,
Eastman Kodak Co., Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., IBM, Compaq Computer
Corp., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., Intel Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc., and
Hewlett-Packard.
This article describes how industry vendors are
proposing a Common Industry Format for Usability Test Reports to the National
Institute of Standards and Technology. Under the plan, software vendors would
perform standardized usability testing and report their results in some form to
potential purchasers.
Software is Too Hard to Use
http://www.computerworld.com/news/1999/story/0,11280,36752,00.html
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Users Don't Want to Learn
Do some users have "bad attitudes?" Web site users
are impatient and do not want to learn anything new. Are your users any
different?
This article tells how to overcome users' impatience
by applying principles of usability and familiarity.
Usability as Barrier to Entry
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/991128.html
