ABOUT THE AUTHORS All of the authors are human factors engineers in the information technology department at Intel Corporation. The HFE department consists of 16 human factors engineers under the direction of Linda Wooding.

March + April 2009

loop is entirely self-contained, and improvements may be rapid but expensive. All that has really shifted in the OTS UX approach is an additional part of the loop: the supplier of the solution. This is a slower path to successful influence, but it is ultimately the most cost-effective method. There is lower TCO in terms of upgrading and maintenance, and also an

increase in end-user productivity that comes with more usable systems. Moreover, there is the advantage of not only reuse, where the customer no longer needs to remodify a system due to included improvements, but also of “pre-use,” where UX improvements spread beyond the original system to other supplier offerings for future purchase. In the long run, the

interaction between external development and internal research and implementation means a productive and efficient experience for end users.

As UX professionals, we must add this process to our toolbox. With more and more compa-

nies engaging at this level, the cross-sharing of information in communities and interest groups becomes possible. Even though the larger sphere of influence is different, the fundamentals and end results are

the same. If we continue working to understand our users and business, then pass that information on to external suppliers, OTS enterprise software can be powerful, flexible, and easy to use.

Kraig Finstad holds a Ph.D. in experimental psychology; his interests include problem solving, research methodology, and usability metrics.

Wei Xu holds a M.S. in computer science and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology. His research interests include human computer interaction,

cognitive engineering, and aviation human factors. Wei has published numerous academic papers in these areas.

Shibani Kapoor holds a
M.S. in information special-
izing in human computer
interaction. Her area of
research interest is in the
usability variances of
different cultures and designing evaluation
methodologies that take them into account.

Sri Canakapalli holds a
Ph.D. in both business
management and human
factors psychology. He is
particularly interested in
enriching the experience of
humans when they interact with things. He
has three patents pending relating to
human computer interaction.

John Gladding holds a B.A.
in communication studies.
His background is in web
and interface design,
where he has designed
and implemented dozens
of sites inside and outside of Intel. He also
owns and manages a Sacramento-based
portal, The Tomato Pages Network:
http://www.tomatopages.com.

from the system. An even more advanced version of the customized system took into account the issues most important to users (according to tech-support calls and usability testing). Contextual help links were placed directly on the screen at the most problematic areas as a supplement to the global help from the supplier. As a result, the number of tech-support calls on those issues dropped substantially.

Unfortunately, Intel has had to move away from this internal customization model. Mitigations to UX issues often take the form of issue-focused training, help, and transition efforts. In the long term, a mutually beneficial sup-plier/customer UX relationship was developed that can provide improvements directly to the end user. The supplier receives valuable usability research data, recommendations, and rare insights into their system’s end users. The customer company ultimately benefits from improved systems that accommodate its end users’ needs.

Specifically, the supplier’s system has made the procurement process more straightforward, complete with a single-page approach, clearer controls, and a more efficient screen workflow. A warning dialog has been added to prevent accidental data loss, an improvement that other supplier systems have adopted. Prototypes of future systems show a more context-aware approach to system help, so the user doesn’t have to seek help as a separate (and disruptive) task.

The comprehensive UXD approach provides a solid understanding of enterprise-software end-user needs beyond traditional UCD. In the cases where internal teams handle system development, the end-user and development-feedback

DOI: 10.1145/1487632.1487635
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