ORGANISATION

Grupo i68 provides customised computer technology solutions for management innovation based on its own Izaro software.

CHALLENGE

To develop a new interface so that users of an information system can access its functions without having to go through classic access points such as a “menu” of strict options leading to processes (BPM). In short, it was about finding a new model of usability.

IMPROBABLE COLLABORATOR

Paola Tognazzi has training in various disciplines (industrial design, philosophy, theatre direction with interactive audiovisual installations) and focuses her work on developing interactive systems that allow users to move freely in space. She also teaches mathematics to teenagers.

PRESENTED PROJECT

Humanising Software. The search for an expert system whose intelligence arises from human exchange and interaction.

PROCESS

User needs

In order to improve software usability, the company was looking for an expert system whose intelligence would be nourished by its interaction with people. In other words, it would learn from and with users, so it was essential to know their needs. The fact of the matter is that users of these types of systems are changing at both a technical and personal level. So it is necessary to learn about them, to know what they want and how they want it in order to create business software that will be their “friend”.
 

Looking for the leader

The artist decided to identify the type of movements that users make in their daily relationship with computers. To do this, the workers involved in this research stage exaggerated their normal everyday gestures when working with computers, resulting in a choreographed sequence. They then identified that they could establish groups of users who used the software in the same or similar way. And based on this, they began to work on improving usability.

RESULT

This discovery was applied to developing a new concept for Izaro (Grupo i68’s management product), moving towards a line of work that can currently identify the behaviour of a user using the system at that moment and relating it to other previous users, with the suggestion that the current user follows the same path as others have used. In turn, if the person working with the management software has different requirements from those the system is already familiar with, it embarks on this new path to make it easier for other users later. This led to a major improvement in making the system easier to use while at the same time having it learn from the user.