December 30, 2011

Software survey signals soreness

A nationwide survey of U.S. workers – outside the IT industry – found 61 percent of respondents think that they could design “better, user-friendlier and more productive” computer programs – if they knew how to design software.

The Eye sees it another way: 61 percent of respondents feel professional software designers deliberately design programs to be difficult and counterintuitive. Why? Because software engineers love receiving customer calls to the support line.

The survey – administered by Amplitude Research and sponsored by Denver-based TrackVia, which helps business users build their own software-as-a-service applications – also found three-in-five respondents admitted to catching themselves yelling at their computer over software frustrations.

Really, what does yelling at a computer accomplish? It doesn’t respond or react, which can only compound your frustrations.

And if any computer could understand you, then you’re most likely yelling at IBM’s Watson – an artificial intelligence computer that beat the “Jeopardy” biggest all-time money winner, Brad Rutter, and longest champion streak holder, Ken Jennings, in a mental throw-down in February.

What is one computer I don’t want to get into a verbal bout with, Alex.

In total, 350 non-IT and C-level employees completed the survey. For more information and survey results, visit www.trackvia.com/trackvia-blog/ – but only if your Internet browser is well designed.

A nationwide survey of U.S. workers – outside the IT industry – found 61 percent of respondents think that they could design “better, user-friendlier and more productive” computer programs – if they knew how to design software.

The Eye sees it another way: 61 percent of respondents feel professional software designers deliberately design programs to be difficult and counterintuitive. Why? Because software engineers love receiving customer calls to the support line.

The survey – administered by Amplitude Research and sponsored by Denver-based TrackVia, which helps business users build their own software-as-a-service applications…

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