Specifying human-computer interface requirements†

Abstract Human factors principles are often not incorporated into the design of human-computer interfaces for a number of reasons, among them: Human factors is not part of main stream engineering, human factors has no binding way to influence development, and present guidelines and standards are too general. This article describes the rationale and technical features of a specification that provides a solution to these and other difficulties. The specification documents the results of translating standards and guidelines into project-specific requirements. Designs that meet requirements should be ‘easy to use’ and can be produced by designers without any human factors expertise. It puts human factors directly in the main stream of development and makes human factors more directly responsible and accountable for the usability of systems.