The importance of usability in the establishment of organizational software standards for end user computing

✍ Scribed by Michael G. Morris; Andrew P. Dillon

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 223 KB
• Volume: 45
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1071-5819
• DOI: 10.1006/ijhc.1996.0050

✦ Synopsis

The rapid introduction of microcomputers into organizations throughout the last decade gave new importance to the analysis of how technology impacts organizations . In particular , research on usability has sought to become central to the design and selection of technology for large organizations . However , definitions and methods are not yet standardized . Data gathered from semi-structured interviews of three MIS managers and a survey of 125 end-users in three organzations suggest that dif ferences in emphasis on , and definition of usability can exist between these two groups . Usability was not a central concern to managers when evaluating end-user software packages considered for adoption as the organizational standard , though it appeared to be so for end-users . Moreover , managers tended to consider and evaluate usability based only on features contained in the user interface , whereas end-users often cited contextual factors such as task and environmental considerations . Implications for technology assessment and future research into organizational impact of IT are presented .