Tradeoffs Between User-Centered Design and System Functionality/ Interoperability

The question of usability versus functionality is one of the most important issues facing software developers and designers today. The reason for this is simple: in order for any system to achieve its full potential, it must first be accepted and used by its intended audience and user group. The system can have the most advanced software engineering and be highly functional, but if it is not usable, it will not be attractive to users and will essentially render itself useless (Buschmann, 2011). Any computerized system can be conceptualized as having two distinct components: the user interface (front-end) and the system functionality (back end). As the user of a system, your entire exposure is to the front-end interface. What most users care about is how fast the system is, how easy and intuitive it seems, how well it navigates between pages or sections, whether it has the information you are looking for, and whether it is aesthetically pleasing. The back end of a system is the system's "guts"- the interfaces, code, and configuration of the system. These are the parts that make the software work properly, but are not typically seen by users. When viewed in this manner, computer systems are much like cars: users can be thought of as drivers with little mechanical knowledge- they just want to get in to the car, have it feel comfortable, and have it work properly. The back end of a system is like the mechanical parts to the car that are "under the hood"- mechanics will see these parts, and the mechanical aspects and processes have to work together properly for the driver to enjoy their experience, but most drivers never see them (nor do they care to).