Designing for Humans

Certification in Human Factors & Ergonomics

I recently earned my credentials as a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE), and in the process learned that there's some lack of awareness and/or confusion regarding the certification options in the field of human factors and usability.

The CPE program is run by the independent Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics.  The certification covers a broad and deep range of topics including ergonomics, anthropometrics, interface design and human factors principles.  Some companies and organizations have utilized CPE expertise to evidence the effective research behind the design of their products.  For example, Microsoft advertises the role of certified professional ergonomists right on the packaging of the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000.

Without getting into a lot of detail, there are multiple levels of certification depending upon work and academic experience.  Feel free to contact me if you're interested in finding out more about it.

To take a step back, the term professional certification refers to  "a designation earned by a person to assure that he/she is qualified to perform a job or task" and "generally, need to be renewed periodically, or may be valid for a specific period of time (e.g. the life-time of the product upon which the individual is certified). As a part of a complete renewal of an individual's certification, it is common for the individual to show evidence of continual learning."   Common professional certifications include accounting and nursing.

Many people in the usability field (particularly as it relates to Web and software user interface design) may be familiar with the Certified Usability Analyst (CUA) program developed by Human Factors International (HFI).  Note that HFI is a company, not a professional organization, so the CUA certification is specific to HFI's practices and methods, rather than those agreed upon by an independent body (although HFI is considered an industry standard-bearer). 

Moreover, the CUA is a relatively focused, short-term certification process "aimed at designers and developers who want solid training for practical work in user-centered design."  In fact, HFI distinguishes between their program, referring to CUAs as "the certified paramedics of the field", in contrast with CPE credential's:  "The CPE/CHFP program is aimed at full time usability engineering professionals. These people must have advanced degrees and at least four years of professional experience in the field. They are the certified physicians of the field."

Interaction Design for Industrial Designers

Simultaneous with the first ever Interaction Design Association conference, IxDA founder David Malouf has an article on Core77 - Interaction Design and ID: You're already doing it...don't you want to know what it's all about?  He makes the important and valid point that embedded technology requires an understanding of interaction design by IDers.  The article provides a high-level overview of interaction design - it's not just about digital design, as his own examples from Motorola illustrate.

Malouf advocates that Industrial Designers need to increase their understanding of interactivity, for example to understand and design for interactions that change over time:

"So if product designers are facing a deluge of interaction design challenges (and they are), why is such poor attention being paid to bringing interaction design into the fold of the industrial design community?"

He then goes on to advocate several useful resources for interaction design, including schools, books, and organizations (like IxDA).

I found this article touched very close to my own experience.  I am a member of both IDSA and IxDA, which is probably not too rare, although I went against traffic by going from working primarily in interaction design to now focusing on industrial design.  In fact, a key driver of my current position was to bring interaction design and usability expertise to a predominately industrial design based firm,  So with that all said, I appreciate where Malouf is coming from. 

At the same time, I found his article one-sided - certainly its publication in Core77 suggests a largely ID audience, and Malouf does recognize shortcomings on both sides (ID and IxD):

"interaction designers lack access to traditional and formal general design education and training, and industrial designers lack any formal education and practice of interactivity"

But the clear message is that Industrial Designers need to get their stuff together around interaction design. I wonder if the reverse message is getting through to interaction designers - I would guess not likely.  Why?  In a word - specialization.  Time constraints and project complexity require collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams to solve design problems effectively.  There is overlap between  ID and IxD, just as there is overlap between these  disciplines and architecture, but overlap and awareness are not the same as proficiency, and certainly not efficiency across multiple design disciplines.

Neither IDers not IxDers "lacks access" to the training of the other, but there are skill sets that are separate and specific  to industrial design as there are for interaction design.  In the near-future, I would expect to see "domain designers" who are focused on multiple aspects of a given product category (e.g. mobile devices, automobiles).  Such "hybrids" would have deep knowledge of ID, IxD and other relevant methods for their particular field, but at the potential loss of discipline knowledge beyond their particular field of specialization.  I see this already in the difference between the analogy bases of consultants versus long-time internal/corporate designers.

Also, while Malouf criticizes last year's IDSA conference for a lack of emphasis on interaction design, he should have also mentioned that there was a great ID/IxD collaboration simultaneous with the conference put on by the San Francisco chapter of IxDA - INTERSECTION: Where Interaction and Industrial Design Meet (attendance was definitely skewed towards the interaction designers, but I represented).

For another interesting perspective on the same topics, I suggest reading Carl Alviani's Hacking the Physical Wolrd: What we taught software designers, and what they're trying to teach us.

And finally, a request to the IxDA.  The daily volume of thought provoking IxDA discussion threads is impressive - but I'd love to see an innovative solution to help me (and I imagine I am not alone) more easily find content of  interest without having to go through so many messages each day.

Growth in Research and Usability Careers

Wrapping up 2007 and looking ahead to the future, a fitting article from U.S. News & World Report on growth career areas includes Usability/User Experience Specialist amongst its "31 Careers with Bright Futures".  The article provides a basic description, salary information and a day in the life, that actually summarizes user research in medical product design relatively accurately in layman's terms:

"You work for a medical device manufacturer that wants to develop a next-generation surgery tool called a laparoscopic laser. You attend a meeting with the CEO and representatives from marketing and finance, who are all debating the product's rough parameters. While you make suggestions and raise questions, for the most part you're a listener. You leave the room with a list of musts, maybes, and questions about the prospective product.

Next, you read up on the current generation of laparoscopic lasers and then observe three surgeons who are using them. You ask questions and take notes about what they like and dislike about it, and how they suggest it should be improved.

You write a report summarizing what you've learned. Then, engineers develop a prototype of the product that comes closest to meeting both the company's and the surgeons' desires.

You recruit and observe surgeons to use the prototype, again asking questions. You make recommendations for changes in the laser. The final product ends up incorporating only some of what you had hoped for, but you still feel a sense of pride for having helped ensure that the new laser will be more effective and pleasurable to use."

And speaking of careers, several recent related job postings have appeared including:

• Sr. Human Factors Researcher at Insight (North Carolina)
• Human Factors Practitioner at Continuum (Massachusetts)
• Multiple usability positions with Autodesk (California)

Thanks to all the readers in 2007 and have a happy and safe new year.

The Usability Profession

Sunday's New York Times Business Section discusses the emergence and growth of "usability" or "technology untanglers" as a profession (requires free registration):

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/business/yourmoney/08starts.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

While primarily focusing on web/software usability, the article discusses the need in product design as well.  The article also discusses how usability professionals may come from different skill sets, such as anthropology for observation.  Moreover there is a current shortage and expected growth in the field.

Nice to see some recognition, and the article might be useful as means to explain what is it that you do, if you're in the field.

Midwest and Pacific NW Job Postings

Manager of User Interface Lab
Leading Manufacturer of Home Appliances
Midwest

Summary
The UI Lab provides usability and research solutions to Industrial Designers, Product Developers, Engineers, and Marketers to ensure that user-centered design principles and methods impact their wide range of consumer products. The Manager of the UI Lab will be part of the Advanced Platform Studio and will work across all global brands and product categories to manage global issues of human factors and user interfaces. You will design and execute product evaluations, usability studies, and user-needs research for this fast-paced and conceptual group.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Masters Degree in Experimental Psychology, Human Factors, Ergonomics, or a closely related behavioural science discipline
• 5+ years of industry experience as a hands-on Human Factors or Usability practitioner
• Strong research background, with proven experience in experimental design, data analysis, and results interpretation
• Working knowledge of user-centered design processes and of user-interface design principles
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to develop and implement UI processes
• Ability to articulate cross-functional experience (working with marketing, strategy, engineering, etc.)
• Experience working with physical product UI and not only software and/or interactive projects
  

If you are interested, please send resume to Julie Alperen, Senior Search Consultant at julie@jpakter.com.


Product Design Lead
Leading Manufacturer of Software, Services and Solutions
Pacific Northwest

Summary
The User Experience team is a multi-disciplinary design organization that employs a vision driven, user scenario focused, user centered design process. The Product Design Lead will report to the Design Manager of Mobile Devices and will have responsibility for the Productivity User Experience Design. The person will lead the planning, design and documentation of software/hardware interaction, user scenarios, mobile applications, and guidelines. They will also lead the RD&D of the product category and work with other UX and Research Leads to build a world class User Experience team to ensure the delivery of the highest degree of product design quality possible. Working interaction will include a variety of managers and directors throughout the company. The Product Design Lead will be responsible for the overall success of his or her group as a business.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Proven track record of hardware/software interaction design in the area of advanced consumer electronics and deep knowledge of the mobile device market
• 10+ years industry experience in brand and experience centric product design and development   
• Strong team building skills, essential design leadership abilities, and keen sense of business strategy
• Ability to apply these capabilities to the planning and design of state-of-the-art, end-to-end user experiences of advanced mobile devices
• Demonstrated success in leading design teams to meet a variety of dynamic business strategies, establishing and maintaining external partnerships, and building successful collaborations with peer teams within a large company
• In addition to supervising work effort, budget and schedule of engagements within the multi disciplinary group, the Product Design Lead will also be responsible for tracking and forecasting the team’s resource utilization and direction

If you are interested, please send resume to Julie Alperen, Senior Search Consultant at julie@jpakter.com.

Medtronic - PRINCIPAL HUMAN FACTORS SCIENTIST

Quick Description:
Challenge yourself. Work with a team of human factors professionals to
develop and ensure easy and error-free use for life-saving products at
Medtronic, the medical technology leader. Use your existing skills while
gaining new techniques and domain knowledge.  We are looking for an
individual who will bring their human factors and ergonomics expertise
in the definition, design, and evaluation of products to our group.
Responsibilities include the execution of human factors activities
across the product lifecycle including: customer needs identification,
user and workplace profiles, task analysis and scenario development,
user interface design, and usability testing.

Main Purpose of Job:
* Responsible for human factors activities across product lifecycles and
across Medtronic's product range.
* Lifecycle responsibilities include customer needs identification, user
and workplace profiles, task analysis and scenario development, user
interface design, usability testing and post-launch outcomes analysis.
* Product range responsibilities include developing physical user
interfaces of implanted and external products, graphic user interfaces,
product graphics and learning aids.
* Applies knowledge of human factors principles such as an understanding
of human performance and limitations (perceptual, cognitive, motor
skills and anthropometrics) and techniques (knowledge acquisition, user
interface design, usability evaluation).
* Human Factors Engineering activities are performed within the
constraints of a complex, regulated environment; and in partnership with
other design (SW, FW, HW, System Engineering), research, technology,
product planning, clinical, regulatory, and marketing groups.
* Additional tasks include standards development, in-house training and
popularizing of HF role. (But little selling, HF is already widely
accepted as a key technology at MDT.)

Responsibilities:
1. Lead the completion of major projects by providing expertise in
multiple roles in the product development lifecycle through deep
knowledge about system functionality across multiple systems, and/ or
through deep knowledge of system functionality.
2. Lead several human factors engineering activities at once in the
product development life cycle including identifying, planning,
monitoring and executing tasks for entire project.
3. Develop technical solutions to complex, system-wide usability
problems that require ingenuity and creativity.
4. Apply advanced knowledge of biomedical/human factors engineering
principles, cardiac rhythm management systems, and human factors
engineering processes to the definition, design, and evaluation of
products.
5. Perform other job-related duties or special projects as required.

MINIMUM REQUIRED: Master's degree in human factors, usability
engineering, or cognitive/experimental psychology or Master's degree in
Biomedical Engineering with extensive human factors coursework. Proven
ability to work with multidisciplinary teams that may include other HF
experts.  Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and presentation skills. High
tolerance for change, able to multi-task continuously, willing to
travel, able to quickly pick up advanced domain knowledge.

A 5-10 year history of working on human factors design and evaluation of
medical, business or consumer products.  Proven track record of applying
various human factors/usability engineering tools in the design and
evaluation of hardware and software products. Expertise in the
definition, design, and evaluation of these products, particularly in
the hardware area, using principles of human factors and ergonomics.
Proven ability to work with multidisciplinary teams.  Proven track
record of applying various human factors/usability engineering tools in
a product brought to market.  Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and
presentation skills. 
 
PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS:  PhD in one of the above disciplines.  Working
knowledge of cardiac function.  Experience teaching human factors and
usability engineering concepts to a diverse audience. 

With people like you, who have purpose, potential and passion, we'll
supply physicians and their patients around the world with the means to
extend life, restore health and alleviate pain. We currently have
multiple position openings in a variety of locations.

To apply, visit www.medtronic.com/employment/ select Requisition # 42696
and "Apply to this Job" to route your resume directly to the hiring
department. No agencies or phone calls, please. Medtronic is an equal
opportunity employer committed to cultural diversity in the workforce.

Product and HF Researcher

Crown Equipment Corporation

http://new.idsa.org/webmodules/articles/anmviewer.asp?a=1739&z=38