The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development

26.7. When Is Human Factors Considered in the Product Life Cycle?

NOTE

HFE elements are tailored to the project based on requirements, schedule, and budget.

Human factors should be considered at every stage of the product life cycle. That does not mean that at every phase of the program a comprehensive HFE effort is required. As with the entire program approach, HFE elements are tailored to the specific project, based on requirements, schedule, and budget. Table 26.1 lists typical HFE activities conducted during the stages of the product development cycle. Table 26.2 lists typical HFE document deliverables expected during product development.

Table 26.1. TYPICAL HFE ACTIVITIES IN THE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT CYCLE.

Discovery Process and Product Strategy	Product Requirements	Design and Development	Verification and Validation	Manufacturing	Quality Assurance and Regulatory	Product Launch and Support
Elicit information from product user community: Research user needs, capabilities, and context of use. Use focus groups, interviews, and questionnaires Use HFE audit/ benchmark competition Use quality function deployment (QFD)	Apply knowledge of human abilities to define product performance: Assess and prioritize user needs. Define ergonomic requirments. Reference HF guidance and standards. Perform preliminary task analysis	HFE design input and user input/ evaluations: Perform functional allocation. Perform task analysis and workload assessment. Apply ergonomic principles and data to maximize product ...