Difficult to switch off with new IT systems

It's important to take a break from the computer screen once in a while, says Åsa Cajander.

Åsa Cajander specialises in how organisations can best introduce new IT systems. She laid the groundwork in her doctoral thesis, in which she worked with projects on the working environment, IT and stress at nine different authorities. Her work uncovered many examples of bad practices.

There were systems which did not allow administrators to help citizens change their contact details, programs that could not be paused or exited when a person enters the room, administrators that had to send letters with quoted legal texts without first being able to see a preview of the letter. At one authority, the employees had to work out for themselves how long a case had been ongoing as the system withheld the information.

“There were so many strange examples. It was quite surprising at times,” Åsa Cajander recounts.

A fundamental consideration when designing and implementing new IT systems is who will use the system and what will they use it for, but developers often focus on the technical requirements instead, with less consideration for the organisation and the work carried out.

“That's why it's important to involve the users at an early stage and listen to what they have to say. They must be a part of the process from the beginning. We have to learn to include quality aspects that are difficult to measure,” says Åsa Cajander.

This means that the interface must be adapted to the user so that he or she can get the necessary overview.

“Everyone needs to feel that they have control over what they do and that they're able to gain an overview of the situation. An advanced user might feel more secure having a lot of information in front of them, whilst those who perhaps don't use the program so often may become stressed by an interface like this.”

Åsa Cajander believes that in order to improve IT systems, the client, the supplier and the user must share responsibility for their design.

This means that the person working in a program needs to get used to reporting things that don't work, instead of adapting themselves into absurdity. In addition, the client needs to learn to include non-measurable quality aspects in the specification of requirements and the supplier has a responsibility to point out the consequences of different aspects in the system.

Apart from the structure of the IT support itself, it is also important to think about how the system is implemented. A new computer system is a change that always entails a certain amount of stress for those affected.

“The idea is that the new system makes the work easier, which is why there is often a lack of understanding for the stress it causes, and the users are expected to deliver the same quality of work.”

But the introduction of new IT systems requires broad social support, an understanding of the fact that the process can take time, and everyone must know who to turn to when they have problems, explains the IT researcher. Working with a system which we do not understand can be incredibly stressful.

“People often sit with a problem for a long time; they don't take coffee breaks or go for lunch because they want to rectify the situation,” says Åsa Cajander.

She feels that it is perhaps not a coincidence that stress-related illness is becoming more and more common whilst the use of IT is on the increase, and that a lot of people would benefit from more thought being put into the implementation of IT systems, and greater usability.

“The problem is that a lot of people think in the short term. There's a certain budget, which is often adapted to the measurable aspects of the project and which doesn't include fluffy concepts like stress and usability. Considerations like customer benefit and functionality are prioritised instead.”

FACTS:

A good system is characterised by ...
•    Taking into consideration the individual's cognitive capacity.
•    Making it easy to gain an overview.
•    Making use of intuitive symbols.
•    Being designed so that it is easy to understand how decisions are made in the system.
•    Having been produced with the participation of users throughout the development and design process.
•    Being adapted to local needs and requirements.

Annette U Wallqvist