Computer User Interface and User Productivity - Coursework Example

Computer User Interface and User Productivity Introduction Computers have redefined the way people work. Not only do computers increase productivity, they have also increased efficiency and other advantages such as increasing the availability of data as well as reduce the cost of information access. However, like any other tool that has ever being invented by man, computers need to be ergonomically optimized in order for them to be able to not only help users to be efficient and productive, but to also help in protecting the health of the user (Sears & Jacko, 2007). With regarded to computer ergonomics, it is necessary to note that one has to consider more than just the physical ergonomics. In particular, the user interface has to be ergonomically optimized in order to achieve the best results. Therefore, it is crucial to appreciate that the way a computer interface is designed will determine how efficient and how productive a person is going to be. The only problem according Bullinger and Ziegler (1999) is that there is no one particular known way to increase the effectiveness of computer interface. The debate on whether the interface should be optimized to give the user immediate and unrestricted access to information is one that has no imminent end. In this paper, this issue is investigated with the intention of finding out whether designing computer interface to give immediate and largely unrestricted access to information will increase productivity. Information Access Cost will be investigated in order to find out how it affects productivity. There are several factors that can come up with regard to designing the computer interface to give the users immediate and largely unrestricted access to information. These are discussed below; Information Access Cost Morgan, Waldron, King and Patrick (2007) argued that increasing the Information Access Cost can improve the performance as it helps the user to develop better and more intensive memory and cognitive function. In this regard, increasing Information Access Cost can be very is effective in increasing productivity for repetitive tasks. As the user is required to think and increase the intensity of this or her memory, he eventually increases his cognitive functions, thus being able to perform better in the future. Back, Cox and Brumby (2012) carried out a study to investigate how information access cost can affect the performance in terms of productivity and effectiveness. They found that increasing the information access cost can be useful in making sure that that the user does not overlook or ignore some important processes. In their experiment, they found that increasing the cost of accessing the information was important in making sure that the users were accurate in the way they carried safety-critical tasks. Morgan, Waldron, King and Patrick (2009) also added to the debate and argue that increasing memory access can improve performance. In their research, they investigated how interrupting a person while he or she is carrying out a task can affect the way in which he will develop his cognitive functions. Memory interruption makes the person to refocus in the task and therefore avoid mistakes. Jessie, Yang, Park, Wickens and Helander (2014 ) also argued that increasing information access can improve performance, but in the long run. Like other authors, they argued that giving the user unrestricted access to information makes it harder for the user to develop his cognitive abilities and therefore when doing the same task the next time, he has not developed better ways to do it. Overwhelming the user with information As Hancock (1999) argues, computers are supposed to give enough information to users. According to (Karwowski, 2006), reducing the physical and mental cost of accessing information can decrease performance of the worker. Moreover, when the information is served in larger quantities than needed, it has a fundamental negative impact on the user and this makes it harder for the user to be able to use the information. In this case, when the computer interface is designed to give the user immediate and largely unrestricted access to information, the user’s cognitive functions are not given the opportunity to develop better ways to handle the task in the future (Marek, Karwowski & Rice, 2010). According to Salvendy (2012), this can lead to the users of such a computer system (software) to not learn better ways to carry out various tasks. In information systems theory, too much information is just as useless as too little information. As Waldemar (2001), when a person is given too little information, they are not able to achieve their highest productivity. The cost of access must therefore be optimized to ensure that while the interface is providing the user with adequate information, it does not lead to an almost automated situation where the user’s cognitive functions are not engaged in the right way (Karwowski & Marras, 1998). The collapse system is usually used in management information systems. Emotional needs According to Bhattacharya & McGlothlin (2012), a computer is the most cognitively engaging tool that man has invested. Computers come in all forms and shapes, including embedded computers. For example, they are embedded in places like air planes. This means that when a pilot is flying a plane, he is basically using a computer through a virtual interface. In such critical use of computers, the cost of accessing information has a direct impact on the way the individual is able to perform (Kohn, 1998). In this case, as Karwowski & Marras (2003) says, emotional needs of the user must be considered in order to guarantee that the user is healthy in terms of how he or she interacts with the computer system. When the system is designed to allow immediate and largely unrestricted access to information, it fails to give the user the mental development that such a user requiring order to become better ant carrying out repetitive tasks. As Friend and Kohn (2010) say, when the computer system gives too much and unrestricted access of information, the user will start taking some of the tasks for granted and this can lead to the user making some critical mistakes. As Marras (2006) argues, it is easy for interface designers to think that the more access the computer system gives to the user the better. However, like in everything, too much is poison and it is necessary for such designers to know that when the interface is designed to offer overtly unlimited view of the information, the result will be that the way in which the users interact with the system at their cognitive function level will be affected ((Meshkati & Hancock, 2011). In this regard, it is absolutely necessary for the designers to be able to know that the users’ cognitive functions will work in a way that is not straightforward (Hancock & Szalma, 2008). The amount of information that the system supplies to the users should be the data that the user needs for a certain task, as opposed to having too much data or information and then being stressed trying to know that will be useful and what will not (Willam, 2011). According to Parasuraman and Mouloua (1996), using a minimalistic and aesthetically pleasing design is necessary for computer systems interfaces to be useful and to help the users to be productive and efficient while working with such a system. Restricting access and thereby increasing the cost of access to an acceptable level will help the users to be engaged ad to think, thus helping them subconsciously develop better ways to do the task (Morgan, Waldron, King & Patrick, 2007). This means that the users should only get the information they require and thus help them to create their own information access strategy. When a minimalistic design is used in computer system interfaces, this has many advantages that help the users to be efficient and to increase their productivity (Nemeth, 2004). According to Meister (1999), when a minimalistic design is used, the user can easily use and interact with the computer and therefore lead to the user also being able to be part of the process of the task, as opposed to just acting in an automated way. The other advantage of increasing the cost of accessing information is that it reduces mistakes and this is very useful in cases where small human error mistakes can lead to dire consequences (Back, Cox & Brumby, 2012). In this regard, the best designed computer interfaces are those that allow the user to not only interact with the computer while the computer does everything, but those that help to create a working relationship between the user and the computer. As Morgan, Waldron, King, and Patrick (2009) argue, there needs to be a way to ensure that the user will not go to oblivion when he is using the computer and that there is a way to connect with the task at hand in order to avoid errors that arise from the mundane repetition of the task. To achieve this, they argue that it is necessary for such interfaces to have a reasonably cost of accessing information, on the part of the users (Morgan, Waldron, King & Patrick, 2009). Therefore, it is imperative to design systems that are less detailed with regard to the information they give to the users and more detailed with regard to their aesthetic feel (Carayon, 2011). The aesthetic feel gives the users a feel-good feeling and this has a way of relaxing them and thus avoiding the alert mode. In that case, the users will be able to be productive the while day, thus increasing their productivity and their efficiency in the workplace. It will also protect them from the long term negative effects that could have come from too much tension. Memory As was explained in the introduction of this paper, it is necessary to note that there is no solution that is absolute. In this regard, although information from experts seem to favor a minimalistic design for computer interfaces regarding to the amount of data they supply to the users, it is also necessary to note that too little information is also a problem (Gorny, 1984). With regard to this, it is necessary to note that while seeking to have a minimalist design, the system interface should also be able to provide adequate information when needed (Stanton et al, 2004). The computer interface must not require the person to remember the things that are difficult. Soft ergonomics also argue that the small decisions that a human mind makes while going about their works can also determine how predictive they are going to be at the end of the day. The computer system interfaces should be able to provide the needed information without having to require the user to remember where to get this information. If the user finds him self needing to remember where to get the information, the problem will be that this will tie up the cognitive functions of the user and thus lead to less productivity. While the need to free the human cognitive functions from making mundane decisions in order to increase the productivity of the person, this is actually something that has been proven to have an impact. This theory has been seen to be implemented by Steve Jobs of Apple, Inc. and Mark Zukerberg of Facebook.com These two entrepreneurs have been known (in the past for Late Steve Jobs) to wear one kind of outfit every day. The technique is not a fashion choice but a business decisions. In their world, if they reduce the mundane cognitive decisions such as deciding what to wear in the morning, they can save up on their cognitive energies for better and more complicated decisions. The same applies to the design of an information system; it is necessary for the system to be able to minimize the data load sot ht the cognitive functions of the user will not be tied to trying o figure out how to use the data but at the same time it is necessary for the system interface to make sure that it freely and unrestrictedly provides the information needed by the user so that the cognitive abilities of the user are not tied in making mundane decisions (Karsh, 2009). In this case, the user should be able to access all of the information he or she needs as opposed to having to remember some of the information. This also has to do with mental abilities. Conclusion It is clear that designing computer interfaces to allow immediate and largely unrestricted access to information will have a negative effect on the users and will not increase productivity. In fact, it is clear that this can actually decrease their productivity on top of putting them at risk of getting psychiatric industry in the long term. Computer interface designers in this regard should be able to design systems that do not allow immediate and largely unrestricted access to information in order to help increase productivity. The cost of accessing information is critical in the way the user creates their information access strategy. When it is raised to an acceptable amount, it helps the user to use his cognitive abilities to develop better ways to access the introduction and to do the task. However, the problem is with regard to how high the cost of accessing information should be in order to gain optimum advantage. 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