A Visual History of Office Automation

By Renee Floyd

First,

First,What IS

First,What IS

Office Automation

?

automation

The technique, method or system of operating or controlling a process by highly automatic means, reducing human intervention to a minimum.

automation

The technique, method or system of operating or controlling a process by highly automatic means, reducing human intervention to a minimum.

officeThat building with free donuts.

Office automation helps employees:

Office automation helps employees:

create

Office automation helps employees:

createstore

Office automation helps employees:

createstore

locate

Office automation helps employees:

createstore

locateand exchange

Office automation helps employees:

createstore

locateand exchange

information.

Examples of automation can be found in industries from transportation…

…TO FOOD.

Office automation

in the 20th century.

BOOMED

With automation, tasks that once required intense physical effort

or time-consuming steps could now be done

With automation, tasks that once required intense physical effort

or time-consuming steps could now be done

at thepress

of abutton.

Office automation created a surge of work opportunities,

Office automation created a surge of work opportunities, especially for young women.

Even

secretarial training

could be automated.

Automation technology like telephone switchboards

required human operators with a knack for multi-tasking.

But all the chatter of telephone operating created a need for respite.

“Outside noises being eliminated, the worker canconcentrate with ease upon the subject at hand.”

Eventually, we figured out how torecord phone messagesso operators could take a muchmuch-needed break.

Automation could do incredible things, like

electronically store THOUSANDS of books.

Well,

maybe not

thousands

of books.

Automation meant work

quite so backbreaking.

didn’t have to be

Sometimes, automation technology

imitated

manual processes.

Sometimes, automation technology

imitated

manual processes.

Ah yes, this ismuch better.

Other times, it

made manual

processes slightly easier.

Some inventions

bridged the gap

between manual and automated technology.

While others

felt like

While others

felt like

science fiction

While others

felt like

science fiction

come to life.

Had your fill of history?

Check out how offices canautomate processes in the 21st

century.

Thanks for viewing!

All images from http://www.retronaut.com/