Abstract
Performing usability analysis early in the design process results in lower overall development, deployment, and maintenance costs. Pre-development user and task analysis through questionnaires, observation, low-fidelity prototyping, and usability testing enables productive interactive testing of subsequent operable system prototypes. This helps assure a positive return on investment in information technology. When usercentered design assessment is supplanted by assumptions about user, task, and work environment, the result is often production of applications embellished with functionality unrelated to the user’s task. Surveys were administered to elicit user perception of system usability and usefulness and of satisfaction with intra-team interaction. This was the first step in determining the relationship between form and function for users of a Synchronous Distributed- Decision Support System (SD-DSS). It was anticipated that the teamwork process would be most troublesome while the SD-DSS would be perceived as easy to use and functional. The reverse proved to be the case.
Recommended Citation
Vick, Rita M. and Auernheimer, Brent, "When Information Technology Design Favors Form over Function: Where is the Value-Added “Tipping Point”?" (2003). SIGHCI 2003 Proceedings. 17.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/sighci2003/17