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September 16, 2009

Walt

This week a congratulatory shout-out goes to Kris Chandrashekar, senior engineering specialist for Ascend Performance Materials in Alvin, Texas, USA. Chandrashekar's usability insights on a number of forum topics, ranging from wireless to alarm management to steam header control earned him this week's iPod Touch prize for forum participation! Check out his posts and those of dozens of other process automation professionals, as we continue to define a new standard in usability for the next generation of process automation technology. Join the discussion, contribute a comment or new idea, and be this week's iPod Touch winner!
» Visit the Process Automation Usability Project

Design Forum
Flexiblity vs. Usability: What's the Right Mix?
When it comes to system architecture, more flexibility often comes with increased complexity and poorer usability. Forum contributors square off to find the appropriate middle ground. Included in this discussion are five suggested rules of thumb on the issue, such as the "gadget factor": Engineers with hands-on experience are less likely to pursue whiz-bang technology for its own sake.
Join the conversation. Planning Forum
What Does a Really Great Project Specification Look Like?
Upfront documentation of a project's scope and expectations is undoubtedly critical to successful project execution. This week in the Planning Forum, examples of proven-successful project specifications are sought. "I've seen the benefits of project specs that are heavy on describing the application and I've also seen the benefits of project specs that were much more technology oriented," notes one forum contributor.
What's your take on this issue? Security Forum
Do Security Measures Threaten System Performance?
With the rising use of commercial computing and network technologies in process automation, the risk of cyber incidents--intentional or otherwise--also has risen. But does retrofitting for security pose a threat to system performance? Asks one contributor: "Have anti-virus measures and firewalls had any system performance impact?"
Share your perspective. Got an Idea? Win a New Apple iPod Touch!
Submit an idea for how to improve the usability of process automation technology using Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, or in one of our Usability Forums. Best suggestion of the week wins an Apple iPod Touch!
» Visit the Process Automation Usability Project. Follow the Process Automation Usability Project on Twitter
Follow the Usability Project on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usabilityproj. Use Twitter hashtag #PAutoUP to automatically share your perspectives to the Usability Project home page.