Alpha: a usability study

Abstract: TeliaSonera has gradually since 2003 implemented Alpha, a new system which
aims at assisting operators working in customer service at TeliaSonera.
Alpha falls in the category of standard systems, purchased from Oracle and
modified by TietoEnator. A standard system implies certain constrains both
regarding the implementation process as well as on the organization.

Today operators working in customer service complain about Alpha: they feel
that the system is hard to use. This thesis contains a usability study of
Alpha. It discusses the usability issues considering both the conditions of
customer service and the boundaries of standard systems. It also discusses
possible aids for improvement. An alternative help system is one solution to
ease the operators’ situation. Making the system more consistent by
performing small changes in the user interface is another.

A flash prototype was developed to demonstrate the suggested improvements to
the existing help function. The prototype has a more active character than
the existing help function in Alpha. It is brought closer to the application
resulting in easier access, which may lead to increased usability. In
addition to the improved accessibility it offers several possibilities for
searching help which all leads to the same goal of finding correct
information fast. A consequence of this will be satisfied customers.

This thesis concludes that the general standard system design means
usability tradeoffs. It is hard to completely satisfy all users because of
their varying area of use. The thesis also concludes that some of these
usability issues can be bypassed by having a supporting help system. It is
not possible to change Alpha to fit the users’ needs completely: it is too
expensive and takes time. Instead a suitable help system can be developed as
a complement to the main system.