Human Factors Approaches for Complex Systems: Assessment Task

You are required to identify and contextualise a problem space and use appropriate Human Factors approaches to solve this problem for an organisation that has a complex systems problem or a case study of your choice. This coursework is made up of a final project report and the details are below. A one-page proposal justifying your selected problem or case study can be submitted to the unit leader during one of the dedicated assignment support sessions to receive feedback.

application, review and appraisal of Human Factors approaches You are required to apply at least three but no more than four Human Factors approaches. Soft Systems, Usability Evaluations, Human Factors Integration, User Centred Design, Situational Awareness, Workload Measurement) to an organisation that has a complex systems problem or a case study of your choice.

You need to include at least all of the following four points in your report.

1. Contextualisation of the problem space using a Rich Picture; a rationale for the selection of the case study; and a set of objectives.

2. Application of at least three but no more than four types of Human Factors approaches.

3. Appraisal of appropriate analysis and judgement in application of Human Factors and solving the problem.

4. Evaluation of process and lessons learned.

Relevance of the problem to Human Factors; context Problem space provided to put the project in perspective; project objectives 10

contextualisation and rationale. Investigation of approaches and hence methods Proposed approach. justification of proposed approach. Human Factors solutions.

At least three relevant Human Factors approaches are applied to the organisation problem or case study defined. Some attempt is made to contextualise the problem space, with evidence of some investigation of other approaches. Some attempt may be made to apply the Human Factors approach to the problem space to present some adequate solutions. Basic level of traceability and little evidence of transparency of decisions are provided. The appraisal of the process and lessons learned are briefly addressed. The structure and wording of the report may contain some errors but most of the report can be readily understood. Referencing is sufficient to identify the sources cited in the report.

At least three but no more than four relevant Human Factors approaches are applied to the organisation problem or case study that is comprehensively defined. The benefits of each approach are clearly explained and fully supported by citations. The traceability and transparency of decisions demonstrate an outstanding knowledge and understanding of the problem and solution space. There is evidence of traceability and transparency of the Human Factors decisions and hence the novelty of the solutions. The appraisal of the process and lessons learned are critical and comprehensive. The submission is original work with little use of quotations. It is presented well with some minor errors and is so clear that it is a pleasure to read. Citations and references conform to BU Guidelines.

Submission Format

1. Critically review the benefits of adopting Human Factors approaches in addressing socio-technical problems.

2. Align HCI design processes, standards and guidelines with the systems development processes.

3. Apply user experience (UX) techniques – design and conduct usability and accessibility tests to evaluate interactive systems.

4. Conduct situational awareness and workload measurements in trials, experiments or exercises.

5. Apply soft systems methodology to analyse real world situations.

6. Reflect on industrial case studies to demonstrate the use of Human Factors in addressing technical and organisational complexity.

There will be dedicated seminar sessions to discuss this brief and hence the complex systems problem or case study that you will select. Sample assignment submissions and case study titles from previous years will be provided on Brightspace. If a piece of coursework is not submitted by the required deadline, the following will apply,

1. If coursework is submitted within hours after the deadline, the maximum mark that can be awarded is 50%. If the assessment achieves a pass mark and subject to the overall performance of the unit and the student’s profile for the level, it will be accepted by the Assessment Board as the reassessment piece. The unit will count towards the reassessment allowance for the level; This ruling will apply to written coursework and artefacts only; This ruling will apply to the first attempt only (including any subsequent attempt taken as a first attempt due to exceptional circumstances).

2. If a first attempt coursework is submitted more than hours after the deadline, a mark of zero will be awarded.

3. Failure to submit/complete any other types of coursework (which includes resubmission coursework without exceptional circumstances) by the required deadline will result in a mark of zero being awarded.

If you have any valid exceptional circumstances which mean that you cannot meet an assignment submission deadline and you wish to request an extension, you will need to complete and submit the online Exceptional Circumstances Form together with appropriate supporting evidence (e.g. GP note) normally before the coursework deadline. Further details on the procedure and links to the exceptional circumstances forms can be found on Brightspace or via You must acknowledge your source every time you refer to others' work, using the BU Harvard Referencing system (Author Date Method). Failure to do so amounts to plagiarism which is against University regulations. Please refer to referencing-harvard-style for the University's guide to citation in the Harvard style. Also be aware of Self-plagiarism, this primarily occurs when a student submits a piece of work to fulfill the assessment requirement for a particular unit and all or part of the content has been previously submitted by that student for formal assessment on the same/a different unit. Further information on academic offences can be found on Brightspace and from

You are required to identify and contextualise a problem space and use appropriate Human Factors approaches to solve this problem for an organisation that has a complex systems problem or a case study of your choice. This coursework is made up of a final project report and the details are below. A one-page proposal justifying your selected problem or case study can be submitted to the unit leader during one of the dedicated assignment support sessions to receive feedback.

To Achieve a Pass

Project Report – application, review and appraisal of Human Factors approaches You are required to apply at least three but no more than four Human Factors approaches (e.g. Soft Systems, Usability Evaluations, Human Factors Integration, User Centred Design, Situational Awareness, Workload Measurement) to an organisation that has a complex systems problem or a case study of your choice.

At least three relevant Human Factors approaches are applied to the organisation problem or case study defined. Some attempt is made to contextualise the problem space, with evidence of some investigation of other approaches. Some attempt may be made to apply the Human Factors approach to the problem space to present some adequate solutions. Basic level of traceability and little evidence of transparency of decisions are provided. The appraisal of the process and lessons learned are briefly addressed. The structure and wording of the report may contain some errors but most of the report can be readily understood. Referencing is sufficient to identify the sources cited in the report.

At least three but no more than four relevant Human Factors approaches are applied to the organisation problem or case study that is comprehensively defined. The benefits of each approach are clearly explained and fully supported by citations. The traceability and transparency of decisions demonstrate an outstanding knowledge and understanding of the problem and solution space. There is evidence of traceability and transparency of the Human Factors decisions and hence the novelty of the solutions. The appraisal of the process and lessons learned are critical and comprehensive. The submission is original work with little use of quotations. It is presented well with some minor errors and is so clear that it is a pleasure to read. Citations and references conform to BU Guidelines.

1. Critically review the benefits of adopting Human Factors approaches in addressing socio-technical problems.

2. Align HCI design processes, standards and guidelines with the systems development processes.

3. Apply user experience (UX) techniques – design and conduct usability and accessibility tests to evaluate interactive systems.

4. Conduct situational awareness and workload measurements in trials, experiments or exercises.

5. Apply soft systems methodology to analyse real world situations.

6. Reflect on industrial case studies to demonstrate the use of Human Factors in addressing technical and organisational complexity.

There will be dedicated seminar sessions to discuss this brief and hence the complex systems problem or case study that you will select. Sample assignment submissions and case study titles from previous years will be provided on Brightspace.