What makes a thing useful? In one tax office in Australia, a completely computerized system had been created merely to control the queuing of people making inquiries. For each patron, the computer printed a sequentially numbered slip of paper and then displayed on full-color monitors the number to be served next and the window at which it was to be served. The simple ticket-dispensing machine commonly used at delicatessens and bakeries probably would have sufficed, but it would not have blended as well with the elegant decor of the office nor, perhaps, have justified quite so convincingly the need for more tax dollars. Ironically, impressive though the system was, it failed to fulfill completely its intended if inappropriate purpose. Patrons seemed unable to read or correctly interpret the monitor display, so a uniformed attendant watching the monitor announced aloud each number as it appeared and directed its holder to the appropriate window...
Utility may seem to be more a matter of management and policy-making than of software engineering, but software developers have an important role in increasing utility. By better understanding the real requirements and supplying systems to support what users truly need, systems analysts and designers stand to deliver more useful systems.