In our days the Usability attribute has been well discussed but it is not considered imperative and still remains as a wish advantage. Usability metrics are not used and usability is not explicitly considered as benchmarking criterion of information systems choice. Designers and users are still confused to clarify the meaning of usability, effectiveness, user friendliness. In this speech a brief introduction of usability and related terminology are presented. Hereafter it focused in the case of information systems on board. The environmental element analysis, the current status, the tips and the traps with emphasis of simplicity principle are underlined. Ships management strategy is focused on installation of on-board IS, that considering as must but more or less ignores to evaluate the very low utilization and to identify the hazard and to proceed for corrective actions. Data analysis found that the hazard with high frequency and consequence level is the “lack of usability”.

Dimitri Lyras’ paper is about the human part of ergonomics.

A bolt action rifle and a cross bow have very similar designs as far as the man/machine interface. But a regular cannon and a ballista or chineese siege cross bow look very different. That’s because the man machine interface is insignificant and the structure simply serves the technology.

This argument points out that software made for people to execute business, is very much a part of peoples thinking and collaboration process. Software made to calculate stresses on ships hulls, or trajectory of missiles has no significant man machine interface by way of human thinking process.

Since software started by doing what people could not do (just like cannons and siege bows) it’s understandable that ergonomics were very much an afterthought.