I’m a software developer and researcher in the Boston area. I graduated from MIT with a degree in Computer Science and concentration in Literature. Let me know about your thoughts or experiences in YOUR workplace. Feel free to contact me with any comments or questions at bloggingsteph@gmail.com.
Although people are told “not judge a book by it’s cover”, many users will judge software by it’s user interface. Software is remembered by the user interface. If the interace works WITH the user to accomplish their goals, the user can place more trust in the software.
If an application’s user interface is too difficult for the user, they often will find a better way and abandon the un-usable interface.
An usable interface can save time, money, and even lives. A user’s time is valuable. If a user interface is costing an employee in a company a large amount of time, this cost will add up to a large hidden cost for the company. As technology becomes more prevalent in across many fields, the cost of a mistake can be very expensive. If a medical device is so difficult to use, this may even cost lives as seen in the Therac -25 Accidents.
