Ch. 21, Usability questions with
correct answers
usability - correct answer ✔✔1.Increased user productivity and efficiency 2.Decreased user
errors and increased safety 3.Improved cognitive support
human factors - correct answer ✔✔is "the scientific discipline concerned with the
understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the
profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize
human well-being and overall system performance."
In healthcare, human factors might concern the design of a new operating room to better
support teamwork and patient flow.
ergonomics - correct answer ✔✔used interchangeably with human factors by the HFES in
Europe but in the U.S. and other countries its focus is on human performance with physical
characteristics of tools, systems, and machines
i.e. power drill fitting in hand
Human-computer interaction (HCI) - correct answer ✔✔is the study of how people design,
implement, and evaluate interactive computer systems in the context of users' tasks and work
usability - correct answer ✔✔is often used interchangeably with HCI when the product is a
computer but usability also concerns products beyond computers. Usability is also more
focused on interactions within a specific context or environment for a specific product.
, Formally, the ISO defines usability as the extent to which a product can be used by specific
users in a specific context to achieve specific goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and
satisfaction.
allows users to achieve goals
joint cognitive systems - correct answer ✔✔imply that information is shared or distributed
among humans and technology. This framework is useful for examining teamwork in healthcare
where team members work together on patient care
Health Human-Computer Interaction (HHCI) Framework - correct answer ✔✔Humans or
products can initiate interactions. The information is processed through either the product or
the humans according to characteristics. The recipient then reacts to the information; for
example, a healthcare provider could read and respond to email from a patient or a product
might process interactions after the "enter" key is pressed. Iterative cycles continue as humans
behave and products act according to defined characteristics. Goals and planning are implicit
within the tasks displayed in the framework.
discount usability methods - correct answer ✔✔reduce the number of required users in
usability projects and to use early design prototypes.
These methods offer economies of time, effort, and cost and can be completed at any point in
the systems life cycle.
Two common techniques are heuristic evaluation and think-aloud protocol.
Heuristic evaluations - correct answer ✔✔compare products against accepted usability
guidelines to reveal major and minor usability issues.
think-aloud protocol - correct answer ✔✔also involves a small number of users and has them
talk aloud while they interact with a product. Users voice what they are trying to do, indicate