Evaluate Human Factors

"Human factors" is a term commonly applied to behavioral responses of users to the functional variables of a system. Looking at a system's functionality independently of behavioral observations can be difficult, incomplete, and of limited value. Identifying human factors, on the other hand, provides a measure of the system's "usability". Try: interviewing users about the good and the bad points of the system, watching users use the system, asking users to "think out loud" as they use the system, and putting yourself in the user's place (role-playing with the interface). These procedures will allow an ongoing evaluation of a developing system's functionality as well as a clarification of specific behavioral goals.