Case study 

Users and design review – What mock-ups offer

Long A. Hughes G.
Ergonomics Australia – HFESA 2011 Conference Edition, 2011 11:44.

Abstract

Background: Numerous standards advocate user participation in the process of designing work systems. An iterative design process between designers and users is suggested as important to develop a successful human-machine system. The various methods that have been suggested for user input include: task analysis and review; drawing review (including CAD); mock-ups; prototypes; first of class (FoC) validation; and user trials. Mock-ups are typically a full-scale 3D representation of the design. They can range from a small isolated part of a design to a representation of the whole. They can have varying levels of fidelity: ranging from cardboard cut outs through to full representations of operators’ areas including workstations coated and finished to provide the same look and feel as the final product. Mock-ups can increase in fidelity as the design process progresses. Aim: This paper explores the role of mock-ups as an interactive design mechanism. Method: Examples will be provided from rolling stock projects involving operator cabs and interfaces demonstrating how mock-ups have been successful in the design development stages for new and retrofit projects both large and small. Different methods to gather user input and challenges encountered by design teams will be discussed. Results: Mock-ups were found to provide effective user input when used at an early enough stage of the design process to allow design improvement. They appeared to overcome limitations of only using drawings, 3D CAD and task analysis which users found difficult to interpret. Prototypes and FoC would have been too late in the process to allow any more than minor design modifications. The opportunities found to be offered by mock-ups were: integrated view of the design, focus on outcome – task and try-outs; concurrent testing of options; real users seeing and feeling the design; procedural development/review; and, focus on particular questions. Mock-ups provided a focus for review for the whole design team. They provided an opportunity for designers/engineers to understand more about the user’s role. Additionally, because mock-ups are tangible and easily understood, they appeared to result in users buying into the design project much more, so it becomes ‘ours’ rather than ‘theirs’. Conclusions: Mock-ups were an effective mechanism for gaining user input into the design process if utilised early enough in the design process.

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