IT systems with poor usability are a serious problem in many workplaces. Many workers, particularly office workers, spend a large part of their workday at the computer, and usability problems can cause frustration and impact negatively on productivity. This thesis discusses some of the problems associated with addressing usability and users’ needs in IT systems development. Usability issues and users’ needs are often marginalised or even abandoned in systems development. Technical issues and deadlines are given precedence, while usability activities and user activities are cut back or cancelled. Research shows that there are various obstacles to usability and user involvement, including difficulties with understanding the usability concept, insufficient usability expertise and a lack of time and resources. This thesis presents a number of studies that look at the problem from different angles. The main question is why usability and users’ needs are marginalised in bespoke systems development, where IT systems are built for a specific work context. The research presented in this thesis also addresses user-centred systems design as a way of integrating usability issues and users’ needs into systems development. The thesis concludes with a discussion about different ways of viewing and representing the users’ work: the systems theoretical view and the view of work as a social process. The former emphasises the formal aspects of work and views users as components in an overall system, whereas the latter focuses on work as a social process and people as active agents. The discussion concludes with the argument that the conflict between these two views is played out in the systems development process, which may help explain some of the difficulties that arise when working with usability and users’ needs.

Dans le cadre du développement de logiciel, deux courants de pensée se font concurrence depuis quelques années : le développement de logiciels s'appuyant sur une modélisation plus détaillée et le développement de logiciels basé sur des méthodes agiles qui mettent l'accent sur la production de code opérationnel plutôt que sur la documentation. Chaque courant s'appuie sur ses propres principes. Diverses recherches ont été menées sur les fondements du génie logiciel plus « classique », de façon à en définir les principes. Parmi ces travaux figure la thèse de Normand Séguin, notre codirecteur. En revanche, aucune recherche n'a tenté d'étudier les fondements du développement agile de logiciel. Au début des années 2000, plusieurs grands noms du développement logiciel se sont réunis, parmi eux Cunningham, Beek, Schwaber, Sutherland et Fowler. Ces derniers ont tenté d'extraire, de leurs approches respectives, quatre valeurs et douze principes communs à tous dans le but de produire un « Manifeste agile ». Le développement agile de logiciel peut se faire à l'aide d'un ensemble de méthodes agiles. Bien que chaque méthode adhère aux valeurs et principes du manifeste, chacune met de l'avant des valeurs, des principes et des pratiques complémentaires. Ce mémoire présente les résultats d'une étude de 32 énoncés présentés comme étant des « principes agiles » répertoriés dans la littérature. La liste des principes étudiés est formée à partir des douze principes du manifeste agile, cinq principes de l'eXtreme programming (XP), six de Scrum et neuf de Dynamic System Development Method (DSDM). Notre étude est fondée sur une méthodologie analytique reposant sur une liste de critères pour vérifier si un « principe agile » correspond bien à un principe de génie logiciel. Notre analyse a permis d'identifier 19 principes qui répondent aux critères. Tous les principes retenus sont des propositions prescriptives guidant l'action dans le processus de développement de logiciel. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : génie logiciel, développement agile, manifeste agile, méthodes agiles, principe, SWEBOK, eXtreme Programming, Scrum, DSDM.

This thesis analyses the difficulties encountered in the promotion of usability, especially in relation to occupation health issues, when developing IT systems in a public authority. It examines what happens when User-Centred Systems Design (UCSD) approaches are introduced to organisations with in-house systems development for their employees. It studies how stakeholder values affect the outcomes in terms of usability, occupational health, and institutional acceptance. Moreover, new methods are examined and evaluated as potential tools for assisting the adoption of UCSD. These methods are for example Field studies for system developers, Usability coaching for stakeholders and Management views of usability. A stated aim is to influence systems development in practice. Hence an action research paradigm has been employed, carrying out research and change in real life settings, gathering and analysing data using qualitative techniques. This thesis is based on a constructivist perspective, where theories in the areas of learning and organisational change have been used in order to better understand the research questions. The research demonstrates that most people are enthusiastic to, and interested in, UCSD with a focus on the computerised work environment. Many of the stakeholder groups, such as managers, users, project managers and system developers, changed their construct of identity as well as practice when UCSD was introduced. However, this research shows that there are several values that affect systems development and hinder usability work. These include for example value of rationality and objectivity, and differing values and perspectives underpinning descriptions and discourse on work and systems development. Values such as automation, efficiency, and customer satisfaction shape the development of new technology, and ultimately the tasks, work practices integrated in IT systems. Moreover, the results demonstrate that even though many consider usability as important, few take active responsibility for it, as the title of this thesis suggests.

Abstract The main focus of this study is the identification of factors influencing the use and effectiveness of information system development methodologies (Le., systems development methodologies) in health information systems. In essence, it can be viewed as exploratory research, utilizing a conceptual research model to investigate the relationships among the hypothesised factors. More specifically, classified as behavioural science, it combines two theoretical models, namely the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory. The main aim of behavioural science in information systems is to assist practitioners (Le., social actors) in improving business processes and competitiveness, thus the effective use of information systems. A wider view of behavioural science incorporates other social actors (e.g., end users) and organisational actors (e.g., executives). In health information systems, the effective use of information systems is especially relevant Health information systems are vital in the area of health care, since only by having access to pertinent health information, can the correct decisions relating to diagnostics and curative procedures be made. The use of systems development methodologies in health information systems development is therefore crucial, since they can make the development process more effective, while improving software quality. By empirically evaluating the conceptual research model, utilizing a survey as the main research method and structural equation modelling as the main statistical technique, meaningful results were obtained. Focussing on the factors influencing the individual's behavioural intent, it was found that the compatibility of systems development methodologies to the developer's pre-existing software development style is vital. Furthermore, performance expectancy, self-efficacy, organisational culture, policies, customer influence, voluntariness and facilitating conditions, all directly influenced the use of systems development methodologies, with policies and customer influence playing a significant role, especially in relation to health information systems. No significant direct effects or indirect effects could be established for the factors effort expectancy, personal innovativeness and social influence. It appears that individuals working in the health care software development discipline are more autonomous, less influenced by others. Also, the lack of support for the factor effort expectancy may indicate that systems development methodologies have entered a mature state, with less concern on the effort required for use. Furthermore, with regard to effectiveness and the continued use of information systems methodologies, satisfaction had a significant direct effect, with confirmation having a significant indirect effect. Keywords: behavioural science; conceptual research model; direct effect; exploratory research; Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory; indirect effect; Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology; structural equation modelling; survey; systems development methodologies. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Abstract The main focus of this study is the identification of factors influencing the use and effectiveness of information system development methodologies (Le., systems development methodologies) in health information systems. In essence, it can be viewed as exploratory research, utilizing a conceptual research model to investigate the relationships among the hypothesised factors. More specifically, classified as behavioural science, it combines two theoretical models, namely the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory. The main aim of behavioural science in information systems is to assist practitioners (Le., social actors) in improving business processes and competitiveness, thus the effective use of information systems. A wider view of behavioural science incorporates other social actors (e.g., end users) and organisational actors (e.g., executives). In health information systems, the effective use of information systems is especially relevant Health information systems are vital in the area of health care, since only by having access to pertinent health information, can the correct decisions relating to diagnostics and curative procedures be made. The use of systems development methodologies in health information systems development is therefore crucial, since they can make the development process more effective, while improving software quality. By empirically evaluating the conceptual research model, utilizing a survey as the main research method and structural equation modelling as the main statistical technique, meaningful results were obtained. Focussing on the factors influencing the individual's behavioural intent, it was found that the compatibility of systems development methodologies to the developer's pre-existing software development style is vital. Furthermore, performance expectancy, self-efficacy, organisational culture, policies, customer influence, voluntariness and facilitating conditions, all directly influenced the use of systems development methodologies, with policies and customer influence playing a significant role, especially in relation to health information systems. No significant direct effects or indirect effects could be established for the factors effort expectancy, personal innovativeness and social influence. It appears that individuals working in the health care software development discipline are more autonomous, less influenced by others. Also, the lack of support for the factor effort expectancy may indicate that systems development methodologies have entered a mature state, with less concern on the effort required for use. Furthermore, with regard to effectiveness and the continued use of information systems methodologies, satisfaction had a significant direct effect, with confirmation having a significant indirect effect. Keywords: behavioural science; conceptual research model; direct effect; exploratory research; Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory; indirect effect; Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology; structural equation modelling; survey; systems development methodologies. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Recent designs for low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes have exhibited capacity approaching performance for large block length, overtaking the performance of turbo codes. While theoretically impressive, LDPC codes present some challenges for practical implementation. In general, LDPC codes have higher encoding complexity than turbo codes both in terms of computational latency and architecture size. Decoder circuits for LDPC codes have a high routing complexity and thus demand large amounts of circuit area. There has been recent interest in developing analog circuit architectures suitable for decoding. These circuits offer a fast, low-power alternative to the digital approach. Analog decoders also have the potential to be significantly smaller than digital decoders. In this thesis we present a novel and efficient approach to LDPC encoder / decoder (codec) design. We propose a new algorithm which allows the parallel decoder architecture to be reused for iterative encoding. We present a new class of LDPC codes which are iteratively encodable, exhibit good empirical performance, and provide a flexible choice of code length and rate. Combining the analog decoding approach with this new encoding technique, we design a novel time-multiplexed LDPC codec, which switches between analog decode and digital encode modes. In order to achieve this behaviour from a single circuit we have developed mode-switching gates. These logic gates are able to switch between analog (soft) and digital (hard) computation, and represent a fundamental circuit design contribution. Mode-switching gates may also be applied to built-in self-test circuits for analog decoders. Only a small overhead in circuit area is required to transform the analog decoder into a full codec. The encode operation can be performed two orders of magnitude faster than the decode operation, making the circuit suitable for full-duplex applications. Throughput of the codec scales linearly with block size, for both encode and decode operations. The low power and small area requirements of the circuit make it an attractive option for small portable devices.

With the evolution of Information Technology, especially the Internet, system integration is becoming a common way to expand IT systems within and beyond an enterprise network. Although system integration is becoming more and more common within large organizations, however, the literature review had found IS research in this area had not been sufficient, especially for the development of integration solutions within large organizations. It has made research like this one conducted within a large NZ government agency necessary. Four system integration projects were selected and studied using case study research methodology. The case study was designed and conducted using guidelines mainly from the well-known R. K. Yin’s (2002) “Case Study Research” book. The research was set to seek answers for a series of research questions, which were related to requirements of system integration and challenges for solution development. Special attention had been given to XML applications, as system integration and XML were found to be coupled in many system integrations and frameworks during the literature review. Data were first gathered from all four projects one by one, and then the bulk of analysis was done on the summarized data. Various analysis methods including chain-of-evidence, root-cause-analysis and pattern-matching were adopted. The principles of interpretive research proposed by Klein and Myers (1999) and triangulation were observed. In conclusions, a set of models have been derived from the research, namely a model for clarifying integration requirements; a model for integration solution architecture; a model for integration development life cycle and a model of critical success factor for integration projects. A development framework for small to medium size integration projects has also been proposed based on the models. The research also found XML application indeed would play an important role for system integration; the critical success factors for XML application included suitable development tools, development skills and methodologies.

The key objective of this research is to develop a selection methodology that can be used to support and aid the selection of development processes for e-Commerce Information Systems (eCIS) effectively using various decision methods. The selection methodology supports developers in their choice of an e-Commerce Information System Development Process (e-Process) by providing them with a few different decision making methods for choosing between defined e-Processes using a set of quality aspects to compare and evaluate the different options. The methodology also provides historical data of previous selections that can be used to further support their specific choice. The research was initiated by the fast growing Information Technology environment, where e-Commerce Information Systems is a relatively new development area and developers of these systems may be using new development methods and have difficulty deciding on the best suited process to use when developing new eCIS. These developers also need documentary support for their choices and this research helps them with these decision-making processes. The e-Process Selection Methodology allows for the comparison of existing development processes as well as the comparison of processes as defined by the developers. Four different decision making methods, the Value-Benefit Method (Weighted Scoring), the Analytical Hierarchy Process, Case-Based Reasoning and a Social Choice method are used to solve the problem of selecting among e-Commerce Development Methodologies. The Value-Benefit Method, when applied to the selection of an e-Process from a set of e-Processes, uses multiple quality aspects. Values are assigned to each aspect for each of the e-Processes by experts. The importance of each of the aspects, to the eCIS, is defined in terms of weights. The selected e-Process is the one with the highest score when the values and weights are multiplied and then summed. The Analytic Hierarchy Process is used to quantify a selection of quality aspects and then these are used to evaluate alternative e-Processes and thus determining the best matching solution to the problem. This process provides for the ranking and determining of the relative worth of each of the quality aspects. Case-Based Reasoning requires the capturing of the resulting knowledge of previous cases, in a knowledge base, in order to make a decision. The case database is built in such a way that the concrete factual knowledge of previous individual cases that were solved previously is stored and can be used in the decision process. Case-based reasoning is used to determine the best choices. This allows the user to either use the selection methodology or the case base database to resolve their problems or both. Social Choice Methods are based on voting processes. Individuals vote for their preferences from a set of e-Processes. The results are aggregated to obtain a final result that indicates which e-Process is the preferred one. The e-Process Selection Methodology is demonstrated and validated by the development of a prototype tool. This tool can be used to select the most suitable solution for a case at hand. The thesis includes the factors that motivated the research and the process that was followed. The e-Process Selection Methodology is summarised as well as the strengths and weaknesses discussed. The contribution to knowledge is explained and future developments are proposed. To conclude, the lessons learnt and reinforced are considered.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo principal investigar a possível contribuição do modelo de organização de Karl Weick (1973) para a compreensão teórica do processo de entendimento compartilhado entre usuários e desenvolvedores sobre as demandas de desenvolvimento de sistemas de informação. A pesquisa se justifica pela atualidade do tema e pela relevância da abordagem. Embora existam muitas pesquisas sobre o tema, o problema de comunicação (misunderstanding) sobre as demandas permanece atual nas empresas. Além disso, as pesquisas existentes adotam abordagens preponderantemente pragmáticas e deixam uma lacuna em relação à adoção de abordagens mais compreensivas. Dentre as teorias adotadas nos estudos organizacionais, o modelo de organização como processo, de Karl Weick (1973), pareceu oferecer potencial explicativo para processos dinâmicos como o entendimento compartilhado sobre as demandas. Esse modelo foi adotado como base conceitual do trabalho, sendo estendido na forma de proposições que expressam sua possível aplicação ao objeto de pesquisa. Essa aplicação foi investigada com uso do método Estudo de Caso único em profundidade com múltiplas fontes de coleta de dados (entrevistas individuais, observação participante e consulta documental) e múltiplas unidades de análise (dez projetos de desenvolvimento ou alteração de sistemas de informação). Os resultados da pesquisa foram provenientes da técnica de Análise de Conteúdo, utilizada para a descrição analítica de cada projeto, a identificação de indícios dos conceitos do modelo teórico e a geração de categorias dos dados empíricos. Esse processo de análise permitiu a verificação da plausibilidade de cada proposição. Com base nessa análise, a consolidação feita por comparação e agrupamento dos projetos, por verificação das transições entre os elementos, e pela identificação de divergências entre o modelo teórico e os dados empíricos permitiu a investigação e o desenvolvimento de uma possível contribuição do modelo de Weick (1973) como alternativa para a compreensão teórica do objeto de pesquisa. Esse resultado também permitiu identificar outras diferentes perspectivas para novas pesquisas baseadas na abordagem adotada (como a perspectiva de serviços, de sensemaking e a de subculturas organizacionais), o que pode configurar uma contribuição acadêmica inovadora e relevante. / The present study aims to investigate the potential contribution of Weick’s organizing model (1973) to theoretical comprehension of the shared understanding process between users and developers about demands of information systems. The relevance of this issue rises from the existence of many other investigations about it and the remaining of the misunderstanding problem about demands in practice. A great deal of papers has approached this issue pragmatically, showing an opportunity to researches which adopt comprehensive approaches. One of the most studied organizational theories, namely Weick’s organizing model (1973), potentially offer an alternative point of view to this dynamic process and was adopted as the conceptual basis of this investigation. An extension or application of the model to the research object was developed in form of research propositions. An in-depth case-study was developed with multiple data sources (individual interviews, participant observation and documents consulting) and multiple analysis units (ten information systems development projects). Content Analysis techniques offered the results, including analytical descriptions of each project, identification of clues of model concepts and generation of categories from empirical data. This analytical process allows verifying plausibility of each theoretical proposition. A consolidation was done by comparing projects, verifying transitions among elements, identifying divergences between conceptual model and empirical data. This entire process made possible an investigation and the development of a potential contribution of Weick’s organizing model as an alternative mode for theoretical comprehension of this research object. These results also allow identifying other alternative perspectives for new investigations based on this approach (for example, perspectives of services, sensemaking and organizational subcultures), which can be seen as innovative and relevant academic contributions.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-16T14:49:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1087884 bytes, checksum: 429902be9382cf69a51711eb3b6a7a19 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-07-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Studies in the field of Information Technology (IT) have always been concerned with the technical aspects of the technology and neglect the social and organizational aspects. It is recognized that information systems (IS) have had some impact on the workplace, and the decision making process in the organizational environment. In the field of decision support systems, it is mentioned that the technology of Data Warehouse (DW) provides efficient access to integrate data and historical heterogeneous sources, helping the decision making process. With this function, the Data Warehouse technology is classified as analytical systems, which differentiated it from other kind of information systems such as the well recognized transaction information systems. However, the success of Data Warehouse is dependent upon many factors, including its development methodology steps. The information system development process has always emphasized the technological problems, neglecting that users are severe affecting by the technology. Studies in Information systems development methodology in Data Warehouse are very rare. So, how to develop Data Warehouse? The purpose of this study is to propose a methodology for the initial phase of a Data Warehouse development, increasing user s participation in the development context, based on the Participatory Design approach. The qualitative research method and action research were used in this work. The study was developed in the public agency named DATAPREV, which is the government information technology company for social security issues. One of DATAPREV project is to replace the analytical systems of the Brazilian Labour and Employment Ministry. For contractual reasons, the Employment and Income Generation Program, name PROGER, was selected for this study. As result of this, the PROGER s system was chosen, and among the seven phases proposed, the initiation phase was selected and divided into five activities as a guide to start the development of a Data Warehouse with users participation. The initiation phase was validated and used in other projects with the same objectives. Furthermore, as an action research work that involved system analysts, the study promoted the reduction in the gap between business practice and academic literature in the research field. / Estudos no campo de Tecnologia de Informação (TI) tem sempre se preocupado com os aspectos da tecnologia, negligenciando os aspectos sociais e organizacionais. Reconhece-se que os Sistemas de Informação (SI) tem tido alguns impactos no ambiente de trabalho e no processo de tomada de decisão nas organizações. No campo de sistemas de apoio às decisões, tem sido mencionado que a tecnologia de Data Warehouse (DW) proporciona acesso eficiente aos dados integrados e ao histórico de fontes heterogêneas. Por este motivo auxiliam o planejamento e o processo decisório, sendo classificados como sistemas analíticos, diferenciando-se de outras espécies de sistemas de informação, a exemplo dos reconhecidos sistemas de informações transacionais. Contudo, o sucesso do Data Warehouse depende de muitos fatores, incluindo os passos para sua construção. O processo tradicional de desenvolvimento de sistemas tem sempre enfatizado os problemas tecnológicos. Entretanto, os usuários que são severamente afetados pela tecnologia não são valorizados. Os estudos sobre metodologia de desenvolvimento de sistemas de Data Warehouse são muito raros. Então, como desenvolver Data Warehouse? O propósito deste estudo é propor uma metodologia para a fase inicial de desenvolvimento de um Data Warehouse, aumentando a participação do usuário no contexto de desenvolvimento, com base no enfoque do Desenho Participativo. A pesquisa qualitativa e a pesquisa-ação foram utilizadas no trabalho. O trabalho foi desenvolvido na empresa pública DATAPREV, que possui um projeto responsável por atender à solicitação do Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (MTE) para a substituição de parte de seus sistemas analíticos, destacando o PROGER (Programa de Geração de Emprego e Renda). Como resultado chegou-se a elaboração de sete fases, sendo a fase de iniciação detalhada em cinco atividades. Em conjunto essas atividades apresentam um guia para iniciar o desenvolvimento de um Data Warehouse em parceria com os usuários. Todas as atividades para a iniciação do PROGER são apresentadas. Assim, a fase de iniciação foi validada e colocada em uso para outros projetos com a mesma necessidade. Além disso, por se tratar de uma pesquisa-ação que envolveu os próprios desenvolvedores, promoveu, em seu universo de estudo, a diminuição do abismo existente entre práticas comerciais e a literatura acadêmica.