MAP-01-011 HFI Technical Guide - Human Factors Integration ...

MAP-01-011 – HFI Technical Guide (STGP 11)A3.2 Data Collection TechniquesThe starting point of any design effort normally involves collecting specific dataregarding the system or type of system being developed. This allows the designteam to evaluate the system or type of system that is being designed.HF practitioners use a range of data collection techniques in order to collect thespecific information regarding the system or product under analysis, including thetasks catered for by the system, the individuals performing the tasks, the tasksthemselves (task steps and sequence), the technology used by the system inconducting the tasks (control, displays, communication technology etc), thesystem environment and the organisational environment.There are multiple data collection techniques used by HF practitioners, howeverfour of the most common are:• Interviews (Structured, Semi-Structured and Informal);• Questionnaires;• Observations and Checklists; and,• Focus Groups.Typically data collected using these and similar techniques are the starting pointor inputs for other HF techniques, such as task analysis, human erroridentification and workload analysis.The main advantage associated with the use of data collection techniques is thewealth of data that is collected and the fact that the analyst(s) using thetechniques have a high degree of control over the data collection process andare able to direct the data collection procedure as they see fit in order to meet theoverall objective.However there are also disadvantages, the primary of which is the large amountof resources required when designing the data collection procedures(questionnaires designs, pilots and runs) and in analysing the collecting data(due to the large volume collected). In addition, it can also be difficult to getpersonnel and subject matter experts (SMEs) to take part in interviews and ofteninstitutions do not readily agree to their personnel being observed whilst at work.The following sub-sections provide an overview of the identified data collectiontechniques.A3.2.1InterviewsInterviews have been used extensively in Human Factors to gather specificinformation regarding many different areas, such as system design, systemusability, attitudes, job analysis, task analysis, error and many more. Along withobservational techniques, interviews are probably the most commonly usedHuman Factors technique for information gathering. A number of Human Factorstechniques are also interview based, with specifically designed probes orMay 2006 Page A3-10 Issue 4