A Handbook of Human Performance

Abstract

A ten-step approach for developing a comprehensive but concise, design-oriented handbook of human performance is proposed, with emphasis on the first two steps. The ten steps are:

• 1.

Identify and define classes and subclasses of human performance.

2.

Develop a concise format for abstracting information for each lowest level subclass.

3.

Establish the need for a handbook.

4.

Prepare an abstract for each literature source covering a lowest level subclass.

5.

Develop a concise format, including design recommendations, for summarizing each lowest level subclass.

6.

Prepare a summary, including design recommendations, for each lowest level subclass.

7.

Collate summaries and abstracts.

8.

Prepare table of contents and index.

9.

Publish handbook.

10.

Distribute handbook.

For Step 1, a functional rather than traditional approach is presented. Classes of human performance are identified and defined in terms of basic functions suitable for all applications. Five major functions are identified, subdivided and defined. The five major functions are:

• R.

Receiving information: Receiving all information, except receiving communicated information, which is a subclass of communicating, the second major function. Receiving information includes perception of all natural-environmental and artificially-displayed information (other than perception of directly - or indirectly - communicated information), and input loading and interacting, which also are considerations in communicating.

C.

Communicating: All exchanging of information between humans by a system or systems of symbols, signs and/or behavior. Communicating consists of emitting and receiving communicated information: oral or non-oral, direct or indirect, unaided or aided, and voluntary or involuntary.

P.

Processing information: Operating on and treating received information; basic handling of perceived information. Processing information includes storing and retrieving information (recognizing, recalling, reproducing), acquiring and using concepts (acquiring, symbolizing, defining), altering information (calculating and computing, logical and mathematical transforming, encoding and decoding), reasoning (intuiting, inductive and deductive explicit reasoning), imagining (anticipatory, creative, fanciful).

M.

Managing personal performance: Guiding and directing one's own performance. The “executive” function, which is concerned with carrying into effect and integrating the four other major functions. Managing personal performance includes valuing, making decisions, and initiating and sustaining personal performance.

A.

Acting: Carrying into effect; changing system physical states. The fifth major function covers producing physical effects. The means is exerting force within oneself and/or on other objects; the direct or indirect result or output is work. Acting includes direct acting (e.g., manually lifting an object) and indirect acting (e.g., operating the controls of an overhead crane lifting an object).