BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:Linklings LLC
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:19700308T020000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:19701101T020000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260323T181724Z
LOCATION:Morgan
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260323T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260323T105200
UID:HFESHCS_2026 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics i
 n Health Care_sess124_LEC197@linklings.com
SUMMARY:Make it or MacGyver It: A Practical Approach to Early-Stage Use En
 vironment Simulation
DESCRIPTION:Aarti Swaminathan (ClariMed, Inc) and Jack Castor (ClariMed, I
 nc; San José State University)\n\nFor 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 design
 ed for familiar settings and standard workflows in clinics, labs, or homes
 , where factors such as noise, lighting, temperature, furniture and even c
 lothing remain constant. Not surprisingly, usability testing in these envi
 ronments often mirrors this stability. But real-world use can look very di
 fferent. Products may be called into action to treat a skier on a snowy sl
 ope, stabilize a wounded soldier in the chaos of a battlefield, respond to
  an emergency in an unfamiliar public space or even test a highly biohazar
 dous sample in a high-stress environment. Research has shown that even fac
 tors like cold hands [1] and stress [2] [3] can drastically affect how wel
 l people perform tasks. Devices used in these high-stakes, unpredictable s
 cenarios demand just as much (if not more) attention to their usability co
 nditions.\n\nThe challenge, of course, is that building these realistic te
 st environments often comes with the realities of tight budgets, limited r
 esources, 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. Approach
 ing this issue by ‘MacGyver’-ing unusual environmental characteristics – e
 ven when not 100% realistic – can still help the setting feel more realist
 ic to participants and so uncover more insightful feedback. \n\nIn this pr
 esentation, we will explore this via a series of case studies from real pr
 ojects: \n-	Staging a hot outdoor field environment with stifling coverall
 s, over-bright lights and a dusty floor\n-	Creating a wintry environment i
 ndoors using tents, strip curtains, air-conditioners and duct-tape\n-	Usin
 g Halloween blood to lend realism to the mess and biohazard of infectious 
 disease testing\n-	Simulating a quick-moving drive-through testing setup u
 sing parking lots, queues and Photoshop-ed signs\n\nThrough the lens of ea
 ch case study, we will explore different examples of pseudo-simulating env
 ironmental factors, discussing the intended use and specific environmental
  factors we sought to include, blueprinting the execution and looking at c
 hallenges, caveats and lessons learned. \n\nOur aim is two-fold: to presen
 t specific examples of how certain environmental factors can be ‘jerry-rig
 ged’, and provide a practical argument for how, when constrained by budget
  or time, even pseudo-realism can help enhance environmental simulation.\n
 \nReferences: \n[1]  W. Brodin, M. Friberg, C. Jonson and E. Prytz, "The e
 ffect of cold hands on immediate responder's tourniquet application abilit
 y: A within-group trial," Human Factors in Healthcare, 2023.  \n[2]  B. De
  Carolis, "Analyzing Stress Responses Related to Usability of User Interfa
 ces," CHItaly '23: Proceedings of the 15th Biannual Conference of the Ital
 ian SIGCHI Chapter, 2023.  \n[3]  W. F. Fox, "Human Performance in the Col
 d," Human Factors, 1967.\n\nTrack: Simulation and Education\n\nSession Cha
 irs: Robert Turner (Usability Works, Carilion Clinic) and Liam D. Brennan 
 (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Limb & Branch Businesses LLC)\n\n
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR