Design Consideration Tests: Mid-Project Verification and Validation

Abstract

This paper describes the benefits of Design Consideration Tests (DCTs), interim tests conducted during the system development process in order to facilitate appropriate and accurate design decisions which may not have been possible at the outset of the project. The Aircraft Maintenance Intuitive Troubleshooting (AMIT) project serves as an example. AMIT is a United States Air Force funded project with the goal of developing a job aid for the flightline maintenance technician. The project will culminate in a 12-week Field Test at Luke AFB, AZ. While user feedback was collected throughout the development cycle, the AMIT design team reached a point where empirical user performance data was necessary to make several design decisions. A series of design consideration tests (DCTs) were conduced to address issues associated with prompting, collaboration techniques, information input, information retrieval, and electronic logbook format. Though not scheduled as part of the original design process, the DCTs provided definitive design guidance at a cost-effective level.