Issues concerning the use of human engineering information: the system designers´ perspective

The influence of usefulness and usability of human engineering (HE) information in design was investigated. 5000 system designers were surveyed to determine how often they consulted and/or used HE information. The objective was to assess the importance of using HE information during design and to evaluate the usability of HE information resources in terms of ease of access, interpretation, and application. Of the 991 respondents, 888 were system designers. The results revealed that engineers and managers typically place less value on the use of HE information than psychologists. Results of usability ratings concerning problems designers experienced when consulting HE information indicated that many of the designers had difficulty with accessing, interpreting, and applying HE information. Designers generally indicated that an integrated hard copy or electronic HE information resource would increase their use of human factors in making design decisions