On the implications of user variability in open systems An overview of the little we know and of the lot we have to find out

As the use of computers increases, the cost of educating computer users rises. Therefore the need for extensive education of users should be avoided as much as possible. Instead computer systems should be adapted to the requirements and characteristics of computer users. Hereby the need to identify user characteristics arises. The less computer educated the users, the more their requirements of the systems will differ. Where user characteristics are difficult to change, it will be worthwhile to attend to user differences in the design of systems. The implications of user differences may vary depending upon the type of task to be performed. The present paper presents an analysis of different user characteristics and their possible interactions with different task requirements. Hereby some recommendations regarding the need to educate users or adapt systems to the user were derived.