Humanware
- Practical Usability Engineering
Reviewed by Cyril Windust FISTC [1999]
"Form is not the aim of our work, only result." Mias Van Der Rohe (American
architect).
For all whose work includes the precise use of functional language, I recommend
Humanware -Practical Usability Engineering as a useful reference book to have
around. The author, Ulf-L Anderson, 1998 winner of the ISTC's Horace Hockley
Award, stresses the vital human liaison necessary to link the software and
hardware of products which live up to their promise, have a good working life
and earn a "well-done" at the close of their cycle.
Produced compactly, in A5 with open-flat binding and a very compatible typeface,
these factors enhance the message the author seeks to pass on when dealing
with the many human aspects on how people behave when handling a product at
all stages from the raw idea to the end user.
Simply but clearly and effectively, he explains the role of our imperfect
humanness when we seek to produce worthwhile and error-free products and within
a practical budget, hopefully products that will cause all concerned to say,"Well, that is really brilliant". Brilliant maybe because the controls are
laid out in a way that comes instinctively to the user (unlike some cars where
one finds the windscreen wipers coming on when the intention is to indicate
a change of direction!). Giving thought to a control panel layout to vary
signal size and intensity according to the differences of importance.
The chapter contents are easy to absorb, full of real-life case histories,
with simple exercise checks to confirm the reader's understanding. He points
out that as humans we are all "error-prone". One vivid example describes how
a new design of an aircraft ejection system, instead of ejecting the pilot
through the hood, ejected him through the floor. When it was realised that
the pilot would be accelerated earthward rather than de-accelerated upwards,
pilots were then trained to eject by turning the aircraft upside down before
ejecting. This went disastrously wrong after a modification to revert to upward
exiting because, by that time, pilots had got used to turning the aircraft
over before ejecting.
I expect many of us have been perplexed by instructional material that combines
common information for several variants. Andersson deals with this by using
a furniture kit as an example, where one chair-back is superficially different
from others. One solution offered is to omit details of the chair-back finish,
which is of no consequence to the assembler.
Yes, a very useful and interesting book. It achieves its purpose - it makes
you think. However, I do wish the accompanying press release had answered
a primary human question, "What is the price of the book?"
Trafford Publishing, ISBN 1-55212-280-8
Available from Amazon.co.uk |
