# Some Economics of User Interfaces

## Author Info

Listed author(s):
• Hal R. Varian

(University of Michigan)

## Abstract

I examine the incentives for software providers to design appropriate user interfaces. There are two sorts of costs involved when one uses software: the fixed cost of learning to use a piece of software and the the variable cost of operating the software. For example menu driven software is easy to learn, but tedious to operate. I show that a monopoly provider of software generally invests the right'' amount of resources in making the software easy to learn, but too little in making it easy to operate. In some extreme cases a monopolist may even make the software {\it too\/} easy to learn.

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File URL: http://econwpa.repec.org/eps/comp/papers/9401/9401003.pdf

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## Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by EconWPA in its series Computational Economics with number 9401003.

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 Length: Date of creation: 18 Jan 1994 Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpco:9401003 Note: Postscript file submitted via ftp in compressed format. Contact details of provider: Web page: http://econwpa.repec.org

## References

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1. Sheshinski, Eytan, 1976. "Price, Quality and Quantity Regulation in Monopoly Situations," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 43(17), pages 127-137, May.
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