Identifying organizational barriers-A case study of usability work when developing software in the automation industry

An interview-based case study of a multi-national company, in a business unit producing user interfaces for industrial robots.An investigation of the connection between usability efforts and organizational factors, which does not appear to have been widely discussed previously.A graphic illustration of the situation within a complex organization, and an explanation of why some of these problems exist.We show the existence of a "wicked problem" and discuss the problem in relation to a number of related research areas.We show how a process of user-centred design could be used to alleviate some of the problems experienced in the organization. This study investigates connections between usability efforts and organizational factors. This is an important field of research which so far appears to be insufficiently studied and discussed. It illustrates problems when working with software engineering tasks and usability requirements. It deals with a large company that manufactures industrial robots with an advanced user interface, which wanted to introduce usability KPIs, to improve product quality. The situation in the company makes this difficult, due to a combination of organizational and behavioural factors that led to a "wicked problem" that caused conflicts, breakdowns and barriers. Addressing these problems requires a holistic view that places context in the foreground and technological solutions in the background. Developing the right product requires communication and collaboration between multiple stakeholders. The inclusion of end users, who fully understand their own work context, is vital. Achieving this is dependent on organizational change, and management commitment. One step to beginning this change process may be through studying ways to introduce user-centred design processes.