Human Factors for Life Services to ensure your products are safe and effective when used by their intended users in the intended use environment.

RED Group International specializes in Human Factors Research, Evaluation, and Design. Our team includes specialists who are experienced in conducting usability research projects throughout the entire design process.

Though every effort is made to design a product to be easy to use, sometimes people behave in ways that you’d never expect. Our researchers will put your product through its paces as we examine how people actually interact with your product to ascertain what can be done to make its correct use clearer. This ranges from focus groups, early in a product life cycle, to usability studies on products (from concept through final design), which are conducted using controlled, scientific experiments.

Contact us, our staff will help guide in developing a research project to evaluate product designs and validate the final product while gathering hard data on how users will interact with your product.

 

Research

We conduct research utilizing a variety of paradigms to answer a myriad of questions. Our research team is comprised of experts that know how to design research projects suited to helping you insure a successful product. Below is a sampling of the research approaches that we can take to help you deliver the best product possible.

  • Expert/Heuristic Review
    • An evaluation method designed to identify usability problems early in the development life-cycle. Expert/Heuristic reviews are performed by a minimum of three usability experts who analyze the product to identify any potential usability issues using various documented methods.
  • Naturalistic Observation
    • Naturalistic observation is observation of either your product, or competing products in their actual use environment. This data is then analyzed to determine use difficulties and/or ways to improve product designs.
  • Structured Focus Groups
    • An early life-cycle method for gathering qualitative data concerning participants’ thoughts, insights, attitudes, beliefs, and needs relating to a product idea, or product upgrade/improvement.
  • Usability Preference Testing
    • Preference testing is much more than the simple question, “What do you prefer? It is a scientific approach to ultimately determine the best design choices for your product. Preference testing is often used throughout the life-cycle, and product preference data assists with product simplification, and product optimization.
  • Human Factors Product Assessment
    • An evaluation of a product’s functional design, interface, and systems as they relate to their intended users.

Evaluation

Our evaluation process objectively analyzes your product for unanticipated user errors that go beyond quality assurance and marketing. Using controlled, scientific method, RED Group collects both quantitative and qualitative data as required for regulatory bodies to ensure your product is safe and effective, when used by its intended user(s), in its intended use environment.

  • Formative Evaluation
    • Formative studies are evaluative in nature. It is a method that should be used iteratively throughout the development life-cycle to evaluate design decisions.
  • Instructions for Use Evaluation Testing
    • The Instructions for Use (IFU) evaluation testing is a formative study that focuses specifically on the ability of the IFU to communicate safe use of the device to the intended user.
  • Training Evaluation Testing
    • A training validation evaluation study is another type of formative study focusing on the training protocol, training materials and training methodology.
  • Summative Validation
    • A summative study is the final validation to determine that a device system (the device, IFU, and training) is Safe and Effective, when used by its intended user, in its intended use environment.

Design

Incorporating Human Factors Best Practice early in your design process ensures your final product is safe and effective, when used by its intended user(s), in the intended use environment. RED Group can assist you with incorporating Human Factors Best Practice into your product development life-cycle, and with the development of IFUs, User Interfaces, and Design Portfolios resulting ii products that better address the needs, expectations and behaviors of your users.

  • Human Factors Engineering Design Portfolio
    • We can assist you with the Human Factors requirements of your Engineering Design Portfolio.
  • Product Definition Document
    • In short, a product definition document defines the overall strategy for a product.  It provides guidance on the target markets, customers, and users.  It will also provide insight relating to its competitive strengths, differentiators, and a marketing strategy.  The product definition document will ultimately provide the rationalization, prioritization, and timeline for product completion.
  • Usability Requirements Specifications
    • This is a set of requirements for the product or system.  The URS keeps project stakeholders and developers focused on the goals of the design.  It will include data, environmental, functional, usability, user, and user experience requirements.
  • Use-case Scenarios
    • Creation of comprehensive real-world use scenarios used to determine a device or system’s specifications, requirements, risks and evaluation.
  • Task Analysis
    • A detailed description of the tasks associated with the use of a product or system.
  • Risk Analysis
    • We will assist with product task risk assessment (identification, evaluation, probability, and severity), and potential risk mitigation.
  • Information for Use (IFU)
    • Complete IFU content (text), layout, and design.
  • Training Protocol
    • Complete Training Protocol and materials.
  • User Interface and User Interaction Design
    • How the user interacts with your design and the behavior of the system including presence, positive feedback, understandable error messages, appropriate alarms, etc.