Case Studies
Optical Long-Haul Product Design Testing
Telecommunications Equipment Manufacturer
The Background
This organization has a massive customer base and wanted to introduce a new long haul optical product design inside the existing customer networks. A new industrial design obviously means new risk to the customer and their network.
The professionals that would be working on this delicate installation regularly encounter different types of equipment, multiple and rapidly changing procedures and vast amounts of documentation. This constant flux meant that the installers were in a constant-learning and constant-changing environment. Any new equipment had be easy to use, easy to install and easy to maintain without a steep learning curve.
In addition, the telecom industry has a number of human factor standards that all telecom equipment is subject to and has to meet with the goal of reducing or eliminating procedural outages. Any assessment on whether or not the standards have been met is a highly specialized job.
The Challenge
To assess whether the long haul optical equipment met relevant human factors criteria such as those specified in Telcordias GR-2914-CORE, GR-499-CORE, GR-474-CORE as well as the organization's internal human factors design standards.
To assess, prior to the product release to market, the installability and maintainability relative to typical day-to-day maintenance tasks.
To prioritize resulting issues in terms of their potential for causing procedural outages as well as the potential impact on the carrier's cost of operations and the risks for manufacturer liability.
The Project
Conduct formal user interaction testing with representative professionals completing typical day-to-day tasks. Each test was administered by two Maskery consultants (the user interaction tester and observer) and recorded on DVD.
The prioritized results of the test and associated design recommendations were captured in a written report. Key issues were illustrated using video clips.
The Result
A complete assessment of human factors issues as they related to Installability and maintainability as well as compliance with appropriate standards or the soon-to-be-released product.
Maskery delivered a detailed report that identified and prioritized user interaction issues that would pose a threat to the error-free installation and maintenance of the new equipment. Key threats to procedural reliability were identified along with design recommendations for reducing or eliminating the risk.