Swedish Institute of Assistive Technology

There is a number of persons lacking basic knowledge about computers and other IT-related products and equipment. When facing problems there is a need to ask someone. A telephone support function could be a way to include people.

Evaluation of IT with end users is necessary to create systems that provide real benefit to society. Usually, evaluation is considered only as a trial of technology with users simply responding to questionnaires. Nevertheless, the process implies many aspects that should not be overlooked. In this paper we present a detailed framework that attempts to present all the mandatory and advisable issues that should be addressed in an evaluation of IT with users. This framework is valid for laboratory tests, and is also specifically recommended for social scenarios; for example day centers, user’s dwellings, etc. This framework is being used in a European project where hundreds of users test technology in different scenarios.