Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 7
Lessons out of Chaos:
Lessons Learned from the Noise of
Non-Traditional Environments
Anthony P. Glascock
Drexel University, USA
David M. Kutzik
Drexel University, USA
ABSTRACT
The lessons learned from nine years of the testing of a behavioral monitoring system—the Everyday
Living Monitoring System (ELMS) — outside the laboratory in the real world are discussed. Initially,
the real world was perceived as messy and filled with noise that just delayed and complicated the testing
and development of the system. However, over time, it became clear that without embracing the chaos
of the world and listening very carefully to its noise, the monitoring system could not be successfully
moved from the laboratory to the real world. Specific lessons learned at each stage of development and
testing are discussed, as well as the challenges that are associated with the actual commercialization
of the system.
INTRODUCTION
technology is the equipment plus its application:
that is, what it does in the real world. However,
the problem with the real world is that it is messy;
it is inhabited with people who have real needs
and real problems and who want a technology that
meets these needs and solves their problems in a
way that makes sense to them and at a cost in time
and money that they can afford. Therefore, it is
not surprising that developers of new technology
Although it is possible to test whether a piece of
equipment works in a laboratory, it's not possible
to test whether a technology works within a con-
fined laboratory environment. This is because a
technology is not equipment alone, but instead a
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