3.2
MEASURING DESIGN
A comprehensive evaluation of design is the sum of many factors. It requires intuition, quantitative and qualitative research and a combination of all of these. Quantitative measurement is particularly important for results to be comparable and understandable for all parties. (Lockwood and Walton, 2008) Measurements help in comprehending data that can otherwise be difficult to interpret. By making measurements, companies can follow the progress of an initiative, assess its results and compare them with the set targets. The object of measurement can be an action or the result of the action. (Salorinne and Laamanen, 1994) Requirements for measurement (Patterson, 1993):
1. 2. 3. 4.
Relevance: The metric must provide clear information focussed on factors important to the task at hand Completeness: The set of metrics together makes visible all important factors with balanced emphasis Timeliness: Metrics on any business activity must be sufficiently real-time to enable decisions that relate to the actual current state of the business at hand Elegance: If the metric set is designed with elegance, it will achieve a maximum level of insight with minimum amount of data
The number of metrics used should be restricted to a reasonable amount, so that essential data is not lost among masses of other data. It is important for metrics to take into account the context in which they are used; otherwise measurements may lead only to partial optimisation, which makes them more detrimental than beneficial. Metrics should also be easy to interpret and the data extracted from them should be shown to all those whose actions affect the measurement results. In this way, metrics can be used to promote positive development in people’s actions. (Salorinne and Laamanen, 1994)
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THEORY