Considering the usability of an ERP system in a multicultural collaborative organizational context through Hertzum's images of usability

Abstract

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, although common in organizations, are noted for their lack of usability considerations. They are often large and complex, and as such are difficult to learn and to use.

We set out to understand how a multicultural, geographically dispersed organizational setting affects the usability of ERP systems. Usability itself is difficult concept to define. Multiple definitions exist, most of which look at usability through a number of narrow, more approachable attributes.

To incorporate different contextual and usability factors, we applied Hertzum’s method of usability analysis. The method considers six images of usability: universal, situational, perceived, hedonic, organizational, and cultural, each with a distinct perspective on usability. We explored which image would rise as dominant, and also considered the usefulness of applying Hertzum’s method in the context of an actual organization.

The study was performed as a single-case study in an international organization, and focused on the ticket handling process of IT support personnel. We applied a mixed method approach, gathering data through a usability survey, semi-structured interviews, as well as live observation.

Organizational usability emerged as the dominant image, as it was seen to elicit the most comments in the survey. The usability of the system was seen to result from the combination of all individual factors, and therefore to be rooted in specific instances of use. While Hertzum’s method was found to require a large scope of study to provide enough data to consider all images equally, the method nevertheless provided new insights into the usability of the ERP system. It is our hope that our results may assist future researchers appreciate the value gained from a change of perspective.