Developed by:

Duane Degler
IPGems
Barn Cottage, Newtown
Milborne Port, Sherborne
Dorset DT9 5BJ, UK
Tel: +44 (0)7000 782 118
ddegler@ipgems.com

Administration and data input

Data input and editing was managed by a small, full-time team of administrative staff. They do not have a background in the subject domain, but were chosen for administrative experience and a meticulous attitude to data quality. They are computer literate but not "expert." The greatest attribute is remaining cool under pressure and knowing where they are amidst constant interruptions. In general, they required that everything was easily accessible – they remained in control of their strategy for workload management under pressure.

Initially, as part of the design, we thought about a greater facility for place-marking and reminding performers about where they were in specific processes. However, it was recognized that each performer had a unique, valid strategy, based on temperament and dynamic circumstances (and the paper in front of them). In the future, this may be a useful area for further development.

Temporary support staff

This performer group consisted of those people who needed to find information on the system to respond to customer enquiries, and also people who supported physical activities in the event hall itself, such as printing labels and documentation, and querying the database for specific details about an artist or a work.  Most temporary staff were highly educated generally, and computer literate, so computer-phobia and inexperience were not a major problem. Their use of the application was restricted to a few clear tasks.

Management

Management was a small, highly varied group. They had a medium level of education, little computer experience, and would rarely use a computer for their work. They were highly experienced in the subject domain, and thus wanted answers to questions quickly in a form that they could interpret, based on the specific needs of their operational responsibility.