Ask E.T.: Why Software is So Bad
Ask E.T.: Why Software is So Bad: "In 'The trouble with computers' Thomas Landauer goes into the productivity question in some detail. His hypothesis is that abysmal usability is the main reason software hasn't made us more productive, and he gives many good reasons.
Why do so many people believe that computers have improved productivity when the statistics show they have not?
The illusion perhaps comes from visible benefits and invisible costs.
This point is illustrated by a study of electronic point of sale systems in a supermarket, described in Landauer's book. Barcode scanning was introduced to a supermarket and management in the supermaket thought that, as a result, productivity had increased. They even had people spare to help shoppers pack their bags.
The truth? The time saved at tills was compensated for by expenditure on support, maintenance, and time wasted when the machines went wrong.
The people who helped shoppers pack their bags were, in fact, extra employees hired at around the same time as the scanning was introduced.
You can see the same mechanism quite often. In my last job management thought it would be a good idea to have a 'skills database' to help match people to projects. They were thinking of the ease with which their matching work could be done, but not thinking of the huge effort it would require to set up, populate, AND MAINTAIN such a database with current information.
Their enthusiasm was not dampened by the fact that every previous attempt to create a database of skills had fizzled out due to failure to maintain current information.
-- Matthew Leitch (email), August 31, 2003 "
Why do so many people believe that computers have improved productivity when the statistics show they have not?
The illusion perhaps comes from visible benefits and invisible costs.
This point is illustrated by a study of electronic point of sale systems in a supermarket, described in Landauer's book. Barcode scanning was introduced to a supermarket and management in the supermaket thought that, as a result, productivity had increased. They even had people spare to help shoppers pack their bags.
The truth? The time saved at tills was compensated for by expenditure on support, maintenance, and time wasted when the machines went wrong.
The people who helped shoppers pack their bags were, in fact, extra employees hired at around the same time as the scanning was introduced.
You can see the same mechanism quite often. In my last job management thought it would be a good idea to have a 'skills database' to help match people to projects. They were thinking of the ease with which their matching work could be done, but not thinking of the huge effort it would require to set up, populate, AND MAINTAIN such a database with current information.
Their enthusiasm was not dampened by the fact that every previous attempt to create a database of skills had fizzled out due to failure to maintain current information.
-- Matthew Leitch (email), August 31, 2003 "
Continued....
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Ask E.T.: Why Software is So Bad
posted by Adrian Eyre at 9:56 PM
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