Practical Workload Assessment in the Development Process

Abstract

The objective was to structure the concept of workload in a practical way which would permit Human Factors Systems Engineers to apply this concept to various phases of the development process. Workload is a qualitative rather than absolute concept which, like motivation, is inferred to exist by measuring the relative behavioral reactions to certain conditions. Workload may be thought of as an intervening variable between physical, mental, visual, vocal, or auditory antecedent conditions, and whatever performance-based, subjective or physiological measures that may be sensitive enough to reflect changes in the antecedent conditions. The practical approach has been to consider workload as the number of things to do modified by the level of difficulty. This concept has successfully permitted HF Systems Engineers to assess operator workload at progressive levels of system development.