Presentation
Make it or MacGyver It: A Practical Approach to Early-Stage Use Environment Simulation
DescriptionFor the last decade or so, simulated use testing has been the gold standard for collecting usability data—allowing teams to recreate controlled, realistic environments that balance control, data collection rigor with authenticity. Most medical devices are designed for familiar settings and standard workflows in clinics, labs, or homes, where factors such as noise, lighting, temperature, furniture and even clothing remain constant. Not surprisingly, usability testing in these environments often mirrors this stability. But real-world use can look very different. Products may be called into action to treat a skier on a snowy slope, stabilize a wounded soldier in the chaos of a battlefield, respond to an emergency in an unfamiliar public space or even test a highly biohazardous sample in a high-stress environment. Research has shown that even factors like cold hands [1] and stress [2] [3] can drastically affect how well people perform tasks. Devices used in these high-stakes, unpredictable scenarios demand just as much (if not more) attention to their usability conditions.
The challenge, of course, is that building these realistic test environments often comes with the realities of tight budgets, limited resources, and fast-moving project timelines, especially during early-stage research. Nevertheless, trying to add layers of realism can reveal design challenges that would otherwise stay hidden until it’s too late. Approaching this issue by ‘MacGyver’-ing unusual environmental characteristics – even when not 100% realistic – can still help the setting feel more realistic to participants and so uncover more insightful feedback.
In this presentation, we will explore this via a series of case studies from real projects:
- Staging a hot outdoor field environment with stifling coveralls, over-bright lights and a dusty floor
- Creating a wintry environment indoors using tents, strip curtains, air-conditioners and duct-tape
- Using Halloween blood to lend realism to the mess and biohazard of infectious disease testing
- Simulating a quick-moving drive-through testing setup using parking lots, queues and Photoshop-ed signs
Through the lens of each case study, we will explore different examples of pseudo-simulating environmental factors, discussing the intended use and specific environmental factors we sought to include, blueprinting the execution and looking at challenges, caveats and lessons learned.
Our aim is two-fold: to present specific examples of how certain environmental factors can be ‘jerry-rigged’, and provide a practical argument for how, when constrained by budget or time, even pseudo-realism can help enhance environmental simulation.
References:
[1] W. Brodin, M. Friberg, C. Jonson and E. Prytz, "The effect of cold hands on immediate responder's tourniquet application ability: A within-group trial," Human Factors in Healthcare, 2023.
[2] B. De Carolis, "Analyzing Stress Responses Related to Usability of User Interfaces," CHItaly '23: Proceedings of the 15th Biannual Conference of the Italian SIGCHI Chapter, 2023.
[3] W. F. Fox, "Human Performance in the Cold," Human Factors, 1967.
The challenge, of course, is that building these realistic test environments often comes with the realities of tight budgets, limited resources, and fast-moving project timelines, especially during early-stage research. Nevertheless, trying to add layers of realism can reveal design challenges that would otherwise stay hidden until it’s too late. Approaching this issue by ‘MacGyver’-ing unusual environmental characteristics – even when not 100% realistic – can still help the setting feel more realistic to participants and so uncover more insightful feedback.
In this presentation, we will explore this via a series of case studies from real projects:
- Staging a hot outdoor field environment with stifling coveralls, over-bright lights and a dusty floor
- Creating a wintry environment indoors using tents, strip curtains, air-conditioners and duct-tape
- Using Halloween blood to lend realism to the mess and biohazard of infectious disease testing
- Simulating a quick-moving drive-through testing setup using parking lots, queues and Photoshop-ed signs
Through the lens of each case study, we will explore different examples of pseudo-simulating environmental factors, discussing the intended use and specific environmental factors we sought to include, blueprinting the execution and looking at challenges, caveats and lessons learned.
Our aim is two-fold: to present specific examples of how certain environmental factors can be ‘jerry-rigged’, and provide a practical argument for how, when constrained by budget or time, even pseudo-realism can help enhance environmental simulation.
References:
[1] W. Brodin, M. Friberg, C. Jonson and E. Prytz, "The effect of cold hands on immediate responder's tourniquet application ability: A within-group trial," Human Factors in Healthcare, 2023.
[2] B. De Carolis, "Analyzing Stress Responses Related to Usability of User Interfaces," CHItaly '23: Proceedings of the 15th Biannual Conference of the Italian SIGCHI Chapter, 2023.
[3] W. F. Fox, "Human Performance in the Cold," Human Factors, 1967.
Event Type
Oral Presentations
TimeMonday, March 2310:30am - 10:52am EDT
LocationMorgan
Simulation and Education