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

Annex 3 – HF Techniques, Methods and Tools• Cognitive aspects of the task under analysis are not elicited usingobservational techniques. Verbal protocol analysis is more suited forcollecting data on the cognitive aspects of task performance.• An observational study can be both difficult and expensive to set up andconduct. Many re-iterations may take place before the observation can becarried out. Also, the use of recording equipment ensures that thetechnique is not a cheap one.• Causality is a problem. Errors can be observed and recorded during anobservation but why the errors occur may not always be clear.• The analyst has a very low level of experimental control.• In most cases, a team of analysts is required to perform an observationstudy.A3.2.4Focus GroupsA focus group is a group interview approach that involves using a group of SME’sto discuss a particular design concept or prototype. Originally used in marketresearch, focus groups normally involve a group of SME’s and 1 to 2 moderatorsdiscussing critical design points of a certain system or product design. Theoutput of a focus group is normally a list of agreed and disagreed statements.Focus groups can be used for almost any purpose, including predicting potentialhuman error in a certain system, usability problems associated with a designconcept or to evaluate a prototypical design in terms of usability, workload, error,performance times etc. Hypponen (DTC087 - 1999) suggests that focus groupsare used to gather raw data regarding user needs in the concept developmentphase of a design and that they can also be used to clarify issues during thedesign. Focus groups can also be used as an evaluation tool in order to evaluateexisting system design with regard to errors, usability etc. Focus groups wereoriginally used in the IT domain but have been used in numerous different areasto inform the design process.• Advantages• The make up of the focus group is down to the analyst. A correctlyassembled focus group can provide a very powerful input into the designprocess.• A focus group can discuss anything from probability of error to interfacelayout.• The analyst(s) has complete control of the focus and direction of theanalysis and can change this at any time.• Very powerful data can be elicited from a focus group type analysis.• Focus group type interviews allow the analyst to quickly survey a greatnumber of opinions.May 2006 Page A3-15 Issue 4