The Costs of Software Problems
At What Price?

Frustrating experiences waste an average of 42-43% of the time employees spend at their computers, according to the User Frustration with Technology in the Workplace study co-sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University, Towson University, and the University of Maryland. This calculation includes time lost trying to solve the problem and time spent recovering any lost work.
 
The Employment Situation: June 2009 report, dated July 2, 2009, issued by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, states the average earnings of “production and nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls” was $609.37 per week. 
 
If we estimate in an average week that an employee spends 20 hours at their computer, then 8.6 hours (or 43%) are unproductive and frustrating. For a 40 hour/week employee, that equals $131.01 weekly or $6,550.50 annually (50 weeks) in lost payroll.
 

 
Some Things Are Beyond Price!
 
Lost wages and productivity are only one side of the issue for businesses; frustration and workplace interruption are the other. When those two issues combine, as what typically happens when employees have problems with their software, the cost is incalculable.
“Every computer user encounters problems with technology. Frustration is a common theme among computer users,” according to research done by the Department of Sociology, University of Maryland.
 
Frustration is an important workplace issue because it is not isolated. When frustration is felt in the workplace, the actions taken can be long-lasting, far reaching and disruptive, “which can adversely affect work performance as well,” states a Carnegie Mellon University and University of Maryland joint study, published in Computers in Behavior 22 (2006).
 
This study revealed that a single computer problem has the potential to reduce the employee’s productivity for the remainder of the day. Frustration is not limited to the length of time the problem occurs, but also leads “to a longer term mood state that might last hours.”
 
The effects of software-based frustration are also not limited to the individual. In most cases, they engaged one or several other employees to either help solve the software issue or to be an emotional support. Either way, other staff members, as well as the initially frustrated employee, are accumulating unproductive time.
“Computer Rage” is a term coined by the Laboratory for Automation Psychology and Decision Processes, at the University of Maryland. In their (2005) survey, they collected comments from survey participants regarding their frustrating computer experiences. Here are just a few:

“I hate not being able to understand things. It makes me feel inferior, computers have a way of doing that sometimes.”
 
“I’m also very frustrated by people’s frustrations with computers.”

“I constantly cursed aloud (some REALLY bad words) and I think my colleague is still scared of me for that. It must’ve not been easy for her…”
 
“…I’ve slammed a keyboard a few times but haven’t caused any permanent damage. Sometimes I feel like I want to scream when something doesn’t work but I’d say I’m pretty good at suppressing my anger.”
There are a wide range of reactions to coworker computer rage. Some employees may shut it out, literally, by closing their office doors or even leaving the office. Other employees may feel frustrated or angry as a result of the rise in overall tension in the office. Unfortunately, the energy generated by computer rage has the potential to spread to communications with customers, either by salespeople or customer service. This is when the cost of computer rage becomes unbearable.
 
Software Training Redefined:
Educate Your Employees – Train Your Software
 
A bilateral approach to reducing employee frustration from software issues includes user education and improving the software’s interface.
 
Employee Education: Make It Personal
 
An employee’s frustration level is directly related to their self-efficacy. Employees who believe they can solve the problem will become less frustrated because they approach the issue as a challenge instead of a problem. Education that instills confidence and knowledge will result in fewer issues and lower levels of frustration.
 Targeted materials and curriculum delivered by an experienced instructor are the keys to success. Adults become annoyed and even frustrated when they feel the material being taught is irrelevant (Science, 1992), so classes need to be built around the employees’ responsibilities, needs and goals.
 
Software Training: Customization without Programming

“Training” the software involves utilizing built-in functionality to personalize menus and layouts to the employee’s role and responsibilities in the organization. Employees across different departments utilize software functionality in very different ways to accomplish their tasks. Customizing interfaces makes repetitive tasks easy and quick, and organizes important information for easy access.
 
The features and functions employees use most should be at their fingertips. Templates, macros, screen views, and menu options are other features that make software more intuitive to the needs of the employee. The use of those elements enables employees to more easily complete computerized tasks in less time.
 

Copyright © 2009 Ellen DePasquale All Rights Reserved
All trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
 
This white paper if available at http://www.eocomputing.com/whitepapers/the_importance_of_software_training.pdf and is available for free distribution.
 
Ellen DePasquale, The Software Revitalist™, is founder of Efficient Office Computing, a New York-based software consulting and training company.
Sage Certified Consultant
KnowledgeSync Partner
Microsoft® Partner
NetSuite Referral Partner
American Society for Training & Development
Queens Chamber of Commerce (IT Committee Member)

References:
 
The Employment Situation: June 2009
United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
 
User Frustration with Technology in the Workplace
Jonathan Lazar and Adam Jones
Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Center for Applied Information Technology, & Universal Usability Laboratory
Towson University, Towson, Maryland, 21252
Katie Bessiere, Human-Computer Interation Institute
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213
Irina Ceaparu and Ben Shneiderman
Department of Computer Science, Human-Computer interaction Laboratory, Institute for Advanced Computer Studies & Institute for Systems Research
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
 
Social and Psychological Influences on Computer User Frustration (Newhagen book chapter)
Katie Bessiere and John Robinson, Department of Sociology
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
Irina Ceaparu and Ben Shneiderman
Department of Computer Science, Human-Computer interaction Laboratory, Institute for Advanced Computer Studies & Institute for Systems Research
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
Jonathan Lazar, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Center for Applied Information Technology
Towson University, Towson, Maryland, 21252
 
Computer Rage Survey
Of the Laboratory for Automation Psychology and Decision Processes
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
http://lap.umd.edu/Computer_Rage/Tech_Report/written_comments/frustration
 
A model for computer frustration: the role of instrumental and dispositional factors on incident, session, and post-session frustration and mood

Computers in Human Behavior 22 (2006) 941-961
Katie Bessiere, Human Computer Interaction Institute, School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
John E. Newhagen, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
John P. Robinson, Department of Sociology
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
Ben Shneiderman, Department of Computer Science
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
 
Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn; A Comprehensive Guide to Teaching All Adults
Third Edition 2008
Raymond J. Wlodkowski
 
Dependence of Cortical Plasticity on Correlated Activity of Single Neurons and on Behavioral Connext
E. Ahissar, E. Vaadia, M. Ahissar, H. Bergman, A. Arieli, M. Abeles
Science, 1992