Grudin attempts to present a in-depth analysis of the factors that are essential for achieving greater usability of interactive software. He briefly reflects on the inadequate coverage of end-user involvement issues in traditional software engineering development models, giving historical reasons for this omission.

Introducing basic terminology, Grudin then proceeds to the core of this paper--identifying three basic software development types, referred to later as software development contexts or paradigms. Depending on the degree of user and developer identification throughout the project, he defines the three basic paradigms for software development as competitively bid contract development, product development, and in-house and custom development. He presents an extensive discussion based on the focus imposed by each of these contexts.

The paper reviews several basic factors influencing interactive systems development. These include the size and character of the development company, its organizational structures and procedures, and the nature of the system user population.

This paper’s main contribution is the parallel review of the opportunities, obstacles, and mediators for focusing on users in each of the development contexts outlined. The main result is the clear formulation of the problems that arise from the coexistence of the different software development paradigms. As the author puts it, “only by recognizing the range of existing conditions and their effects can we adapt the hard-earned lessons of one development context and apply them in others.”

On the whole, the paper is well written. It should interest managers, psychologists, and software engineers involved in software development modeling and usability.