The following excerpts are taken from:
Bauer, B., & Patrick, A.S. (2004).
A Human Factors Extension to the Seven-Layer OSI Reference Model.
The full paper can be viewed at http://www.andrewpatrick.ca/OSI/10layer.html
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Layer 10: Human Needs
Layer 10 captures the essence of why a user would interact with technology: to get something done to satisfy a need. That need should be defined in a technology-independent way.
Layer 10 needs (communication, acquisition of goods and knowledge, entertainment...) drive the entire value chain. Note that the needs are expressed in a generic form that is independent of the rapidly changing technologies available today (e.g., e-mail, e-commerce). This layer captures the fundamental needs that have existed for a very long time....
Satisfying needs is the key to designing compelling and useful applications and services. The question to ask is; "What human need am I trying to address?". If the Layer 10 need is, for example, human-human interactive communication, then to the extent that [technologies] get in the way of this, the need is not satisfied. There are many possible modes of human-human interaction and one must delve more deeply into the need to understand the requirements and opportunities. Is the need to hear the other person’s voice, is immediate interaction expected, is acknowledgment of receipt needed? After all, human-human communication can be accomplished by technologies that range from postal mail, e-mail, text-chat, phone calls, video conferencing and perhaps one day, 3D holographic/force-feedback virtual reality. The critical determination is whether the technology at hand addresses the need. If there is a gap between what the technology can do and what the need requires, is there a fallback, lower-tech mode that can suffice?
People rarely interact with technology for its own sake, nor do they usually know or care what goes on [in Layers 1-7 of the OSI model]. Surely there are exceptions for highly technical users or when a technology is brand new, but if that is the only attraction of the technology, then such novelty (and perhaps the technology) will rapidly fade. Note that when technology is novel, a desire to experience the technology rather than what it can do is common (recall your first e-mail?).
An important consideration at Layer 10 is the manner in which a need is satisfied. If an application or service provides a compelling and attractive method for satisfying a need, this can lead to high levels of user satisfaction. A useful term for this satisfaction is Quality of Experience (QoE), which is often rated on a scale from "poor" or "unusable" to "excellent". Thus QoE is determined by the manner and extent to which the service satisfies the need. This is in contrast to Quality of Service (QoS), [which is a separate matter].
The importance of satisfying human needs (can be) expressed: "By what criteria do we evaluate a particular network architecture? The Internet was designed to meet the needs of users, and so any evaluative criteria must reduce, in essence, to the following question: how happy does this architecture make the users?".... Thus, the ’acid test’ for any technology is whether it improves Quality of Experience either directly (faster download, higher quality reproduction, etc.), or indirectly (cheaper access, fewer failures, better security, etc.).
Bauer, B., & Patrick, A.S. (2004).
A Human Factors Extension to the Seven-Layer OSI Reference Model.
The full paper can be viewed at http://www.andrewpatrick.ca/OSI/10layer.html
====================================
Layer 10: Human Needs
Layer 10 captures the essence of why a user would interact with technology: to get something done to satisfy a need. That need should be defined in a technology-independent way.
Layer 10 needs (communication, acquisition of goods and knowledge, entertainment...) drive the entire value chain. Note that the needs are expressed in a generic form that is independent of the rapidly changing technologies available today (e.g., e-mail, e-commerce). This layer captures the fundamental needs that have existed for a very long time....
Satisfying needs is the key to designing compelling and useful applications and services. The question to ask is; "What human need am I trying to address?". If the Layer 10 need is, for example, human-human interactive communication, then to the extent that [technologies] get in the way of this, the need is not satisfied. There are many possible modes of human-human interaction and one must delve more deeply into the need to understand the requirements and opportunities. Is the need to hear the other person’s voice, is immediate interaction expected, is acknowledgment of receipt needed? After all, human-human communication can be accomplished by technologies that range from postal mail, e-mail, text-chat, phone calls, video conferencing and perhaps one day, 3D holographic/force-feedback virtual reality. The critical determination is whether the technology at hand addresses the need. If there is a gap between what the technology can do and what the need requires, is there a fallback, lower-tech mode that can suffice?
People rarely interact with technology for its own sake, nor do they usually know or care what goes on [in Layers 1-7 of the OSI model]. Surely there are exceptions for highly technical users or when a technology is brand new, but if that is the only attraction of the technology, then such novelty (and perhaps the technology) will rapidly fade. Note that when technology is novel, a desire to experience the technology rather than what it can do is common (recall your first e-mail?).
An important consideration at Layer 10 is the manner in which a need is satisfied. If an application or service provides a compelling and attractive method for satisfying a need, this can lead to high levels of user satisfaction. A useful term for this satisfaction is Quality of Experience (QoE), which is often rated on a scale from "poor" or "unusable" to "excellent". Thus QoE is determined by the manner and extent to which the service satisfies the need. This is in contrast to Quality of Service (QoS), [which is a separate matter].
The importance of satisfying human needs (can be) expressed: "By what criteria do we evaluate a particular network architecture? The Internet was designed to meet the needs of users, and so any evaluative criteria must reduce, in essence, to the following question: how happy does this architecture make the users?".... Thus, the ’acid test’ for any technology is whether it improves Quality of Experience either directly (faster download, higher quality reproduction, etc.), or indirectly (cheaper access, fewer failures, better security, etc.).