Usability and UX Capabilities
The laboratory has the resources to conduct robust user needs assessments, user-centered or human-centered design, usability testing, and evaluation. For usability testing, this includes identification and recruitment of the key users of a system or device, prototyping or evaluating the system or device itself, having users perform representative or critical tasks with the system or device, and recording the relevant metrics.
User Identification and Recruitment
The HFSL has capabilities to recruit representative and specialty populations for usability and experimental testing. The team employs a mixed-methods approach to recruitment, leveraging email lists of nearly 1,000 past study participants, social media, flyers, and partnerships with organizations. These methods allow the team to reach desired target populations or end-users, increase statistical power, and ensure representation.
Prototyping
The interdisciplinary team of HFSL and affiliated researchers are capable of rapid prototyping of physical devices, software, and human-machine interfaces. This capabilities supports an iterative, human-centered design and testing approach to the development of safe systems, tools, and equipment to improve safety.
Usability and UX Methods
The HFSL team is trained in conducting both heuristic evaluations and usability testing. Heuristic evaluations consider a variety of factors including user design standards, existing standards and guidelines, and workplace safety, such as NIOSH lifting equations and noise assessments. Usability testing leverages methodologically rigorous assessment techniques to identify opportunities to enhance the performance of a product or device based on defined usability and safety goals.
Measurement
Usability metrics blend qualitative and quantitative measures to gather a holistic understanding of user experience and opportunities to improve satisfaction, performance, and user buy-in. Methods include performance measures, surveys, cognitive walkthroughs, retrospective and concurrent probing, interviews, and focus groups. Advanced methods, such as Human Error Identification, Timeline Analysis, Link Analysis may be leveraged based on project goals.