Good technology design does not create conflict between humans and machines,
says Mark Coxon in his column about user interface design. How much does the user experience come into consideration when you’re designing or specifying systems? I don’t actually mean the end user who made the decision to buy from you — I mean the actual teacher who has to incorporate interactive collaboration into his/her style, or the accountant who has to present or the moderator who has to lead a discussion via videoconferencing. Is a well-written manual good enough? Good training? Reliable support? Technology is personal, also says Mark, and here he talks about the importance of designing for the user of the technology — and not the technologist.
Dr. Fred Ampel also elaborates on how much acoustical measurement technology has improved — so much so that we have more data than is useful to us.
Check it out and let us know what you think.