Unreliable numbers: error and harm induced by bad design can be reduced by better design.
Number entry is a ubiquitous activity and is often performed in safety- and mission-critical procedures, such as healthcare, science, finance, aviation and in many other areas. We show that Monte Carlo methods can quickly and easily compare the reliability of different number entry systems. A surprising finding is that many common, widely used systems are defective, and induce unnecessary human error. We show that Monte Carlo methods enable designers to explore the implications of normal and unexpected operator behaviour, and to design systems to be more resilient to use error. We demonstrate novel designs with improved resilience, implying that the common problems identified and the errors they induce are avoidable.
College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK harold@thimbleby.net.
Harold
H
Thimbleby
College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
Patrick
P
Oladimeji
Department of Computer Science, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK.
Paul
P
Cairns
D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009010:Monte Carlo Method
dependable systems; evaluating user interfaces; human error; number entry