ABSTRACT
Most of the methods described up to this point have focussed on the human elements of performance in sociotechnical systems (e.g., physical and cognitive tasks, situation awareness, human error, teamwork); however, methods for evaluating and designing products and interfaces also form a significant portion of the many Human Factors methods available. This chapter focuses on those methods that Human Factors researchers use to evaluate and design products and interfaces. Labelled here as interface evaluation methods, but also referred to elsewhere as usability evaluation methods, these methods represent a general class of methods that can be used to assess the usability or interface of a product or device. Normally based on models of human performance, interface evaluation methods allow various aspects of a device’s interface to be assessed, including interface layout, usability (ease of use, effectiveness, efficiency, and attitude), colour coding, user satisfaction, and error. Interface evaluation methods are essentially designed to improve product design by understanding or predicting user interaction with those devices (Stanton and Young, 1999).
