Refining the needs: An exploratory study through usability testing

Paper in proceeding, 2014

Factory competitiveness can be enhanced through the use of cognitive support tools at all levels, especially for shop floor operators. To get the most value from implementing a tool it has to fit the needs of tasks, environment and users. The aim of the study presented here was to examine how a usability test of a high fidelity prototype can add value to the need analysis phase. Results show that when using the prototype as a mediating object it can provide new insights to further refine the need analysis, especially when using an environment of high ecological validity.