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The HFES Diversity Committee is entering its third year following many years existing as a task force. We have built a series of annual meeting content over the past years, with panels introducing the task force and then the committee; last year, we shifted focus to highlight examples of HFE research advancing diversity, inclusion and social justice. We continue to build off of previous years’ sessions – last year concluded with several questions seeking practical, concrete advice and suggestions to advance DISJ through HFE research and within the society. Therefore, this year we present an alternative format session that will function as a group of mini-workshops: two focused on research, one on broadening participation in HFE and one of inclusive excellence within HFE training and education. Session participants will develop “how to” knowledge and leave with a network of likeminded peers, colleagues and potential collaborators.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a Framework for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS Framework) that supports system engineering analysis, design, development, operation, validation and assurance of CPS. Cyber-physical systems (CPS) comprise interacting digital, analog, physical, and human components engineered for function through integrated physics and logic. For instance, a city implementing an advanced traffic management system including real-time predictive analytics and adaptation/optimization must consider all aspects of such a CPS system of systems’ functioning and integrations with other systems, including interactions with humans. One Aspect (or grouping of stakeholder concerns) of the CPS Framework is the Human Aspect. NIST is engaging HFES in a panel discussion to elaborate Human Aspect concerns, such as constructs, measures, methods, and tools.

Background and Objectives: Caregiver burden associated with dementia-related agitation is one of the commonest reasons a community-dwelling person with dementia (PWD) transitions to a care facility. Behavioral and Environmental Sensing and Intervention for Dementia Caregiver Empowerment (BESI) is a system of body-worn and in-home sensors developed to provide continuous, noninvasive agitation assessment and environmental context monitoring to detect early signs of agitation and its environmental triggers. Research Design and Methods: This mixed methods, remote ethnographic study is explored in a 3-phase, multiyear plan. In Phase 1, we developed and refined the BESI system and completed usability studies. Validation of the system and the development of dyad-specific models of the relationship between agitation and the environment occurred in Phase 2. Results: Phases 1 and 2 results facilitated targeted changes in BESI, thus improving its overall usability for the final phase of the study, when real-time notifications and interventions will be implemented. Conclusion: Our results show a valid relationship between the presence of dementia related agitation and environmental factors and that persons with dementia and their caregivers prefer a home-based monitoring system like BESI.

Agitation in dementia poses a major health risk for both the patients and their caregivers and induces a huge caregiving burden. Early detection of agitation can facilitate timely intervention and prevent escalation of critical episodes. Sensing behavioral patterns for detecting health critical events is a challenging task. Wearable sensors are often employed for sensing physiological signals, but extracting possible biomarkers for confident detection of early agitation is still an open research. In this paper, we employ an ongoing iterative study to explore the motion biomarkers related to agitation in community-dwelling persons with dementia (PWD). This study uses accelerometers in smart watches to capture PWD behavioral patterns unobtrusively. Analysis of the feature space is performed using data from multiple subjects to discriminate among epochs of onset, preset, and offset of agitation while considering inter-person variability in real deployments. This paper shows the prospect of feature space analysis of the motion data for developing early agitation detection models to deploy in the wild.

The inanimate bicycle symbol has long been used to indicate the animate activity of bicycling facility signs. In contrast, either the inanimate bicycle symbol or the animate bicycle symbol has been used interchangeably for the standard pavement symbols in bike lanes. This has led to confusion among pedestrians and cyclists alike. The purpose of this study was to examine two different designs (inanimate symbol vs. animate symbol) involved in the evaluation of perceived preference and glance legibility, and investigate sign design features on bicycle pictorial symbols. Thirty-five participants compared current bicycle signs (inanimate symbols) to alternative designs (animate symbols) in a controlled laboratory setting. The results indicated that the alternative designs (animate symbols) showed better performance in both preference and glance legibility tests. Conceptual compatibility, familiarity, and perceptual affordances were found to be important factors as well.

The construction industry experiences the greatest proportion of workplace electrical injuries globally. Much research effort has gone toward analyzing this phenomenon, yet a majority of which focused on isolated elements while ignored the work system. Modern work systems are complex, within which humans interact with technology, social structures, and environments. Outcomes (including accidents and injuries) resulting from such a complex system are not attained by any system element in isolation. As a result, effective risk management requires the control over the whole sociotechnical system (STS). This work demonstrates such an effort in investigating STSs. The work uses a triangulation approach in examining construction-fatality reports. The findings identify three typical STSs, reveal their system weaknesses, and provide remedial recommendations. The work contributes to the knowledge body of risk management, electrical safety, and research methodologies. The introduced triangulation approach i...

Electrocution is one of the four leading causes of worker deaths in the construction sector, and thus it is paramount to identify its mechanisms. This work interprets the mechanisms of an electrical accident as a chain of decision mistakes throughout the entire task process. The objective of this paper is to visualize the decision-making chains in workplace electrical safety for construction workers. Because of construction’s “one-off” nature, the researchers narrow the decision-making chain for specific “features of work” (FOW), a group of distinct activities possessing higher occupational safety and health (OSH) risks and requiring particular attention. By analyzing National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) electrocution reports, the authors identify five features of work and illustrate their decision-making chains. This work promotes electrical safety and injury prevention through the decision-making lens and contributes to the scholarly body of knowledge by introducing a com...

According to a 2006 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report, approximately 90% of construction companies employ 20 or fewer workers; of these, 30% specialize in residential construction. Contractors with 10 or fewer employees are exempt from OSHA reporting requirements, unless a fatality occurs or an injury/illness leads to lost workdays for three or more employees (29 CFR 1904.1, Subpart B). This qualitative case study was conducted to understand character- istics and work patterns to develop a clearer understanding of the natural context of work, especially given the underre- porting of safety information by small construction companies. A prospective study was conducted in which construction workers logged critical incidents for four weeks. Definitions and examples of critical incidents were given to workers, along with a data logging notebook with structured questions. Workers could report the events immediately upon occur- rence or after the workday ended. A total of 102 critical incidents were reported. Content (axial coding) and cluster analy- ses were used to analyze the logs and to extract important descriptors and patterns. Results were used to characterize in- jury types, antecedents, time-of-day, and family-work involvement. Descriptions regarding the training-, resource-, and planning-related practices of small construction workers focused on the unique challenges that impose barriers and con- straints on safety climate.

Although usability practitioners have successfully applied usability engineering processes to increase the usability of interaction designs, the literature suggests that usability practitioners experience a number of difficulties that negatively impact the effectiveness of their work, which in turn affects the effectiveness of the usability engineering processes within which they work. These difficulties include identifying and recording critical usability data and understanding and establishing relationships among usability data. These difficulties are particularly pronounced for novice usability practitioners. One approach to addressing these difficulties is through appropriate usability engineering tool support. We argue that existing usability engineering tools offer excellent support for helping experienced usability practitioners more efficiently do their jobs, but they provide little support for helping novice usability practitioners more effectively do their jobs. We introduce a tool feature, usability problem instance records, to better support novice usability practitioners. We describe the results of a study of this feature, which suggest that the feature helps to improve two aspects of the effectiveness of novice usability practitioners: reliability and quality.

Rapid construction projects and processes will become increasingly important as customers demand better project management performance and globally, as countries plan for and respond to the aftermath of natural and/or unnatural disasters. For use in expedited projects (as well as traditional projects), a rapid universal safety and health system (RUSH) was designed, developed, deployed, and evaluated. For its inaugural application, the RUSH was applied to a 106-hour construction project. Results from an initial application included a safe build in approximately 5 days without recordable incidents. More importantly, lessons were learned by a multidisciplinary team of researchers who observed safety 24/5 for the life of the project. Lessons learned and recommendations for future research are provided as a result of this experience.

Introduction As an increasingly powerful, interactive, and dynamic medium for delivering information, the World Wide Web (Web) in combination with information technology (e.g., LAN, WAN, Internet, etc.) has found many applications. One popular application has been for educational use, such as Web-based, distance, distributed or online learning. The use of the Web as an educational tool has provided learners and educators with a wider range of new and interesting learning experiences and teaching environments, not possible in traditional in-class education (Khan, 1997). Web-based learning environments have been developed mainly by instructional designers using traditional instructional design models such as the instructional systems design (Dick & Carey, 1996), cognitive flexibility theory (Spiro, Feltovich, Jacobson, & Coulson, 1991), and constructivist learning environment (Jonassen, 1999). However, many of these approaches still lack two important considerations needed for implementing learning applications based on the Web: (1) integration of the user interface design with instructional design, and (2) development of the evaluation framework to improve the overall quality of Web-based learning environments. First, little attention has been paid to design issues of the human-computer interface, which are critical factors to the success of Web-based instruction (Henke, 1997; Plass, 1998). Learners must be able to easily focus on learning materials without having to make an effort to figure out how to access them (Lohr, 2000). However, current instructional design principles and models do not explicitly address usability issues of the human-computer interface. Second, the rapid growth of Web-based learning applications has generated a need for methods to systematically collect continuous feedback from users to improve learning environments. Unfortunately, few attempts have been made to develop such formative evaluation frameworks for Web-based learning environments whose foci are both the instructional system and user interface system. In addition, few approaches take user interface design issues into account in their evaluation processes. A number of evaluation frameworks that can be used to evaluate the user interfaces have been proposed (e.g., Nielsen, 1993; Rubin, 1994). But, these models are intended for software environments rather than for Web-based learning environments in which user interface systems should be developed to support users' learning activities. This study addressed these weaknesses while developing a user-centered, Web-based learning support environment for Global Positioning System (GPS) education: a Web-based distance and distributed learning ([WD.sup.2]L) environment. More specifically, there are two main research goals addressed in this study, and these goals aimed to improve the design process and usability of the [WD.sup.2]L environment. First, this study offered a systematic approach to the design, development, and evaluation of a user-centered, [WD.sup.2]L environment for supporting engineering courses. Second, this study evaluated the design process model by assessing the overall quality of the [WD.sup.2]L environment prototype in terms of 1) students' learning performance and 2) the quality of resources implemented in the [WD.sup.2]L environment. We first give an overview of relevant literature that guided the design, development, and evaluation of the [WD.sup.2]L environment supporting GPS education. The development process will then be briefly summarized. In addition, evaluation processes through the proposed formative evaluation framework will be outlined. Finally, relationships between the design process framework and the effectiveness of the [WD.sup.2]L environment will be discussed. Background Overview of GPS Education To understand the application domain, a GPS course was analyzed or used as the testbed. As shown in Table 1, there is the educational demand for a new learning environment to effectively support the course while meeting the societal demands on engineers educated in GPS fundamentals. …

As cell phones have expanded their functionality with enhanced mobile technology, use of cell phones has become complex. Although usability of cell phones has been improved by featuring hierarchical menu systems, designing comprehensible navigation in the menu hierarchy is still a major challenge to cell phone user interface (UI) developers as more diverse users are adopting cell phones. To develop an easy-to-use cell phone UI, an effective usability evaluation method (UE) is essential. While various usability evaluation methods (UEM) have been developed, laboratory-based usability testing produces high-quality usability data from actual users. Yet, the effectiveness of such testing can vary dramatically depending on what data is collected and how the data are analyzed. To provide a practical guidance for the effective laboratory testing, we developed a systematic evaluation methodology for cell phone user interfaces (SEM-CPU). SEM-CPU is specifically designed to integrate five empirical methods (scenario-based task performance, questionnaires, post-task interview, user observation, and retrospective think aloud) into a laboratory-based test in order to evaluate cell phone UIs. By following SEM-CPU, usability engineers should be able to (1) conduct laboratory-based testing with multiple empirical methods in an efficient way, (2) collect diverse but useful data to measure necessary usability attributes, (3) identify determinants of usability problems, and (4) integrate all usability data to generate proper solutions for the problems. Detailed descriptions of SEM-CPU are presented along with a case study where SEM-CPU was applied to a comparative cell phone usability test.

Recreation and wilderness areas are frequented by millions of visitors each year. These environments are charged with protection and preservation of resources while supporting visitor involvement and enjoyment. Given these potentially competing demands, the design of visitor communications is critical. Visitor communications should be consistent with users’cognitive capabilities and expectations about the order in which information will be presented. This study employed a cognitive elicitation method to capture shared schemas among participants who examined information communicated through a small panel system in a national park. Quantitativeand qualitativeresults support theexistenceof common schemas for information order. Implications and further methods to support performance-based validation arediscussed.

Objective: Agitated behaviors are one of the most frequent reasons that patients with dementia are placed in long-term care settings. This study aims to validate the ability of a custom Body Sensor Network (BSN) to capture the presence of agitation against currently accepted subjective measures, the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) and the Aggressive Behavior Scale (ABS) and to discriminate between agitation and cognitive decline. Methods: Six patients identified as being at high risk for agitated behaviors were enrolled in this study. The devices were applied at three sites for three hours while behaviors were annotated simultaneously and subsequently repeated twice for each enrolled subject. Results: We found that the BSN was a valid measure of agitation based on construct validity testing and secondary validation using non-parametric ANOVAs. Discussion: The BSN shows promise from these pilot results. Further testing with a larger sample is needed to replicate these results.

Falls remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in the small residential roofing industry and analogous investigations are underrepresented in the literature. To address this issue, fall-protection training needs were explored through 29 semi-structured interviews among residential roofing subcontractors with respect to recommendations for the design of fall-protection training. Content analysis using grounded theory was conducted to analyze participants’ responses. Results of the analysis revealed six themes related to the design of current fall-protection training: (1) barriers to safety training; (2) problems of formal safety-training programs; (3) recommendations for training implementation; (4) important areas for fall-protection training; (5) training delivery means; and (6) design features of training materials. Results of the study suggest the need for informal jobsite safety training to complement what had been covered in formalized safety training. This work also provides recommendations for the design of a more likely adopted fall-protection training program.

More than 82% of the population with visual impairment consist of older adults (50 years and over), with the largest cause being age-related vision loss in individuals 65 and over. There are various assistive technologies (for instance, haptic technology) that older adults with low vision rely on to achieve greater independence in everyday life. We applied brain-plasticity theory to understand how both younger and older adults with low vision use haptic perception and its effect on their perceived needs for haptic user interfaces (HUIs) for computer navigation. Study 1 measured older and younger adults’ haptic perception and Study 2 explored the HUI needs. We found no difference between the two age groups in terms of haptic perception or perceived haptic computer-interface needs.

This research describes the functionality of a Near and Far Environmental Awareness System (NaFEAS) intended to be worn as a computer-based vest undergarment to support social interaction for older adults with severe visual impairments. The system is designed to facilitate wayfinding (orientation, navigation) and object recognition. The design framework was derived from embodied cognition. Methods Five consultants with Severe Visual Impairments (SVIs) formed a participatory design team who worked on the first iteration of the NaFEAS prototype. We used information from the team to develop a questionnaire to elicit scenario-based information from older adults with SVIs. Data were also collected using an online questionnaire that provided a description and broad scenarios indicating how NaFEAS could operate in a party setting and the garment and material design of the NaFEAS vest. Fifty adults ages 55 and over responded. Analysis methods included χ2 analysis of frequency data and content analysis of qualitative data. Results revealed important requirements for the NaFEAS system. Navigation through party environments, especially those containing stairs and balconies, was a critical need. Although relatively homogeneous in responses, χ2 tests revealed that women considered NaFEAS to be more beneficial for introducing others and playing games compared to men. Older adults who attended social events more frequently wanted the system to support remembering names, compared to those who attended parties less frequently. The most important garment features were functionality, overall appearance, and usability. Discussion and conclusion User requirements centered on being able to locate key people, having to rely less on others, and having a wearable computer garment that is attractive and easy-to-use. Further implications involved the importance of designing the NaFEAS as a tool to be used with other mobility aids such as walkers and hearing aids.

This paper assesses the usability of developed haptic interface features to support future development of haptically enhanced science learning applications for students with visual impairments. Of the features developed and evaluated, three features are described in this study: Haptic Boundary, Menu Selection, and Object Recognition. Two focus groups participated in an interview and usability session. Results from this study give insight to the needs of the visually impaired community in regard to haptic applications.

In this paper we describe our experience deriving evaluation metrics for a systems-level framework called Ripple that connects software engineering and usability engineering life cycles. This evaluation was conducted with eight teams of graduate students (falling under four types of development models) competing in a joint software engineering and usability engineering course to create a software solution for a real world client. We describe the challenges of evaluating systems-level frameworks and the approach we used to derive metrics given our evaluation context. We conclude with the outcome of this evaluation and the effectiveness of the metrics we employed.

Objective: We examined the usability of common formats of pictorial toy assembly instructions for 6- and 9-year-old children. Background: Interlocking building toys and models are increasingly prevalent and important for developing spatial abilities and fine motor skills among children. Little is known about how effectively the intended child users can interpret and carry out the instructions. Method: Twenty-four children used five sets of manufacturer-supplied pictorial toy assembly instructions. We evaluated the impact of toy instruction set, age, gender, and previous experience on usability problems, assembly speed and accuracy, instruction gaze time, and subjective ratings. Results: The children had difficulty with all but the simplest instructions and assemblies. As predicted, older participants assembled more quickly, with fewer errors and fewer instruction looks. However, the 6-year-old girls assembled the fewest parts correctly, and the 9-year-old girls reported having the least fun. Instruction look time and frequency revealed differences in instruction complexity and were correlated with subjective ratings of fun. Thirty-two usability problems were observed, and 10 are described in detail. Conclusion: Product age recommendations may not reflect developmentally appropriate instructions. Small design changes should contribute to improved instruction usability among young children. For instance, designers should avoid complex graphic syntax, depict colors accurately, select clear angles of view, and support natural tendencies to assemble top to bottom. Application: This research provides pictorial assembly instruction guidelines to inform instruction designers and describes performance and look-time benchmarks for future usability studies.

During the past two decades, the body of empirical research on warning design and evaluation has grown. Consequently, there are now basic principles and guidelines addressing warning design (e.g., signal words, color, symbols, and text/content), placement (e.g., location within product instructions), and how to enhance the usability of designs by considering factors internal to the user (e.g., beliefs, perceptions of risk, stress). Similarly, evaluation methods have been developed that can be used to measure the effectiveness of warnings such as the degree to which warnings are communicated to recipients and the degree to which they encourage or influence behavioral compliance. An overview of the empirical literature on warning guidelines and evaluation approaches is provided. Researchers, practitioners, and manufacturers can use these guidelines in various contexts to reduce the likelihood that injury and product damage from exposure to a hazard will occur.