Impact of usability on process lead-time in information systems: A case study
Abstract Technological advancements have started to demand the need for information systems to survive in the business world. There is an inherent need to be fast and efficient to conquer the market. In order to reduce time to market there is a need to shorten the lead-time in design and development process of products. Hence, lead-time is a significant performance metric for a product development organizations having information systems. It is important to explore the factors which affect the process lead-time in information systems. The objective of this study is to explore the impact that usability (one of the factors that may affect the process lead-time) has on process lead-time. This paper presents a case study involving qualitative and quantitate data from Volvo Group, which uses an information system called KOLA for their design and development process. Data was collected through 29 interviews, 17 think aloud sessions, 5 document studies, and 73 responses from a survey. This study identifies which usability factors and heuristics that have an impact on process lead-time. Moreover, the results show that the users level of experience determines the effective utilization of accelerators and thereby affecting the process lead-time. Finally, usability plays an important role in shortening the process lead-time in information systems.