Useware

Useware is a collective term that was introduced in 1998 and describes all hardware and software components of a technical system that are used.

The term Useware is associated with a focus in technology design on human capabilities and needs. Understanding the user with his abilities and limits and aligning the technology with them is the only promising method in the design of future technical products and systems. The increasing effort in the development of user interfaces based on scientific methods has led to a development share that is as large as in the traditional fields of software engineering . Useware was therefore deliberately chosen in analogy to hardware and software, since in the past only the hardware and software determined the development costs. Usability is therefore increasingly recognized as a value-adding factor, since with constant adjustment of the functionalities of similar machines, the operation is often the only unique selling point.

Figure 1: The origins of the engineering disciplines

Useware engineering

Useware engineering , analogous to software engineering, is the standardized engineering production of useware and the associated processes (see Figure 1). Useware engineering aims to develop interfaces that are easy to learn and that can be used efficiently , which are adapted to human work tasks and use machine functionality, but do not focus on developments. This objective of systematic useware engineering thus ensures a high level of usability based on the actual user tasks, but requires procedures that involve active and iterative participation by various groups of people. That is why the relevant specialist societies GfA - Ges. Für Arbeitswwissenschaft, GI - Ges. Für Informatik , VDE-ITG - Informationstechnische Gesellschaft im VDE and VDI / VDE-GMA - Ges. Für Mess- und Automationstechnik im VDI / VDE 1998 agreed, Useware to be defined as a new collective term for all hardware and software components of a technical system that are used. As a result, the analog development in the area of engineering processes with the result of useware engineering emerged (see Figure 2).

This reinforces the central requirement already expressed by Ben Shneiderman for the structured development of human-friendly operating systems and, after years of function- oriented development, a focus on human capabilities and needs is initiated. Understanding the user with his abilities and limits and expressing the technology in it is the only promising method for designing future technical products and systems.

The Useware development process is divided into the following phases: analysis , structure design, design, implementation and evaluation . Each of these phases must not be viewed in isolation, but must overlap. The consistency of the process and the use of suitable tools, e.g. B. on the basis of the Extensible Markup Language (XML), enable the avoidance of information loss and media breaks .

Figure 2: Schematic representation of the useware development process

analysis

Since people learn, think and solve problems in very different ways, the analysis of the future users, their tasks and the working environment must always precede the development process. In the analysis phase, the foundations for a user and task-oriented operating system are laid; both the human interaction partner and the machine interaction partner are considered. The investigation of users and user behavior is carried out using different methods such as B. structured interview techniques, structure laying etc. and should give a complete picture of the work tasks, user groups and work environments. In order to implement the methods, various specialist skills such as engineers or psychologists must be involved. In this phase, the task model is created , which implicitly also contains a functional model of the process or the machine.

Structure design

The results obtained in the analysis phase are harmonized in the structural design. On the basis of this information, an abstract usage model is developed that is largely hardware-independent. It forms the basis for comprehensive concepts and ensures that the results can be used for future generations. The usage model is a formal assignment of usage contexts, tasks and information requirements to the functions of a machine and is modeled using the language useML (Useware Markup Language) as part of a model-based development environment.

layout

In parallel to the structural design, a hardware platform for the machine useware must be selected. This selection is based on the one hand on the environmental requirements of the machine use (pollution, noise, vibration, ...) and on the other hand on requirements from the user's point of view (screen size, optimal interaction device). In addition, cost factors or sales arguments are important. The knowledge gained in the analysis phase and the complexity of the usage model can be used for the user preferences. If the model is strongly networked and consists of a large number of elements, care should be taken to use as much screen space as possible to visualize information contexts. These factors are partly dependent on the user group and context of use.

Realization / prototyping

As part of prototyping, a development tool must first be selected with which the useware can be implemented on the selected and evaluated hardware platform. Provided that the selected development environment is able to do this, the developed usage model can be imported and the derived interaction system can be further processed. The further processing concerns above all the realization of the dynamic components of the Useware as well as the dialog fine-tuning. Since today's field of development tools is very broad and certain hardware systems also require proprietary tools, it can be assumed that in most cases there is a media break between structure and detail design. The developers have to map the useware evaluated by the user and available in the form of prototypes with the respective development tool and then carry out the fine-tuning of the dialog.

Evaluation

An evaluation accompanying the development enables the early identification of problems in the product and thus saves costs in their elimination. Above all, it is important not only to evaluate design aspects, but also to include structural aspects in the considerations. An investigation has shown that 60% of all operating errors can be traced back to inadequate structuring and not to poor design. The evaluation phase is to be considered as a cross-sectional task in the entire course of the project and is therefore an expression of a high level of user integration in product development. Successful integration of the evaluation into the product development process is only possible with an interdisciplinary project team. After the strong user involvement in the analysis phase, a strong feedback with users of the future control systems is also aimed for in the further course of the control system development. During the structural design and the design phase, structural and functional models must be made available again and again, which users and developers can use to monitor the progress of the development.

Individual evidence

↑ Zühlke, D. (2007): Useware . In: K. Landau (Hrsg.): Lexikon Arbeitsgestaltung. Best practice in the work process. Stuttgart: Gentner Verlag; ergonomia publishing house
↑ Zühlke, D. (2004): Useware engineering for technical systems . Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer-Verlag
↑ Zühlke, D. (2002): Useware - Challenge of the Future . Automation Technology Practice (atp), 9/2002, pp. 73–78
^ Shneiderman, B. (1998): Designing the user interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer-Interaction . Massachusetts / USA: Addison-Wesley
↑ Meixner, G .; Görlich, D. (2008): Task modeling as a core element of a user-centered development process for user interfaces . Workshop "Behavioral Modeling: Best Practices and New Insights", Symposium Modeling, Berlin, Germany, March 2008
↑ Reuther, A. (2003): useML - Systematic development of machine control systems with XML . Progress reports pak, Volume 8. Kaiserslautern: Technical University of Kaiserslautern

Web links

Further information in the Useware forum as of May 14, 2008