Human factors in information system design: the emulation approach

Abstract

The necessity of human-factors analysis from the beginning of the design process is underlined, and an emulation approach is proposed. The approach is based on two main components: (1) the representation of the principal functions of the service by a flexible hardware/software system; and (2) the evaluation of service acceptability using a sample of real potential users. The flexibility of the system utilized for emulation makes it possible to test different system configurations in order to select the best functions and characteristics of the service.<>