Usability and Accessibility in BME Design

Thomas Yen Ph.D

Biomedical Engineering Dept.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Introduction

• Usability and Accessibility can be addressed using Universal and Accessible Design principles by implementing Human Factors and Ergonomics techniques.

• Def - The process of designing products (devices, systems, environments, services, processes, etc.) so that they are as usable by people with the widest range of abilities and constraints as is commercially practical and profitable

Introduction

• Difficulty of use or access of Medical Devices• Human Factors and Ergonomics Issues for

Health Care professionals• Applying the Principles of Universal Design to

Medical Devices• Ergonomics and Usability Evaluation of Designs• Standards for Medical Devices• Design Examples

Difficulty of use or access of Medical Devices

• 2004 national consumer survey– 15 categories of equipment (exam tables,

radiology, exercise and rehab, weight scales, – experience participants– rate the degree of difficulty or discomfort they

experience when attempting to use or access the equipment (0-none to 4-impossible to use)

Difficulty of use or access of Medical Devices

Type of Device Difficulty (Moderate or higher)

Exam Tables 75.0%

Radiology 68.0%

Rehab and Exercise 55.3%

Weight Scales 53.1%

Mobility aids 50.1%

Human Factors and Ergonomics Issues for Health Care Professionals• Medical Errors

– Medication– Equipment-related

• Physical Injuries - Patient-handling

• Disabled and Aging Health Care Providers

• Health care in the Home

Applying the Principles of Universal Design (UD) to Medical Devices

• Center for Universal Design, developed the principles of UD

• Intended to guide the design process• Allowed the systematic evaluation of designs• Educate about the characteristics of more

usable design solutions for diverse populations

• Important to medical devices that are used by diverse user population that can affect safety and efficiency

Principles of Universal Design

• Principle 1: Equitable Use• Principle 2: Flexibility in Use• Principle 3: Simple and Intuitive• Principle 4: Perceptible Information• Principle 5: Tolerance for Error• Principle 6: Low Physical Effort• Principle 7: Size and Space for Approach

and Use

Principle 1: Equitable Use

• Def: The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.

• Guidelines: – 1a. Provide the same means of use for all users:

identical whenever possible; equivalent when not.– 1b. Avoid segregating or stigmatizing any users.– 1c. Provisions for privacy, security, and safety should

be equally available to all users.– 1d. Make the design appealing to all users.

Principle 2: Flexibility of Use

• Def: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.

• Guidelines: – 2a. Provide choice in methods of use.– 2b. Accommodate right- or left-handed access and

use.– 2c. Facilitate the user's accuracy and precision.– 2d. Provide adaptability to the user's pace.

Principle 3: Simple and Intuitive

• Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.

• Guidelines: – 3a. Eliminate unnecessary complexity.– 3b. Be consistent with user expectations and intuition.– 3c. Accommodate a wide range of literacy and

language skills.– 3d. Arrange information consistent with its

importance.– 3e. Provide effective prompting and feedback during

and after task completion.

Principle 4: Perceptible Information

• The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities.

• Guidelines: – 4a. Use different modes (pictorial, verbal, tactile) for redundant

presentation of essential information.– 4b. Provide adequate contrast between essential information

and its surroundings.– 4c. Maximize "legibility" of essential information.– 4d. Differentiate elements in ways that can be described (i.e.,

make it easy to give instructions or directions).– 4e. Provide compatibility with a variety of techniques or devices

used by people with sensory limitations.

Principle 5: Tolerance for Error

• The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.

• Guidelines: – 5a. Arrange elements to minimize hazards and errors:

most used elements, most accessible; hazardous elements eliminated, isolated, or shielded.

– 5b. Provide warnings of hazards and errors.– 5c. Provide fail safe features.– 5d. Discourage unconscious action in tasks that

require vigilance.

Principle 6: Low Physical Effort

• The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue.

• Guidelines: – 6a. Allow user to maintain a neutral body

position.– 6b. Use reasonable operating forces.– 6c. Minimize repetitive actions.– 6d. Minimize sustained physical effort.

Principle 7: Size and Space for Approach and Use

• Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user's body size, posture, or mobility.

• Guidelines: – 7a. Provide a clear line of sight to important elements

for any seated or standing user.– 7b. Make reach to all components comfortable for any

seated or standing user.– 7c. Accommodate variations in hand and grip size.– 7d. Provide adequate space for the use of assistive

devices or personal assistance.

Ergonomics and Usability Evaluation of Designs

• Ergonomics Analysis – Human-Machine System

• Goals• Machine and Tools• Human-Machine interaction• Environment• Humans

– Task analysis

• Usability Testing

Standards for Medical Devices

• Assoc. for the Advancement Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)– Anesthesia Delivery systems (late 70s)– AAMI-HE:1988, AAMI-HE48:1993 Human

Factors Engineering Guidelines and Preferred Practices for the Design of Medical Devices.

– ANSI/AAMI HE74:2001 – updated and replacement for AAMI HE48:1993

Design Examples

Design Examples

Design Examples

Courses in Human Factors

• ISyE 349 Introduction to Human Factors

• ISyE 549 Human Factors Engineering

• ISyE 552 Human Factors Engineering Design and Evaluation (Special Topics)

• ISyE 662 Design and Human Disability and Aging (Universal/Accessible Design)

• ISyE 564 Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics

Questions and References

• Contact with questions– Thomas Yen, yen@engr.wisc.edu– Send me examples of bad design that you encounter.

• Principles of Universal Design– http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/about_ud/

udprinciplestext.htm• Examples of Bad Human Factors Design

– http://www.baddesigns.com/index.shtml• Text: Medical Instrumentation – Accessibility and

Usability Considerations, – J. M. Winters, M. F. Story, (editors), CRC Press, New

York, 2007