Applying a Macroergonomic Approach to The Design and Analysis of Business Software

Abstract

Business software is often seen as more of a nuisance to employees than an aid to more efficient work practices. Many companies are working toward improving this unfortunate phenomenon by attempting to improve the user experience (UX) of business software. This paper proposes that expanding beyond the UX perspective with a macroergonomic approach can improve both the research and design phases of business software development, ultimately providing a more complete picture of the UX by placing more emphasis on the context of use. Toward that end, we present here a preliminary application of macroergonomics to one business software project. First, we present an overview of business software. Then, a macroergonomics approach is defined and the potential value for business software is discussed. Next, we present an example of using macroergonomic principles on a project and the lessons learned during this exercise. Finally, we discuss what we’re doing to further expand upon this concept of applying macroergonomic principles to the design and analysis of business software.