Software for Use: A Practical Guide to the Models and Methods of Usage-Centered Design

21 Getting Organized: Usability in the Larger Context

Organizational Units

The usability of software reflects the nature of the organization developing the software as much as it does the methods and models applied in the process. The structure and the culture of an organization, its operating rules and units, as well as its values, can have a significant impact on its ability to apply usage-centered design effectively. In this final chapter, we will look at the messy boundaries where the technology and technical issues of usage-centered design meet the organizational realities of current practices and politics.

There are many ways to organize to achieve improved software usability. The first and most basic questions concern whose job it is. ...