Human Factors Engineering

Human factors engineering is the discipline of providing products, processes and services that enable application delivery professionals to provide business solutions that focus on enhancing the performance of people.

The Human Factors Engineering group that I work with is a team of professionals who assist businesses and application developers in buying or building usable products that meet business requirements, enhance productivity and performance, and reduce training/support. We provide performance centered design consulting services, usability evaluation and testing, adaptive technology solutions for people with special needs, and ergonomic consulting.

When human factors are important...

All system development projects benefit from good human factors but some projects REQUIRE excellent human-computer interaction... Consider:

• How critical is the product to your business?
• How many users will be supported by the system once implemented?
• How frequently will the product be used?
• Are their time driven criteria for the successful use of the product?
• How complex and expensive is product support, like training and help desk?
• How much will it cost you if the product does not meet the customers' - and the users' - needs?

If at least one of your answers indicates high volume or impact, then your project REQUIRES good human factors.

What we are about...

User Interface Design Consulting

User Interface Design Consultants assist design teams in evaluating workflow and designing user interfaces that emulate
the way people work. They work with the development team to tailor the design methodology to meet technology and
project specifications. This results in intuitive and easy to use applications that increase worker productivity and reduce
training and maintenance costs.

Performance Centered Systems

We recommend designs that significantly reduce the learning curve and support learning the business by doing. This is accomplished through user interface design recommendations which incorporate reference and learning tools such as Infobases, Help Facilities, Wizards and Cue Cards. Our Infobase Design Process has been used to develop several
hypertext databases for a Fortune 100 company.

Usability Evaluation

Applying industry-standard Human Factors concepts, Usability Consultants validate the design of products by evaluating their usefulness. Using real-life scenarios in a state of the art usability lab, Consultants test the products and recommend changes that improve productivity, increase satisfaction, and ensure the business need is met. Usability can be applied to products that are purchased as well as internally designed.

Usability Consulting When Buying Software (RFIs/RFPs)

We provide consulting to project teams who are evaluating vendor products to assist them in selecting the product which best meets business and user's usability needs and complies with user interface standards. This includes orienting the project team to human factors principles, performing user task analysis, developing usability goals, and usability testing the product. In this way, both technical and user performance requirements are specified in the vendor contract.

Adaptive Technology Support

Adaptive Technology Consultants provide solutions for physically-challenged people by researching and recommending solutions (both hardware and software) pertaining to vision, hearing, mobility and the workstation environments.

Ergonomic Analysis

Ergonomic equipment consultants, in concert with health care professionals, design work environments that accommodate the needs, limitations, size, strengths and challenges of the work force.