Page 203 -

172 Chapter 6 The process of interaction design

This last point may seem a little exaggerated for just one system, but if you think
of others also migrating to an electronic version, and abandoning their paper cal-
endars, then you can see how the companies may be affected by the introduction
of the system.
The net of stakeholders is really quite wide! We do not suggest that you need
to involve all of the stakeholders in your user-centered approach, but it is impor-
tant to be aware of the wider impact of any product you are developing. Identifying
the stakeholders for your project means that you can make an informed decision
about who should be involved and to what degree.

Who do you think are the stakeholders for the check-out system of a large supermarket?

Comment First, there are the check-out operators. These are the people who sit in front of the machine
and pass the customers' purchases over the bar code reader, receive payment, hand over re-
ceipts, etc. Their stake in the success and usability of the system is fairly clear and direct.
Then you have the customers, who want the system to work properly so that they are
charged the right amount for the goods, receive the correct receipt, are served quickly and
efficiently. Also, the customers want the check-out operators to be satisfied and happy in
their work so that they don't have to deal with a grumpy assistant. Outside of this group, you
then have supermarket managers and supermarket owners, who also want the assistants to
be happy and efficient and the customers to be satisfied and not complaining. They also
don't want to lose money because the system can't handle the payments correctly. Other
people who will be affected by the success of the system include other supermarket employ-
ees such as warehouse staff, supermarket suppliers, supermarket owners' families, and local
shop owners whose business would be affected by the success or failure of the system. We
wouldn't suggest that you should ask the local shop owner about requirements for the super-
market check-out system. However, you might want to talk to warehouse staff, especially if
the system links in with stock control or other functions.

6.3.2 What do we mean by "needs"?
If you had asked someone in the street in the late 1990s what she 'needed', I doubt
that the answer would have included interactive television, or a jacket which was
wired for communication, or a smart fridge. If you presented the same person with
these possibilities and asked whether she would buy them if they were available,
then the answer would have been different. When we talk about identifying needs,
therefore, it's not simply a question of asking people, "What do you need?" and
then supplying it, because people don't necessarily know what is possible (see
Suzanne Robertson's interview at the end of Chapter 7 for "un-dreamed-of" re-
quirements). Instead, we have to approach it by understanding the characteristics
and capabilities of the users, what they are trying to achieve, how they achieve it
currently, and whether they would achieve their goals more effectively if they were
supported differently.
There are many dimensions along which a user's capabilities and characteris-
tics may vary, and that will have an impact on the product's design. You have met