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| Usability Techniques Hardware Heuristics - Testing Your Hardware Design |
By Chauncey Wilson, WilDesign Consulting and Dick Miller, Hewlett-Packard
Reprinted from Usability Interface,
Vol 5, No. 1, July 1998
Here are a few very general hardware heuristics off the top of my head:
1. Are all switch and controls accessible, but not prone to inadvertent activation. For example, the power switch is at the front, but the button is indented so you can't hit it with your knee.
2. Do you need any special tools for maintenance?
3. Are all connections coded so you can't put the wrong plug in the wrong socket? For instance, are color coding, text coding, and connector shapes used for this purpose?
4. Are all legal warning and hazard notes posted where they will be seen?
5. Can all controls be seen in the range of lighting conditions you expect? For instance, don't use red LEDS for a device that will be used in sunlight. The military had this problem some years ago and it was solved by putting a poncho over the head of the user.
6. Do you have adequate feedback about any malfunction?
7. Are there any repetitive motions that might cause any repetitive motion injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome? How can you protect against this?
8. If the system is battery-powered, does it warn the user before losing data? Is battery replacement easy? Can the user find the batteries easily?
9. Are there any rough edges that could cause injury or damage?
10. Can the system survive a reasonable torture test? For example, can you drop your PDA from waist high and have it survive?
11. Are strength and endurance a consideration? Can all your users perform the tasks adequately when fatigued?
12. If you are using sound as feedback are you:
13. Are controls designed for persons with physical disabilities?
14. Can all controls be quickly identified, even to new users and users under stress?
15. Are consistent interaction patterns used?
16. Do you have an optimum control/response ratio (C/R ratio) and can you customize it? This is demonstrated by computers with the ability to change the curve for mouse acceleration.
17. Can the system be used easily by multiple users, under different conditions? For example, could it be used in the space shuttle in a zero-G environment or in a clean room where no mouse is allowed?
18. Does the hardware accommodate the 5-95 percentile user in the appropriate dimensions?
19. Is the physical arrangement of controls and displays compatible?
20. Are you following populations' stereotypes (a surprisingly big issue)? For example, people have expectations about which way a switch should go to be ON. This can vary internationally, so you need to consider whether international products will have a different design. There is a fair amount of research on population stereotypes in the good human factors books. I would recommend:
Sanders, M. S. and McCormick, E. J. Human Factors in Engineering and Design (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill, NH, 1993. This is a classic human factors textbook that explains human input and output capabilities. A careful reading of this book can provide usability specialists with research to support design decisions.
21. Is your product easily adjustable in all the required dimensions?
22. Is loading of materials (for example, paper tape for order entry systems) easy and painless? As an illustration of the importance of this point, have you ever waited in a shopping line while someone fumbles with the paper tape for the register?
24. Do you protect the user from catastrophic errors? For example, did you put in an automatic power switcher for going from 110 to 220 volts (USA versus UK)?
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