Incident Management Systems Evaluation and Usability Assessment
Abstract
In order for emergency managers to effectively track organize and manage emergency events they require straight-forward tools with an adequate level of functionality. With the myriad of Incident Management Systems (IMS) available in the marketplace, it is difficult to know which one is the best fit for an organization. This paper discusses available features within IMS systems as well as variations in implementations across systems. Since these tools are typically used in high-stress, quick-paced environments, it is critical for these tools to be easy to use. Usability is both difficult to specify in a Statement of Requirements (SOR) and costly to evaluate. However, the potential "cost" of not considering system usability is realized when users cannot or will not use a chosen system because it impedes getting work done rather than facilitating it. The paper describes an ongoing experimentation program where untrained participants complete core tasks in various IMS systems while completion times and subjective assessments of usability are captured. It is aimed at understanding which design implementations lead to the most usable systems, framing expectations for IMS system usability in general, and informing the process of specifying usability requirements in a measurable and effective manner.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA547064
Entities
People
- Tania E. Randall
Organizations
- Defence Research and Development Canada