Human Factors for Informatics Usability

by B. Shackel, S. J. Richardson

Overview

Human factors are a critical issue in informatics or information technology systems as the computer industry realizes the need to change from technology-dominated goals to the needs of computer users. The study of human factors can help to improve the usability of information systems and to help reduce the huge costs of human-computer interactions. However, information technology equipment is not easy to use. Even specialists in computing and information technology have difficulty with equipment produced by other experts. This book shows how knowledge and methods from the field of ergonomics can be used to help make information technology equipment easier to use. The principal audience is the many designers, software and hardware engineers, system design managers, management service managers, and user managers who are now becoming aware of the importance of usability. This book provides not only an introduction and overview but guidance on what they can do and how they can approach the problems of usability in informatics equipment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521365703
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/14/1991
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.10(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Contributors; Acknowledgements; Part I: Informatics Usability - Background and Overview; 1. Human factors for informatics usability - background and overview; 2. Usability - context, framework, definition, design and evaluation; 3. The business case for human factors in informatics; Part II: System Design - Orientation and Approaches; 4. Human factors contributions to the design process; 5. Helping the IT designer to use human factors; 6. Interface design issues for the system designer; 7. An approach to formalised procedures for user-centred system design; Part III: Special Topics in Depth; 8. The contributions of applied cognitive psychology to the study of human-compute interaction; 9. Formal models and techniques in human-computer interaction; 10. Designing expert systems for usability; Part IV: Organisational Aspects and Design in Large Systems; 11. Organisational issues and task analysis; 12. Participation in systems design - what can it offer?; 13. Towards a human factors strategy for information technology; Part V: Design and Evaluation - Some Specific Methods; 14. A taxonomy and rule base for the selection of interaction styles; 15. Designing and evaluating documentation for IT users; 16. Evaluating usability; References; Author index; Subject index.