HUMAN FACTORS OF THE 1984 OLYMPIC MESSAGE SYSTEM.

Abstract

The authors report on the development of a voice mail system for use by athletes and officials during the 1984 Summer Olympics. The Audio Distribution System allows users to send messages in their own voice to other users of the system. They can do this from any pushbutton telephone. They press keys to give system commands and spell recipients' names. This note describes how behavioral considerations and results impacted system design. It also contains observations on actual use of the Olympics Message System (OMS). The work serves as a case history attempt to develop an end user computer system according to behavioral principles recently outlined.