What is Checklist

Human factors assessment is a set of methods that are employed in order to determine if a product, service, or system meets the needs of the end users. These needs are measured along the dimensions of effectiveness (can the user actually accomplish the task at hand?), efficiency (can the user accomplish the task with a minimum of effort?), and satisfaction (is the user satisfied with his or her interaction with the product?). Multimedia technology requires significantly more attention to human factors and usability because the mode interactions create a more complex operating environment for the end user. This complexity can make these systems difficult for consumers to learn and use, reducing both the satisfaction of the users and their willingness to purchase or use similar systems in the future. It is critically important to assess the usability of a product from the onset of the project. Although it is common to perform a summative human factors assessment of the product at the end of development, it is typically too late to do anything meaningful with the results at this point because of the cost of changing a complete or nearly complete design. It is most beneficial to engage in a full human factors assessment during the concept generation phases, so that fundamental limitations of human perception and cognition can be considered before designs have already been established. Human factors assessment should continue throughout the project lifecycle. Rigorous application of these methods helps insure that the resulting end product will have high user acceptance because of superior ease of use.