Design of a Consumer Computer Terminal for Automated Access to Overnight Delivery Services

Abstract

Consumer product design is seldom approached in a truly systematic framework, especially in applied settings. Although most designers know about systems design techniques, real design projects usually appear to be driven by severe scheduling constraints, cost limitations, strongly held opinions on the part of management and designers, or all of these characteristics. There has also historically been friction between human factors professionals and industrial designers. The result is that most consumer products have not undergone a truly systematic process of design and testing.

This paper describes a case study in which a real product with potentially significant financial impact has been designed and is being tested using a systematic process. More significantly, this product represents a collaboration among company management, human factors professionals, and industrial designers. The overall design and testing process is described. Results from several tests, successively increasing the fidelity of the test items, are presented

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