You could say this month’s issue is a study of computer-human interplay. Indeed, we feature two special sections that analyze human behavior from two very different angles. One creates computing tools that may alter human behavior, the other studies human behavior in order to build effective computing environments. We look first at the newly established […]
May 1999 - Vol. 42 No. 5
Features
Direct losses technology companies attribute to theft are now $250 million a year, and the industry spends another $750,000 a year on insurance and security measures, according to a study by the Rand Corp. The survey included 95 companies representing 40% of industry sales and found 1,700 incidents of theft in a nine-month period in […]
Digital Village: How Xday Figures in the Y2k Countdown
Here we are, eight months out and counting. We’ve already seen glimpses of things to come. Stories like that of Lynn Electric, Bluefield, WV. When the company tried to close its 1998 payroll “all documents reverted to 1944.” (Washington Post, 1/1/99.) In Sweden, airport police were unable to issue one-year temporary passports after midnight, Dec. […]
How Often Should a Firm Buy New PCs?
Researchers have found it challenging to identify the business impact of computers and IT spending.
Viewpoint: Saving Our Sacred Honor
I get several Y2K-related queries from nontechnical folks almost daily. People genuinely confused and truly afraid because for the first time in their lives they are not sure they can trust the technologies they place great faith in, and yet, do not understand. In fact, according to one study, the U.S. public rates its overall […]
Now is your chance to decide what they will persuade us to do—and how they'll do it.
The Landscape of Persuasive Technologies
Aimed largely at children today, persuasion is already part of many technologies, but many more are on the way for everyone else.
Credibility and Computing Technology
Users want to trust, and generally do. But that trust is undermined, often forever, when the system delivers erroneous information.
-Understanding the Seductive Experience
Extraordinary products seduce the casual user, as well as the paying customer. Software is no exception, as long as it fulfills its promises.
Toward an Ethics of Persuasive Technology
Ask yourself whether your technology persuades users to do something you wouldn't want to be persuaded to do yourself.
The Diversity of Usability Practices
The U.S. has a long-standing tradition of usability labs, whereas usability labs in Danish industry are a fairly novel phenomenon. On the other hand, the Scandinavian countries, including Denmark, have a strong tradition for informally involving users in the design process rather than having them participate in a formal usability program. In the 1990s we have seen the emergence of a process where Danish industry institutionalizes usability by establishing usability labs, while U.S. industry is increasingly influenced by approaches to user involvement rooted in the Scandinavian countries.
Replacing Usability Testing with User Dialogue
How a Danish manufacturing company enhanced itsproduct design process by supporting user participation.
Emphasizing organizational transformation, process integration, and method optimization.
A Contribution to the Design Process
Achieving essential strengths in design, sound, picture, user interaction, and system integration.
Strengthening the Focus on U-sers’ Working Practices
Getting beyond traditional usability testing.
A Flexible Approach to Third-Party -Usability
As the nature of usability testing changes, so too have the techniques of third-party vendors.
Organizing Usability Work to Fit the Full Product Range
As broad and varied as it may be, design influence still must maintain a user-centered perspective.
Cooperative -Usability Practices
Detailed studies illustrate the diversity of ways to improve product quality by nurturing usability issues.
Inside Risks: Ten Myths About Y2K Inspections
The Y2K problem has given rise to a few statements that sound like unprofessional urban folklore.
