Interactive systems as if users really mattered

Abstract

Emphasis in the design of interactive systems is still too often concentrated on definition of data objects and operators, while too little attention is paid to the needs, perceptions and reactions of eventual users. Full consideration of the psychological fit between users and interactive systems, principally reflected in programmed interaction possibilities and communication facilities, is desirable so as to increase the efficiency of the man-machine system, and, more importantly, to maximize the sovereignty, creativeness and satisfaction of the final user. In this paper, fundamentals of man-machine symbiosis are presented, and requirements for system personality, malleability, and feedback/response are analyzed. Through adoption of these criteria early in the design process, it is argued that users will more readily accept interactive computer systems as desirable tools of their increasingly information-dominated trades.