1. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATION AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Tomé Canas, Brisa Inovação e Tecnologia SA, tome.pereiracanas@brisa.pt;
Tiago Girão, TGDesign Lda, tiagogirao@netcabo.pt
Jorge Sales Gomes, Brisa Inovação e Tecnologia SA, jorge.gomes@brisa.pt

2. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Contents
Introduction
Interface Design
Case Study
Brisa and BIT
ETOLL Project
Interface First Version
Pitfalls and Analisys
Redesign
Actual Version
Conclusions

3. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Interface Design
Critical for overall systems operability
Improved efficacy: fit for purpose
Increase efficiency: reduce time required to complete
operation
Direct impact/contribution on the quality of the service
provided
A good interface should have:
Have a intuitive manipulation
Information structure: simple, quick and universal
User-friendly

4. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Interface Design
Development Process:
Combined technical skills of different areas:
electronics, mechanics, software and industrial design
Interface evaluation and redesign through several
stages of evolution: design improvement
User involvement during all development phases

5. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Interface Design
Experimentation - Prototypes
• Testing on physical prototypes
• Gather data to optimize the design
• Determine data under real environment of operation
• Emphasis on the "look and feel"

6. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Case Study – Brisa and BIT
One of the principal European highway operators
• 6 concessions in Portugal: 1 674 Km and 24 highways
• 2 international assets: NWP, the United States and
Movenience, Holland
• Innovation and partnerships are strategic axles
• Brisa Inovation and Technology (BIT):
• Created in 2009 but with predecessor direction since
2003
• Around 80 workers
• Innovation Network: catalyzing innovation with its
partners
• Innovation is strongly associated with value creation:
"value creation in a changing context”

7. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Case Study – ETOLL Project
Develop an automatic payment machine :
To install on the manual lanes of the toll plazas
Operate in periods of lower traffic and increase the
number available lanes
With two levels: cars and trucks
Innovative aspect: assistance made by human
remote operators, observing and follow all the
operation
The design process involved several areas:
electronics, mechanics, software, industrial design,
materials, ergonomics and metalworking
Operation procedure:

8. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Case Study – First Version
User interface:
Development process was based on an inside-to-
outside methodology:
The modules were arranged internally
according to engineering requisites and
internal module functionalities
Only in a late development stage the concern
with the user interface come out
Little freedom to develop the user interface

9. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Case Study – First Version Pitfalls
Identified a number of difficulties that users had:
Difficulty in understanding the start operation:
leading users to insert the title in the bank card
readers
Difficulty in following the operations sequence:
non-linear path between operation areas and the
large distance between the diverse modules
Large interface area: trouble to access to the
lowest area “Collect Change”

10. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Case Study – Analyze
Interface prototype testing:
Paper prototyping – testing the interaction
process and the position of the different modules
Empirical study using various users – different
anthropometric dimensions
Different classes of vehicles, cars and vans
Optimal area of interface determination
Using the test data to make an anthropometric
interactive table

11. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Case Study – Redesign
New interface shows several improvements:
Reduction on interface area:
Optimizing internal space
But due to limitations in internal storage
modules, this required ingenious solutions
New information structure:
Maximum of three major operations: 1-title
insertion; 2-payment; 3-collect both change
and bill
Major areas identified, giving information
about the complete sequence and where to
start (trigger operation)

12. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Case Study – Redesign
Results – New machine and interface:
Sequential structure to follow the easiest path of the
extent user’s left arm;
Blinking led bars helpers - placed to give immediate
feedback and to guide through the next operation
Pre-recorded voice helper
Human-remote assistance integrated with video-
surveillance

13. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Case Study – Actual Design
Several improvements were identified:
User improvement for a wide range of heterogenic
users
Reduced operation time
Less intervention of remote operators helping new
users
Fewer printed instructions needed in the layout
surface
The new aesthetic appellative user interface
help enhance the positive attitudes towards the
machine by the users
The project is now on the production/installation
phase: over 200 machines in the Brisa’s network in
2010

14. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES: IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
IDENTIFICATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITIES
Conclusions
Concerned with the user interface from the project
beginning
Constructive use of different prototyping techniques,
many of low cost, in selecting the most appropriate user
layout
Monitoring the use of new equipment by the user,
identifying difficulties that occur during the operation
Through a process of experimentation and learning,
improve the functional and aesthetic machine interface

15. USABILLITY STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN-
MACHINE INTERFACES IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTS
End
Thank you for your attention
Tomé Canas Tiago Girão Jorge Sales Gomes