Usability in the computer industry: what contribution can longitudinal field studies make?

The author examines field studies in general and longitudinal field studies in particular, their uses in technical communication and human-computer interaction, a plan for industry-university research partnerships, and the contribution that longitudinal field studies can make to usability research. It is concluded that longitudinal field studies make it possible to see the gross patterns of change in the way people use complex computer programs to do their work. Such studies make it possible to ask people similar questions about attitudes, satisfaction, and knowledge, and also to ask them far enough apart so that changes in those attitudes, satisfactions, and knowledge become visible. Longitudinal field studies anchor field studies in the idea of comparison and thus are in some ways easier to complete. Longitudinal field studies hold promise for unlocking long-term usability questions.<>