The Relationship between Human Factors and the Development of New Products - Case Study Example

Human Factors Name Course Lecturer Date According to Mandryk, Inkpen & Calvert (2006), human factors apply in various areas and deliver multiple benefits in its application. Precisely, it has been vital in developing of products which maximizes usability and help in improving efficiency and worker safety. In its application, creativity is expressed through exploration of ways people interact with environment and products. This promotes designing products in a manner that is easy for human usage. In addition, it is possible to assess the stylistic changes for improving product performance and usefulness. Human factors have been taken majorly in human-computer interaction since the development of computerized devices. Consideration s has been taken in product design and improvement through research on how the end user interacts and perceives particular products. Designers have included feedback, through evaluation which has recently been possible through involvement of customers in developing products. In this discussion, user experience will be looked at in details from research conduct and wide literature about customers’ responses in use of different technological devices that have been possible through an ensuing technology. The findings will provide recommendation and specifically in the areas of psychology. As Mandryk, Inkpen & Calvert (2006) points out; user experience involves the people emotions and perceptions about using particular service, product or a system. It exhibit the experiential, valuable, meaningful and affective aspects related to human computer interaction and the sense of ownership of products. The person perceptions about the practical aspects of product utility, ease, efficiency and usage is pertinent to use experience. It is subjective in nature and therefore, it pertains to individual perception in respect to a certain system, product or a service. However, despite the subjective nature of user experience, the product or service developers strive for commonality in experience which can be seen with particular products. Since user experience is dynamic in nature, constant modification has been applied in designing of various system and products to comply with the changing circumstances while delivering the new innovations. Under user’s experience, academics and practices have looked at ways to broaden their understanding about pleasurable experiences and particularly with technology. This has been a common trend as the technology is advancing and demand for technological devices grows. A specific study carried to understand the fulfillment of the universal psychological needs was based on pertinent issues of fulfillment such as competence, popularity, meaning, stimulation, relatedness, autonomy and security. Every aspects named here were taken to constitute a major source of a positive experience while using an interactive technologies. The seven aspects indicated strongly some psychological needs that technology responds to and this shapes the reasons for use of products. In its exploration, the study collected over 500 positive experiences related to interactive technologies. The major devices that gained a lot of responses were mobile phones and computers. The study showed a clear relationship between the fulfillment of need and positive effect with competence, popularity, meaning, stimulation, relatedness, autonomy and security. The experience was further categorized by their fulfillment of primary needs and the emotions involved. In the analysis, the experience is taken to be taken into account of by designers through various developments. The users also revealed determination to continue with adoption of evolving technology as long as it served the primary and secondary needs as well (Hassenzahl, Diefenbach & Göritz, 2010). As Hassenzahl, Diefenbach & Göritz (2010) further argues, respondents were consciously aware of various needs that are served through the use of the devices and in responses multiple of them were identified. The technological devices come in various languages and can be set accordingly to be used by multicultural customers. The languages choices suit specific use at various instances while the user can shift from one language to another depending on the need. Graphic designs include the shapes, color, spacial, symbolism, texture, dimension and other facets that are visual rendering. The efficiency in choosing and incorporating various graphics give the user satisfaction and new experiences while using the devices. In most cases, sound was considered as factor for great experience through music, voice over and audio. This is one of the most interesting parts of technological devices that promote positive users experience. Motion pictures and animation were considered as core by various users. The changes, motions, rhythm, time and animation were used for entertainment, advertising and training by various users. Most computers and mobile phones were considered on the basis of information design (Nakhimovsky, Eckles & Riegelsberger, 2009). This covered a comprehensive extent from textual styles, composition and graphics that promote informational structure, user comprehension, meaning and relationship. The interface design represented the informational and graphic design emphasis. The elements were utilized for control and data manipulation which is considered with many users. Interaction design which is significant in considering fulfillment of psychological needs involved the system and task flow, human comprehensibility and behavior through the control provided by user interface (Mandryk, Inkpen & Calvert 2006). Modern life is constructed over human condition and desire for a deeply technology mediated work environments. Potentiality of human experience can thus be facilitated or hindered depending on the features that come with particular products and services. Creative capabilities were indicated as important and responded to product production and consumption. Most technological products showed and reflected user experience design through integrating the various elements which comprises the interactive elements in the system for the user. The technological devices ensured that the user’s goals, needs, limitations, expectations and desires are served. This has been incorporated as a whole than the use of sum of the parts. Specifically, specific devices like computers and smartphones are taken as the recent products which apply great convergence of technologies to deliver a holistic user experience. The separate and different devices for various purposes are brought together. As an example, mobile phones were referred as the most useful devices with many uses as it combines a holistic experience through music, video, gallery, Internet access as well as its primary use; calling and receiving voice and short-messages (Nakhimovsky, Eckles & Riegelsberger, 2009). In addition, the organizational objectives are also served when the user is served with such experiences. This is reflected in the sales trends that the companies target while they incorporate something that responds to user’s experience. The research that involved the user experience identified the required need for cumulative knowledge through research in order to address the overall quality of products. The goodness of the interactive products is based on user’s experience. Aesthetic experience is determined by various factors that come up with a product including design, organization of information and product experiences. Hedonic evaluations and perceptions were dependent variables that were directly related to mental efforts, navigation behavior and performance (Mulder, Ter Hofte & Kort, 2005). Hedonic attributes such as identification and stimulation were features that promoted the goodness and usability of products. Apart from the performance which is the primary emphasis on every device, the popularity with multiple features is taken as precise requirements for every technological device with the high user experience fulfillment response. User experience has been taken and particularly when new services and products developments take into considerations the last developed ones. This has eliminated the distortion in usage and wastage of the new products in case they do not fulfill the desired user experience needs. For one, user indicated compatibility as very common with most of the technological devices where by building on the latter technological advances, users find it easy to continuously adopt the new technologies. They can use the new versions together with the old ones as their features complement each other (Bargas-Avila & Hornbæk, 2011). The role of user experience manager is therefore very important in leading a productive organizational team and influencing the business to adopt designs that are user-centered to deliver valuable products to customers. This means that, the manager and the developing team have to gather information and source it through the web and customer networks so that the knowledge can be integrated together in the work to deliver specific features with advance usage. The unique challenges that the end-user may face is taken into consideration by ensuring that the user experience ids not compromised in product development. Bargas-Avila & Hornbæk (2011) points out that, the user experience as a factor has brought about various challenges and is mainly core determinant of competitive position of various organizations. As this unfolds in the design, the future scenarios characterized by wide and pervasive contexts of communications require technological devices that are responsive to such needs. Secondary needs such as entertainment and attention to social character and usage has wide implications into the companies’ trends. As Wagner, Pintaric, Ledermann & Schmalstieg (2005) argues, in particular, the focus on handheld advanced devices has continuously challenged the companies involved in catering for diverse context of user experience. The biggest challenge that has been experienced today is in designing speed of mobile devices. Each revision of device operating system has to include new features for new ways of interacting and deliver the design guidelines that are unique to the end-users. The constant evolving changes in an overall market place will continue to shift over time. Maintaining exciting applications requires the company developers to stay on top by applying technical changes through research of the market places. Cross-platform designs for different devices strive for consistency especially for companies with a legacy for exiting software. Research and development has thus been taken as core part of the companies’ advances to derive value in their consistent products development. According to Robertson, et al. (2005), the development has to combine the aspect of valuable, desirability, usefulness, credibility and accessibility. The desire for balanced approach to strategy, methodology, practice, philosophy and management issues is important to drive usability. Companies that have been competitive and will continue to be are those encompass the aspects of end-user’s interactions with their products and services. Meeting the exact needs of the customer is the greatest issue that companies are currently concerned about. This comes with simplicity and elegance in producing products that customer finds it joyful to own and use. In precise terms, the user experience goes beyond providing customers with just what they want or checklist features. The companies which achieves the highest outcomes of user experience finds it necessary to seamlessly merge the services in multiple disciplines such as engineering, industrial, graphical, interface and marketing designs into their products. The psychological aspect of the product has therefore to be considered to reduce the disjuncture that arises after a product has gone through various levels of design. According to Hassenzahl & Tractinsky (2006), technology trends have taken human experience as core in product development. Technology has been taken as fashionable for quite some time. Most people have taken decorations on their devices using stickers and other amazing photographs. The graphics and desktop wall papers are promoted through the technological capabilities that strive to attain the status of fashions icons. Smartphone’s and tablets are some of technological tools that have become fashionable. With incorporation of thousands of artistic designs, they promote personal expression. Most people have continuously valued innovative products to express their sense of aesthetic. Companies have customized technology for their customers. Currently, much of fashions have been demonstrated through the release of wide variety technologies with aspects of differentiation. The social aspect of technology has continuously emerged in many ways. New devices and connectivity has provided great features like music applications, access to libraries and the social aspect ensure that people are able to leverage the social experience in discussing, sharing, discovering music and other features in a compelling way. Social gaming have allowed people to play online games through involvement of friends and connecting people across vast distances in competitive fun activities. These are new technologies that are considered to establish the new ways in connecting people. The recreational activities repackaged though electronic delivery are experiences that are highly re-oriented the market for the technological devices. User experience has taken care of what the end user do and would want to do with existing technology (Robertson, et al. 2005). Technology that is fitting in consumers lives has excelled and companies are extensively creating it. Understanding user has therefore been the most challenging factor and trends that emerge in user behavior determine technological development and directions (Mulder, Ter Hofte & Kort, 2005). This endears a company that is forefront with innovation which is build on understanding people’s past, present and future patterns in behaviors. This promotes recognition of the current needs and anticipation of future needs. Battarbee & Koskinen (2005) argues that, through continuous process of identifying various needs, the trends for fashionable products bring together technology that operates across devices. There are therefore wide-range of human experiences that modern technology is making possible and this is considered as significant user experience. Advances therefore look at and respond to limitations, isolations, boredom, directionless and ignorance that challenge users to give advanced and responsive technological products. Personality differences are also taken into account in the design as they determine the diffusion of the products in the market. This is perhaps the reason most products have an alternative technology and different shapes, facets and dimension of use. The height of excellence in any product and service is how it interacts with its existing and virtual customers as this gives the company the direction to re-orient the end users to adoption and embrace. Conclusion Human factors have dominated in consideration in the product, system, service development. This has particularly been used to effectively shape the trend of companies’ products and benefits. The benefits are ensured from initial product development where research and testing help to uncover problems of a product as early as possible and in the development lifecycle. It has been much easier in making changes in design before the sale begins. The companies are currently spending more time in research to shorten design and the costly implementation phases for the overall development. It has been possible to select specific problem and solve accordingly. User experience has benefitted the product maintenance and support. Well designed products are met with less customer calls for support as they approach effectively the user’s conceptual model in tasks, user customization and accessibility. User experience keeps users’ goals in mind during deign and thus complete tasks faster, with ease and joyfully. This promotes customers loyalty, workers productivity and reduce dissatisfaction. User experience integration in product design is therefore a competing tool for the sale of any technological products. Recommendations Great user experience promotes benefits that are unlimited for the organization developing a technological device such as computers and mobile phones devices and the end users. This saves the cost, time and support services that comes with a product. It is highly recommended that research should precede any design to incorporate the human factor aspects in products. All stakeholders should own the research and offer a pragmatic advice to enable user experience (Mandryk, Inkpen & Calvert, 2006). Institutions should promote participatory experience by encouraging, support and scaffolding engagement to pursue user’s experience design. Co-creation can therefore be enabled through leadership and change in organization through the use of skills and approaches that encourage customers to be part of the design (Battarbee & Koskinen, 2005). There is need for an ongoing education which helps planners and designers to understand and promotes products for building communities, provides freedom and joy to individual humans. Technological companies can learn from the experience of popular companies and develop models in research and practice to adjust to the recent developments. This would eliminate the risks caused by derivations and mistakes that might affect a user experience by undermined quality. References Bargas-Avila, J. A., & Hornbæk, K. (2011, May). Old wine in new bottles or novel challenges: a critical analysis of empirical studies of user experience. In Proceedings of the 2011 annual conference on Human factors in computing systems (pp. 2689-2698). ACM. Battarbee, K., & Koskinen, I. (2005). Co-experience: user experience as interaction. CoDesign, 1(1), 5-18. Hassenzahl, M., & Tractinsky, N. (2006). User experience-a research agenda. Behaviour & Information Technology, 25(2), 91-97. Hassenzahl, M., Diefenbach, S., & Göritz, A. (2010). Needs, affect, and interactive products–Facets of user experience. Interacting with Computers, 22(5), 353-362. Mandryk, R. L., Inkpen, K. M., & Calvert, T. W. (2006). Using psychophysiological techniques to measure user experience with entertainment technologies. Behaviour & Information Technology, 25(2), 141-158. Mandryk, R. L., Inkpen, K. M., & Calvert, T. W. (2006). Using psychophysiological techniques to measure user experience with entertainment technologies. Behaviour & Information Technology, 25(2), 141-158. Mulder, I., Ter Hofte, G. H., & Kort, J. (2005, August). SocioXensor: Measuring user behaviour and user eXperience in conteXt with mobile devices. In Proceedings of Measuring Behavior (pp. 355-358). Nakhimovsky, Y., Eckles, D., & Riegelsberger, J. (2009, April). Mobile user experience research: challenges, methods & tools. In CHI'09 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 4795-4798). ACM. Robertson, G.et al. (2005). The large-display user experience. Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE, 25(4), 44-51. Wagner, D., Pintaric, T., Ledermann, F., & Schmalstieg, D. (2005). Towards massively multi-user augmented reality on handheld devices. In Pervasive Computing (pp. 208-219). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Read More