SIGIA-L Mail Archives: Re: [Sigia-l] Avoiding alienating existing users upon redesign
Re: [Sigia-l] Avoiding alienating existing users upon redesign
I agree with just about everything already said on this topic ... the need
for usability testing particularly with the seasoned users of the old
system, efforts to keep certain continuity, etc.
But the bottom line is that any change brings some organizational and
personal stress. I find this picture a helpful one for my own
understanding, and to show to management and users.
The dotted line shows productivity. Of course, it will drop when the new
system is put in place -- no matter how well designed that system is. I
call the amount of that drop the "PAIN'. It takes a certain amount of time
for productivity to get back even to the old level. I call that the
'PERSEVERANCE'. And then productivity should keep rising, until it levels
off. The amount of increase over the initial value I call the 'GAIN'.
Now our challenge might be stated as minimizing pain and the need for
perseverance, while maximizing gain. Or ... more carefully, we might talk
about balancing these factors.
|
Productivity | . . +
| . |
| . | GAIN
| . |
+ |... . +
PAIN | | . .
+ | ....
|
|__________________________________
+---------+ Time
PERSEVERANCE
(please credit me if
you reproduce this chart)
I worked on the total redesign of a hospital messaging system (gong from
ChUI to GUI), where the perseverance was measured in hours. By the end of
their first shift, operators were working effectively with most parts of
the radically new interface (which included a phone integrated into their
PC, so there were no phone buttons anymore), and handling more calls per
hour than they could have managed the day before. I've also been called in
as a consultant on projects where the perseverance was measured in weeks or
months, and was totally unacceptable for the organization.
Arthur Fink Consulting · arthur_at_ArthurFink.com
····························································
Ten New Island Avenue · Listening to users
Peaks Island, Maine 04108 · Designing systems that work
http://www.ArthurFink.com · Progress training + consulting
207.766.5722 · User interface design
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