ABSTRACT
Computer software applications have been implemented in virtually every aspect of our lives and the field of human performance has not proven to be an exception. Due to the growing recognition of the role of human performance engineering in many different areas (e.g., clinical medicine, industrial design, etc.) and the resulting increase in requirements of the methods involved, having the “right tool for the job” is becoming of vital importance. Software developers bear the brunt of the responsibility of determining the qualities of a software application that define it as being “the right tool” for a specific job. In contrast, users of this class of tools must determine when their application extends a given tool beyond its intended scope. These abilities require a knowledge base spanning a number of different fundamental concepts and methods encompassing not only the obvious aspects of human performance and computer programming, but also many other less obvious issues related to database requirements, parameter standards, systems engineering principles, and software architecture. In addition, foresight of how specific components can best be integrated to fit the needs of a particular usage is also necessary.
