The Human Factor in Gadget, Web design
By Stefanie Olsen Staff Writer, CNET News.com February 12, 2007
Retrieved from CNET Tech News
http://news.com.com/The+human+factor+in+gadget%2C+Web+design/2100-1008_3-6158224.html?tag=nefd.lede
When we learned about information systems in chapter 1, we learned that people are the most important component of an information system. I think this article is very interesting because it talks about how important the human-factor is in any product/technology development. This articles talks about how user design, understanding the capabilities, limitations and desires of humans, and human-computer interaction, understanding how users interact with technology, product/technology development. Many companies, universities, and even government agencies like NASA are investing time and money taking a hard look at how people interact with technology. Since the number of people using technology has increased greatly over the past few years, the design of the product has become the determining factor in the success of the product. Many organizations, including Google, Microsoft, and NASA, are now utilizing human-computer interaction experts and user design teams in an effort to develop more user-friendly products. Also, many universities are requiring engineering students to learn human-computer interaction skills. Most of the successful technology products that are produced take imagination and thought about the average person, not technological breakthroughs. The article summarizes its point by stating that these days “all technology is so good that it is no longer the differentiator between products rather the differentiator is user interface.”
I agree with this articles point of view. I do not use many technology products, but the products I do use are very user-friendly. I do not want to have to read a big manual to learn how to use a product; I want to be able to read one page and be able to use the product. I want to be able to learn how to use a product quickly, the less steps the better. I just want the product to do what I need it to do. If a product is too difficult to use and I have another option, I will not use the difficult product.
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This article was a great read. I second your notion on using the most user-friendly, least time-consuming techology. In today's fast-paced lifestyles where consumers are placing greater emphasis on value, price and convenience, a manufacturer really does have to make sure that the human factor is what's top priority.
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