Global Goes GUI: A Case Study of the Introduction of User-Centered Design

Major changes in the design process are required for Information Systems departments to make the shift from a traditional development life cycle to the user-centered methods required for the development of Client/Server systems. This type of change can be very difficult to accomplish. “Global Enterprises,” a large commodities company, headquartered in the US, is in the early phases of this shift. Their strategy has been to form a cross-functional User Interface team. The efforts underway at Global are presented to illustrate many of the typical technical and organizational issues companies face early in the process of introducing new design methods. The paper concludes by summarizing on key lessons learned.