March Networks shot into existence in 2000 when Terry Mathews took over the
direct management and ownership of a Newbridge affiliate, Telexis Corp, a
networked video software and hardware company. Terry's vision was to 'Fill
the Pipe!' - i.e to produce broadband applications that took advantage of
the huge bandwidth capabilities of emerging DSL markets.
User Interface Systems Architect
Michael Baynger had been with Telexis since that company had bought
TeleVitesse, another Newbridge affiliate, in 1998. For him this was an
excellent opportunity to explore new territory.
Baynger did indeed cover a lot of ground designing user interface systems
for both large and small networked video applications. His direct contact
with end users presented opportunities to dig deep into the needs of the
target markets. These were loss prevention investigators, fraud
investigators, system management personnel and even casual users in the
newer markets such as retail stores and coffee chains.
Baynger was always keen to get in the users direct environment because it
was a means to unearth many critical clues about usability requirements.
From experience, Baynger knew that indirect communication between the
R&D team and the end user presented many possiblities for communication
gaps. As he would often say,
"My design solution can be no better than the stated problem we're trying
to solve. Direct communication between designers and end users greatly
enhances the work of product management and sales teams who interact with
the customer on a regular basis. It's kind of a 'broadband pipe' from the
end user to R&D.
"The key thing is this - end users never ask for what they want in terms
that we in R&D can really respond to. They talk about what they'd
like to see so they can solve a specific problem at a specific time.
They'll typically say things like 'I want a big button here or a list of
widgets there.'
"As a designer I dig further and find out what their actual needs are.
That's where we can collect real usability requirements that allow a
systems approach to solving the problem. I also have to protect the
engineers and my employer from a business point of view by ensuring that
my designs can be implemented within budget and they will address the
needs of a significant chunk of the target market."
