Editorial: Hardware and software both matter

I have a slide which I use regularly when introducing System Concepts which explains the concepts in a business system (hence one system, several concepts). These concepts include the components of the system (users, hardware, software, organization and environment), their interaction with each other, to achieve some task or purpose, over a period of time (or lifecycle as it is known in system design circles). I then go on to explain that because the components interact -- they are all important -- it’s not just the technology which matters. More to the current point, for many products, hardware and software and their interaction matter.

There is a tendency amongst usability and HCI (Human Computer Interaction) experts to focus solely on software user interfaces. Certainly there is a significant amount of work to be done to make these interfaces usable and accessible. But hardware matters as well and in Europe, the ergonomics of display screen hardware is governed by law -- ie employers have a legal obligation to provide suitable keyboards, screens etc for their employees.

One reason for the change is that poor or unusable software is a very obvious source of stress, employers and legislators are taking workplace stress very seriously. Another reason for the change is that there are now published standards by which software usability can be determined. It is now possible to test, in the UK at least, whether the software ergonomics obligations in the European Directive have been met. The latest version of the Health and Safety Executive’s Guidance on Display Screen Work has an updated section on standards, particularly ISO 9241 which has now been published in full (all seventeen parts from keyboards and task design to display screens and menu structures).

So both hardware and software matter to users. Indeed in many of today’s devices, from handheld PDAs and mobile telephones to desktop copiers and printers to free standing checkouts and ATMs, the key to usability is designing the hardware and software components to work well together. In System Concepts we will continue to combine our knowledge of hardware ergonomics and software usability to ensure that our clients’ systems work effectively, efficiently and satisfactorily for their users.

First published 2003

Last reviewed Jan 2008