Introduction to Information Systems Models and Methodologies - High Level Models and Methodologies for Information Systems - page 11

requirements are speci ed). The design stage is also divided into two processes:

work design (where the characteristics of the Web project are developed in line with
user/customer needs) and technical design (where the project is physically devel-
oped through programming), while user-interface design bridges the two processes.
This methodology stands out due to its heavy emphasis on the creative aspects of
Web development, while more traditional methodologies are too reliant on IS-
speci c terminology and principles.

Much like IS development methodologies, all Web development methodologies
ultimately aim at aiding in the creation of products that are ef

cient and appropriate

not just to the organization s goals, but to the users. However, Web methodologies

forcibly need to take new aspects into account, namely an exceedingly diffuse user
base which cannot be contacted directly for the most part, and the need to differ-
entiate the product at an esthetic level, so as to permit users having a

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rst contact
with the Web site or application to immediately feel a positive relationship with the
content. This has introduced speci c characteristics to the Web development

methodologies, namely a great emphasis on design processes.

1.6 Usability Evaluation Models

In IS development research, one question in particular has generated a considerable
amount of attention: How can developers and managers effectively determine
whether given IS are being successful in accomplishing the goals they were
developed for? How to assess the degree to which the system is improving the
general working principles of its users?
The issue of usability is of key importance in this field. Usability essentially

refers to the degree to which a system is easily learned and used by its users. Some
researchers have focused on the study of cognitive processes as a way to de ne

usability principles that are directly inferred from those processes, hence more
appropriately matched to the way users behave and think.
According to Norman ( 1993 ), there are two dimensions to human cognitive
processes. The experiential mode refers to perceptions, actions, and reactions, while
the re ective mode implies thinking, reasoning, comparing, and making logical

decisions. It is argued that speci c modes of cognitive experience require different

technologies and systems. The proposed

field of cognitive engineering speci cally

focuses on the development of systems that support users cognitive processes, in

an attempt to facilitate the adjustment to the system, and reduce the dif

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culty and

complexity of the system, using human computer interaction (HCI) principles.

Similarly, to this approach, researchers have attempted to de

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ne models so as to
aid developers in determining the adequacy of their system to their respective users,
during the testing and evaluation stages of the development process. Nielsen ( 1994 )
observed a number of different methods of evaluating usability, summarized as
follows: