1. 1.2) Social and
Ethical Design

2. • Information systems should be
designed to take into account the
strengths and weaknesses of both
people and machines.
• Machine-centred systems are
designed to simplify what the
computers must do at the expense of
the user.
• They are usually powerful tools but
confusing to use and require a lot of
training.

3. • Human-centred systems are those that
let participants work effectively
without having to struggle with the
technology.
• Most systems that are used today are
more user-friendly than in the past.
• User-friendly systems are
characterised by:

4. • prompts in non-technical terms
• similar appearance and structure
of different applications
• menu structure is logical and
simple to follow
• provides ‘beginner’ and
‘advanced’ options
• allows work to be imported easily
• regularly saves so less chance of
lost work

5. • When systems are being designed it is
important to consider the health and
safety issues and the nature of work.
• The relationship between people and
their work environment is called
ergonomics.
• Things to be considered with
ergonomics and information systems
include:

6. • furniture – chairs, tables,
keyboards, workstations, monitor,
etc.
• lighting – reduced glare, evenness
• climate – temperature and
o o
humidity (20 C – 23 C; 30% - 70%)
• air quality – removal of particle s
and ozone
• noise – should be < 55 dB

7. • New systems need to increase work
satisfaction and decrease stress.
• Stress could result from :
• an increased workload
• inadequate job design
• lack of social interaction
• concerns about job security
• Ethics is a set of beliefs we hold about
what is right and wrong.

8. • Ethical issues involving the use of
information systems include:
• environmental damage
• equity and access
• invasion of privacy
• freedom of information
• computer crime
• copyright

9. • Information systems can both reduce
and increase pollution.
• Decreased pollution comes from:
• decreased communication
transport
• tele-commuting reducing traffic
• country access to electronic
services reducing crowding &
overpopulation

10. • Increased pollution comes from:
• toxic chemicals in computer
manufacturing
• increased use of fossil fuels to
power devices
• Equity concerns equal rights for all.
• I.T. has the potential to give many
people equal access to education,
employment, medical treatment and
many other benefits.

11. • It can also overcome differences in
race, sex, location and disability.
• However, people may be
disadvantaged because they do not
have access due to costs or
technology fears.
• This lack of access may lead to other
inequities because a lot of things are
being computerised these days, e.g.
bill paying.