Human factors is one of the critical issues in Information Technology, as industry realises the need to change from technology-oriented goals to meet the demands of computer users. Human factors can help to improve Informatics Usability for real people, and to reduce the huge people-costs of human machine interactions. This book has been developed from lectures given at an Advanced Study course, sponsored by the European Science and Technology Research Committee of the Commission of the European Communities (CREST), and by the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) of the UK. It has three objectives: 1. To review the knowledge and methods available from the field of human factors for improving the usability of informatics systems, 2. To describe recent theoretical and methodological developments in the area, 3. To stimulate increased application of this expertise. To achieve these objectives, a number of the leading international authorities were invited to contribute as lecturers, discussion leaders, and troubleshooters to explain the basic##1th##1th##1th##1thllbthllbthllbthllbthp

The aim of this book is to bring together and try to inter relate some of the concepts and relevant knowledge from the varfous disciplines concerned with this area of research and application, including especially the human sciences, computer sciences and engineering. The focus throughout is up0n the human rather than upon the computer issues in Man-Computer Interaction (MCI). The book is based upon the papers presented by invited speakers at an Advanced Study Institute held at Mati, Attica, Greece 5-18 September 1976, which was sponsored by the NATO Advanced Study Institutes Programme. These papers were not intended to be ency clopaedic or to yield a 'state of the art' volume. But as revised here they do represent well the scope and breadth of MCI ('man' is used throughout generically for men, women, humans, people). The material in this book is as timely today as when presen ted in lectures; it is not out of date. Indeed in many respects it is more timely, because the computer industry is now recognising the need to heed the users. Computer designers are becoming receptive to the importance of the human factors aspects. Recognition of the user's needs has been stimulated by the work, elsewhere as well as here, of the contributors to this book."

Human factors are a critical issue in informatics or information technology systems as the computer industry realizes the need to change from technology-dominated goals to the needs of computer users. The study of human factors can help to improve the usability of information systems and to help reduce the huge costs of human-computer interactions. However, information technology equipment is not easy to use. Even specialists in computing and information technology have difficulty with equipment produced by other experts. This book shows how knowledge and methods from the field of ergonomics can be used to help make information technology equipment easier to use. The principal audience is the many designers, software and hardware engineers, system design managers, management service managers, and user managers who are now becoming aware of the importance of usability. This book provides not only an introduction and overview but guidance on what they can do and how they can approach the problems of usability in informatics equipment.