Usability assessment of an integrated land use model in Portugal

Regardless the possibilities of computer based tools for spatial planning, previous works have argued that planners have never fully used them. Some of the reasons that influence the acceptance and effective use of a new technology are the usability and the user’s perception of its relevance to improve their tasks. This research aims to assess the usability and usefulness of a planning support tool by planning organizations in Portugal. The tool has proven to be easy to use and very useful to users; however, some technical improvements were suggested in order to improve it.