Session 2 - Tricked by Technology

This week, I learned that technology is an overarching term that refers to any number of products. New advances in computerized lathes have little bearing on office operations. New advances in car system diagnostics are hardly useful in my office. I won't be suggesting implementation of oil drill analysis software at my next office meeting. Why not? As the technology enthusiasts argue, all of these technologies involve a computer and my office uses computers, therefore my office should find a way to implement these technologies.

When the discussion revolves around computer-assisted car maintenance or oil-drilling, the difference between relevant and irrelevant technologies is easy to discern. When the conversation turns to popular technologies like instant messenger or traditional IT like operating systems, the line between relevant and irrelevant is blurred. In terms of a case study from the textbook, not every trading company needs to collocate its services with the NASDAQ servers, and not every trading company needs to invest in InfiniBand technology to speed data transmissions. These innovations only produce a competitive advantage for companies competing in a very sophisticated sector of the trading market. Other trading companies competing in other market sectors may operate quite profitably from servers on a cheap 10 acre farm in Indiana.

Similarly, touch screens are very useful and fun, but only in some products. For example, touch screens are great on handheld iphones where users are wiggling their fingers to access phone features. Touch screens are probably less appropriate as a replacement for office workstation screens. Can you imagine lifting your arm to touch your desk display whenever you want to click your mouse?

Any company considering using touch screen technology first needs to consider the advantages of touch screens and how the company can capitalize on those advantages. For example, touch screens are useful for handheld devices, where finger-wiggling is usually easier than manipulating a tiny keyboard. Touch screens are also useful for simple “what you see is what you select” interfaces like hotel information kiosks. Touch screen kiosks streamline navigation and avoid frustration that users might feel while trying to maneuver an unfamiliar trackball or type on an unfamiliar or foreign language keyboard. In a corporate environment, touch screens might be a useful interface for a conference room presentation platform, so that standing presenters can access files without bending halfway over to grab a mouse or type on a keyboard. This usage capitalizes on one of the main advantage of touch screens to encourage more professional-looking presentations.

It is important to note, however, that touch screens are not direct substitutes for computer monitors. A touch screen might be integrated into a computer monitor, or it might be shaped to resemble a computer monitor, but replacing all of a company's monitors with touch screens is probably a very expensive, very bad idea. Similarly, a wholesale replacement of a company's meetings with WebMeetings may be a bad idea, and replacing a company's intranet with a Facebook interface may be a bad idea. In the latter cases, the badness is less evident, because many users tout WebMeeting and Facebook as excellent technology. In terms of corporate implementation, however, the important question is whether the technologies represent an improvement in the company's operations and profitability. If they are merely cool new substitutes for current measures, then companies might be better off leaving them alone.

In the future, when people are discussing cool new technologies, I am going to try and determine what exactly makes that technology more useful that its predecessors in its coolest context. Then I am going to try and determine where in the world that context exists – this will help identify other areas where the technology may be useful. I am not going to think of similar-looking technologies and assume that the latest greatest coolest gadget is a substitute for everything of similar shape and function. I promise.