Technology sTrEsSeS me out!

Technology is a fantastic enabler for all of us.

For example, I was recently contacted on my blog by Chris who uses an eye tracker to communicate with people. You can see the video below. You can see that it has completely changed his life!

Just think about deaf people. Now they can use mobile SMS to communicate when they are out and about.

Now that I am actively blogging and into social networks I can communicate with and influence a multitude of people who I never would have before.

This is all great BUT

When user needs aren't considered in the design process then technology can be incredibly irritating (read stressful), even life threatening.

Think about the deaf person who can now TXT people. Great, except that when the requirements for the introduction of SMS were completed. The telcos thought TXTing was not important. This meant that they allowed messages to arrive late. They didn't consider all sectors of the public and of course now that deaf people are relying heavily on their phone, there's a problem when they can contact someone immediately?! Particularly in an emergency.

What about my latest irritation with technology. Why didn't Hubpages allow me to move the damn boxes around the screen with drag and drop, so irritating. I know it is not as big as putting a disabled life at risk but it is an unnecessary daily hassle. And they add up!

I talk about Technology Stress in my presentation on World Usability Day at Telstra in Sydney. Basically the 'daily hassles' from computers are more likely to kill you than some major life events. There are so many forums of communications bombarding us everyday and the ones that get in the way because they are hard to use just build up the pressure, it has to stop! Users must be considered and even involved in the creation or re-creation of technologies.

Now let's think about work

Enough about personal stress. I have just spent 3 days doing research in a call centre about their internal communication systems. The business is 50 years old and of course some of the systems are almost that antiquated too. At least the printed help manuals are!

After a few acquisitions the business has grown, so have the systems that staff have to use on a daily basis. There is no consistency of technology usage at all.

You can imagine the levels of stress in there. A caller placing an order or getting some simple help is forced either to wait in a queue or sit on hold while their issue is resolved. Why?

Because they systems just don't work the way that staff expect them too.

For example, Every second call the staff member stops to stand up and shout across the room for help - OR secretly 'messenge' a colleague across the other side of the building. In addition, they have to get up and send faxes of company material to people because they can't find the information online. So much time wasted and CUSTOMERS WAITING.

So all this stress means that our workplaces are:

1. Unhappy
2. Wasteful
3. Over staffed (for what really is needed)
4. Boring
5. Unhelpful
6. Costly
7. Slow
8. Depressing
9. Inefficient

the list goes on.

No user centred design

The trouble here is that the systems were developed at a time when user centred design wasn't followed. The people using the system were not involved in its creation. And what hope do we have of changing all that legacy?

Most of these type of workplaces have so many calls in that thy can't afford any disruption to fix things us, they are afraid of spending the money and buggering it up again and people are kinda used to working around everything. My suggestion is to make small changes incrementally - but do it against a grander plan of organisational efficiency and staff satisfaction.

How can we help?