During the concept phase, the human factors specialist works with market researchers, helps develop and implement questionnaires, conducts interviews with potential users of the device, evaluates competitive devices, and performs analysis of industry and regulatory standards. The specialist also examines the proposed operation of the potential device with respect to educational background, skill range, and experiences of the intended users and identifies the possible use environments of the device under consideration.
During the allocation of functions and preliminary design phase, both the human factors specialist and the design professionals determine which device functions will be automatic and which will require manual points of interface between humans and the device. More specifically, the points of interface are those operations where humans have to monitor and control so that the desired output or feedback from the device is obtained. The analysis of the preliminary design is performed with respect to the device operating environment and the skill level of the most untrained user.
Usually, this task is performed by considering the drawings or sketches of the operational environment and gauging reactions of potential users. After evaluating the device, during the preproduction prototype phase, the prototype is built or updated for additional evaluation and market testing.
The market test and evaluation phase involves not only the actual testing of the device, but also a thorough examination of the feedback received from the market test by human factors, marketing, and engineering professionals. During the final design phase, the device design is finalized by incorporating any human-factors-related changes generated by the marketing, test, and evaluation.
In the production phase, the device is produceddisabled products) and put on the market. Nonetheless, during this phase the human factors specialist usually monitors the device performance, conducts analysis of the proposed design changes, and assists in the development of user-related training programs.