文档介绍：ENGINEERING PRODUCT USABILITY: A REVIEW AND ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES
DHILLON
Professor
Faculty of Engineering
University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5
CANADA
.ca/~dhillon/
Abstract: This paper presents the need and importance of usability engineering, usability-related facts and figures, and a total of eleven usability analysis methods.
Key-words: Usability, Human factors, Software, Computer, Human error, Analysis Methods, Usability engineering
The emergence of usability engineering is deeply embedded in the discipline of human factors. The importance of usability/human factors in the design of engineering products may be traced back to 1901 in the Army Signal Corps contract document for the development of the Wright Brothers’ Airplane; it clearly stated that the aircraft be “Simple to operate and maintain”[1]. Usability engineering is an effective approach to product development and is specifically based on customer feedback and data. Today, billions of dollars are being spent annually to produce new products using modern technologies. The usability of these products has e more important than ever before because of their plexity, sophistication, and non-specialist users. For example, over 30% of all software development projects are cancelled pletion primarily because of inadequate user design inputs; resulting in a loss of over $100 billion annually to the United States economy. Moreover, some studies indicate that 80% of product maintenance is due to unmet or unforeseen user requirements. The key challenge in designing new products using modern technologies is how best to take advantage of potential users’ skills in creating the most effective work environment; this may simply be called the usability engineering challenge.
2. Facts and Figures
Some of the facts and figures directly or indirectly concerned with product usability are as follows:
It costs approximately $100 billion annually in lost productivity to American