A manual and description of the MUSE method. Essential reading for all systems developers from either HCI or software engineering communities.

Methods of collecting, classifying and interpreting data on human performance lie at the very root of ergonomics, and these methods are collectively know as "task analysis". They mirror both our current understanding of human performance and the design of systems which best serve the needs of their users. The concepts and techniques of task analysis have changed dramatically in recent years, and this collection serves to provide a summary of current research and advanced practice. It consists of eleven chapters written by distinguished practitioners in the field, ranging in scope from classical ergonomics to cognitive psychology, software engineering and systems design. This book is a production of a 1998 special issue of the journal Ergonomics , with a new introduction from the editors.

Developing software systems which are easy to use while simultaneously increasing the productivity, performance and satisfaction of users is still a major challenge in software engineering. Thus a large number of usability engineering methods have been proposed to systematically develop software with high usability. A large number of studies indicate that even basic usability engineering methods are not integrated in software development lifecycles practiced in industrial settings. Yet problems in the adoption of methods by project teams are rarely examined. This book provides a new perspective on the integration and adoption of usability engineering methods by software development teams. The adoption of methods by project teams – contrary to popular belief – is not assured just because it is mandated by the organization. This work argues that usability engineering methods can only be regarded as integrated in the software development process of an organization when these methods are practiced and accepted by development teams. So far no frameworks for examining the acceptance of methods by project teams and for exploiting such data for guiding project teams in method deployment are available. To address this problem, this book presents an approach which consists of a process meta-model for guiding project teams in the deployment of usability en- neering methods and a measurement framework for measuring the acceptance of the deployed methods. The approach is called Adoption-Centric Usability Engineering.

Human-CenteredSoftwareEngineering: BridgingHCI,UsabilityandSoftwareEngineering From its beginning in the 1980’s, the ?eld of human-computer interaction (HCI) has beende?nedasamultidisciplinaryarena. BythisImeanthattherehas beenanexplicit recognition that distinct skills and perspectives are required to make the whole effort of designing usable computer systems work well. Thus people with backgrounds in Computer Science (CS) and Software Engineering (SE) joined with people with ba- grounds in various behavioral science disciplines (e. g. , cognitive and social psych- ogy, anthropology)inaneffortwhereallperspectiveswereseenasessentialtocreating usable systems. But while the ?eld of HCI brings individuals with many background disciplines together to discuss a common goal - the development of useful, usable, satisfying systems - the form of the collaboration remains unclear. Are we striving to coordinate the varied activities in system development, or are we seeking a richer collaborative framework? In coordination, Usability and SE skills can remain quite distinct and while the activities of each group might be critical to the success of a project, we need only insure that critical results are provided at appropriate points in the development cycle. Communication by one group to the other during an activity might be seen as only minimally necessary. In collaboration, there is a sense that each group can learn something about its own methods and processes through a close pa- nership with the other. Communication during the process of gathering information from target users of a system by usability professionals would not be seen as so- thing that gets in the way of the essential work of software engineering professionals.

The first encyclopedia in the field, the International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors provides a comprehensive and authoritative compendium of current knowledge on ergonomics and human factors. It gives specific information on concepts and tools unique to ergonomics. About 500 entries, published in three volumes and on CD-ROM, are pre

This book developed from an IFIP workshop which brought together methods and architecture researchers in Human Computer Interaction and Software Engineering. To an extent this introduction is a little unfair to the authors, as we have distilled the results of the workshop to give the reader a perspective of the problems within integrated approaches to usability engineering. The papers could not hope to address all ofthe issues; however, we hope that a framework will help the reader gainfurther insights into current research andfuture practice. The initial motivation was to bring together researchers and practitioners to exchange their experiences on Graphical User Interface (Gill) design problems. The two groups represented methodological and architecture/tools interests, so the workshop focused on intersection of how methods can support user interface development and vice versa, how tools, architectures and reusable components can empower the design process. There is, we believe, a constructive tension between these two communities. Methodologists tend to approach the design problem with task/domain/organisational analysis while the tool builders suggest design empowerment/envisioning as a means ofimproving the way users work rather than relying on analysis ofcurrent systems. This debate revolves around the questions of whether users' current work is optimal, or whether designers have the insight to empower users by creating effective solutions to their problems. Tool builders typically want to build something, then get the users to try it, while the methodologists want to specify something, validate it and then build it.

This second edition of Human Factors Methods: A Practical Guide for Engineering and Design now presents 107 design and evaluation methods including numerous refinements to those that featured in the original. The book acts as an ergonomics methods manual, aiding both students and practitioners. Offering a 'how-to' text on a substantial range of ergonomics methods, the eleven sections represent the different categories of ergonomics methods and techniques that can be used in the evaluation and design process.

The theme of the 1997 INTERACT conference, 'Discovering New Worlds ofHCI', signals major changes that are taking place with the expansion of new technologies into fresh areas of work and leisure throughout the world and new pervasive, powerful systems based on multimedia and the internet. HCI has a vital role to play in these new worlds, to ensure that people using the new technologies are empowered rather than subjugated to the technology that they increasingly have to use. In addition, outcomes from HCI research studies over the past 20 years are now finding their way into many organisations and helping to improve and enhance work practices. These factors have strongly influenced the INTERACT'97 Committee when creating the conference programme, with the result that, besides the more traditional HCI research and education focus found in previous INTERACT conferences, one strand of the 1997 conference has been devoted to industry and another to multimedia. The growth in the IFIP TCI3 committee itself reflects the expansion ofHCI into new worlds. Membership oflFIP TC13 has risen to now include representatives of 24 IFIP member country societies from many parts of the world. In 1997, IFIP TCl3 breaks new ground by holding its sixth INTERACT conference in the Asia-Pacific region. This is a significant departure from previous INTERACT conferences, that were all held in Europe, and is especially important for the Asia-Pacific region, as HCI expands beyond its traditional base.