We can analyse the studies in terms of the individuals using the computer, the technology that they are using and the world in which they are situated. Thus, if we are studying management information systems then our users must be managers. We cannot obtain a proper understanding of involved usage if our subjects are not involved in the world that they are supposed to be representing. This means that the technology must be the one normally used for the task. Users can only be involved if they are actually performing tasks that make sense in the world in which they are found.
Managers can only relate to tasks about the management that they are performing.
Asking them to perform abstract tasks will not do. If any of these criteria are not met then the resulting study, we believe, will have limited usefulness when applied to the involved user. This section reviews a number of experiments and relates them to the notions of involved and detached usage described previously. Wordprocessing The first experiment examines cognitive factors that are associated with wordprocessing performance of older adults. It is argued that the identification of such cognitive factors is important for diagnosing problems older adults might have in using complex software.