Better by Design: Auditing the Computer Workstation – Part Two

In many organisations information systems are difficult to use and so underutilised that managers lose substantial productivity gains. Major problems stem from design processes based on an engineering paradigm; these are critically assessed. How to build the software interface through user profiling, clearing a user migration path and designing suitable methods of dialogue are then discussed. Four fundamental design principles are advanced; the design considerations for workstations and their immediate environments are detailed. Implementation of the important but neglected proposals elucidated here would help towards achieving systems usability – productive, safe preferred use in practice. However, wider organisational issues, for example, personnel policies, work hours, politics, also impact on usability. These also must be considered by management in the process of achieving effective workstation design.