Human Factors in System Design, Development, and Testing
CRC Press – 2001 – 264 pages
Series: Human Factors and Ergonomics
Human Factors in System Design, Development, and Testing describes engineering system design as a behavioral process, a process which raises questions the designer must answer. It focuses on the concepts underlying the design process, culminating in a behavioral theory of the design process. Special effort has been made to depict human factors design as it actually occurs. Particular attention is paid to users of the design products, with special emphasis on design for the elderly and handicapped.
Written by one of the first leaders in human factors, this book features:
*the use of a large scale survey of design specialists to determine how design issues and problems are dealt with in real life;
*an analysis of the engineering design process as actually being based on cognitive behaviors; and
*the development of a behavioral theory of design.
"Who should read this book? The leaders in the field-academicians and practitioners alike-should read it and take it to heart. It should influence their behavior in educating students and directing the future paths of the discipline. Those about to receive a doctorate in the field should also read it, although its value to them will be greater when they reread it a few years later. The impact of the book could be to spur interest in research on design and to focus development efforts on those tools that will increase the effectiveness of the specialist in influencing the behavior of the designer."
—Contemporary Psychology APA REVIEW OF BOOKS
"Meister and Enderwick provide a stimulating and troubling examination of the field of human factors/ergonomics (HF/E). They apply HF/E methods to its practice, and their findings are disconcerting. This is not a reference book; it is a book about human factors as an activity that occurs during the process of system design, development, and testing. Its overall message is that HF/E practitioners neglect to apply the field's methods to their own activities….Leaders in the field (educators, researchers, and practitioners) should read this book and take it to heart. It should influence their behavior in educating students and in developing methods and processes. Better, though, is that all of us in the field should read it and start practicing what we preach."
—Ergonomics in Design
Contents: G. Salvendy, Series Foreword. Preface. An Overview of System Development. The Design Process. Design Methods. Design Practice. Information Resources. Software Design. The User. A Behavioral Theory of System Design.