SCOPE FOR USABILITY TESTS IN IS DEVELOPMENT

Despite being a common, established concept in wide usage, usability tests can vary greatly in goals, techniques and results. A usability test purchased and performed for a specific software product, may result in either minor user interface improvements or radical U-turns in the development. Such variation has been discussed as a problem of the scientific reliability and validity of the testing method. In practice it is more important what ‘kind of data’ one can expect of the selected method than whether it is reliably always the same data. This expectation of information content or ‘scope’ is of importance for evaluators, who select and conduct usability tests for a specific purpose. However, the scope is not explicitly stated or even discussed: Too often the premise is that, because a usability test involves users, it brings the (necessary) user-centeredness to the design i.e. takes socio-technical fundamentals as inherently given. Through a literature review of testing practices and analytical considerations, we search for the scope of a usability test, which could deliberately approach the socio-technical tradition and equally develop both the system and the user organization. A case example represents a possible realization of the extended scope of usability test

Approaches to Using e- and m-Business Components in Business

This paper discusses using e- and m-business components in supporting and enhancing existing businesses and in creating new business innovations. A framework illustrating two different approaches companies have to adoption of e- and m-business components is proposed. Three cases of how Finnish companies have, in an innovative way, used e- and m-business components to support, to enhance, and to launch businesses are presented. Based on the illustrative framework and the cases, some rules of thumb for using e- and m-business components in business are proposed. The aim of this paper is to offer managers helpful insights for planning e- and m-business component investments.e-Business; m-Business; Business Models; Case Studies

Scope of usability tests in IS development

Despite being a common, established concept in wide usage, usability tests can vary greatly in their goals, techniques, and results. A usability test that one purchases and performs for a specific software product may result in either minor user interface improvements or radical U-turns in development. Researchers have discussed such variation as a problem that concerns testing method’s scientific reliability and validity. In practice, what “kind of data” one can expect to obtain from the selected method has more importance than whether one always obtains the same data. This expectation about information content or “scope” has importance for those who select and conduct usability tests for a specific purpose. However, researchers rarely explicitly state or even discuss scope: too often they adopt the premise that, because a usability test involves users, it brings the (necessary) user-centeredness to the design (i.e., takes socio- technical fundamentals as inherently given). We reviewed the literature on testing practices and analytical consideration and searched for the scope of a usability test that could deliberately approach the socio-technical tradition and equally develop both the system and the user organization. A case example represents a possible realization of the extended scope of usability test.</p

Usage of a Mobile Medical Information System: An Investigation of Physicians in the Military Service

This paper sets out to investigate military physicians’ perceptions and usage regarding a mobile medical information system during their military service in the Finnish Defence Forces. Data were gathered in September and December of 2005 by two semi-structured surveys. The military physicians (n=31) had positive perceptions of the mobile system, and have used it in their daily military training. They showed a few negative opinions on the usefulness of the system in the real military field conditions and crisis situations. They favoured using the mobile system to support their learning and training, and keep their medical knowledge up-to-date anywhere and anytime. Insights of the findings and implications for system improvement are discussed

Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences | 2019

The Finnish SMEs are showing increasing interest in modern digital solutions in hopes of streamlining their work processes. At the same time, the companies are struggling with resourcing issues and find it challenging to familiarize themselves with new solutions and how those could be applied in their business environment. To support the technical transition, we provided 10 Finnish SMEs with multipurpose IoT solutions, allowing them to conduct guided experimentations with relevant objectives. The business areas of the target companies varied widely from manufacturing to transportation and accommodation, as did their individual needs and expectations towards IoT. Based on this multifaceted background, we compared the companies’ original expectations with the actualised experimentation outcomes, aiming at identifying commonly occurring challenges linked to multipurpose IoT solutions. As a result, an overview of the generalizable findings was gathered to offer further insight on how the multipurpose IoT devices could better serve the SMEs.</div

Ethical framework for IoT deployment in SMEs: individual perspective

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the ethical issues related to the internet of Things (IoT) deployment in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from an individual employee's perspective. To provide researchers and practitioners with concrete tools for examining these matters, an ethical framework dedicated to IoT is introduced.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the applicability of Mason's original privacy, accuracy, property and accessibility (PAPA) framework is studied in the IoT context. Second, issue category additions are proposed based on the identified coverage limitations of PAPA.FindingsWhile the original PAPA framework can be utilised as a generic ethical evaluation tool, it lacks coverage of several IoT-specific issue areas. To thoroughly address the ethical risks associated with IoT, two additional categories are introduced.Research limitations/implicationsThe new framework requires further validation to ensure its applicability and to identify potential modification requirements in continuously evolving IoT ecosystems.Practical implicationsConsidering the lack of ethical IoT frameworks, this study provides organisations with a practical framework for analysing the ethical issues in IoT deployment.Social implicationsEthical standards for IoT have not been sufficiently addressed in the current literature and frameworks, making the ethical considerations dependent on subjective stances. Thus, there is an acute demand for a practical framework that outlines the general ethical standards, helping its users to thoroughly address the potential ethical issues.Originality/valueWhile the use of IoT keeps growing in SMEs, there is an apparent lack of ethical guidelines. This study contributes to the gap by introducing a preliminary framework for both practical use and further theoretical development.</p

Mobilizing Medical Information and Knowledge: Some Insights from a Survey

The mobile medical information system investigated in the study is developed for mobilizing medical information and knowledge and for matching physicians’ multiple needs, including mobility, reliability and time efficiency. This paper is set to investigate physicians’ perceptions, intentions and actual use regarding the system in a pilot trial conducted in the Finnish health care sector started from April to September 2003. The results from this empirical survey (N=500, returned N=379) indicate that physicians have rather positive perceptions of the system and future intentions to use it in their work practice. Mobile evidence-based medical guidelines-EBMG and mobile textbooks were the most favourite information sources that physicians might use through a mobile device. Mostly, they would search information about certain treatments, drugs and diseases. Mobile EBMG, Pharmaca Fennica and ICD-10 were their most wanted mobile information contents in the system. The physicians were highly motivated to use mobile Internet in order to access the Internet-based EBMG as well as the Finnish Internet medical portal— Terveysportti. Mobile prescription also gained a high probability for being adopted. Individual differences do matter physicians’ perceptional assessments and future intentions to use the system. These findings indicate some potential to mobilize “personalized” medical information and knowledge in order to create knowledge freedom to physicians by taking full advantage of mobile technologies. Mobile prescription might be a step further towards mobilizing medical information but with political difficulty. Implications for future system improvement are discussed briefly

Approaches to Using e- and m-Business Components in Business

This paper discusses using e- and m-business components in supporting and enhancing existing businesses and in creating new business innovations. A framework illustrating two different approaches companies have to adoption of e- and m-business components is proposed. Three cases of how Finnish companies have, in an innovative way, used e- and m-business components to support, to enhance, and to launch businesses are presented. Based on the illustrative framework and the cases, some rules of thumb for using e- and m-business components in business are proposed. The aim of this paper is to offer managers helpful insights for planning e- and m-business component investments

NIM Åland: the quest for useful mobile services

A programme for developing and testing mobile systems for tourists is underway in the Åland Islands. The aim of the programme is to develop, launch in full scale, and test some innovative services. In this paper two of the services are presented and possible testing methods are discussed