[IxDA Discuss] Usability as Feature

[David Malouf]

Jared M. Spool wrote:
>
> Inotherwords, while the condition you describe does exist for short
> periods in enterprise software, history has repeatedly shown that it
> doesn't last long. Eventually, if the market has potential, someone
> will introduce a next-generation solution that fills the gap.
>
> This is the traditional transition point from feature-based design
> (stage 2 in the Market Maturity Model) to productivity-based design
> (stage 3).

I think there are always business needs that conflict with user needs.
I.e. what user WANTS to pay for something, let alone go through a checkout
system that requires that payment process. Now, I'm sure there will be
ways invented to make this easier in the future through retinal eye-scans
that tie DNA sequences to bank-accounts, but there will always be
exception processing, i.e. "Your broke!!!!" ...

In the enterprise world the equivalent is authentication management.
In workflow process management there are a ton of flows that exist (are
created) for the benefit of others who are not using that workflow. Most
of these surround issues of trust management that I don't see going away
but due to issues of Sax-Ox and the SEC will increase over time.

While I agree some enterprise issues DO lead to great design challenges
and marketing opportunities, after 10 years in the enterprise and b2b
space I can safely say that the glacial speed of improvements in this area
means that for all practical purposes we will continue to have
requirements from one user set that is in contradiction to another user
set.

How to make the group on the negative side feel better about them, or
persuade them to do it in a captology sense I guess is the design
direction we should think about in these scenarios.

-- dave

-- 
--
David Malouf
dave at ixda.org
http://ixda.org/