Human Factors of the Web Design Process

In a recent keynote address on future of ergonomics, Wilson stated that ergonomists, instead of focussing on the traditional man, machine and environment component, should refocus on the interaction among these components. (Wilson, 1999). Nowhere is this truer than in the process of web design. Simply stated a web page is really a page, off the information highway, that has the information the User needs. The beauty of the Web is that, that information could be of any imaginable kind. In the last few years, the number of businesses establishing a presence on the World Wide Web (WWW, the web) has grown exponentially. It is just a matter of time before the web becomes a primary source of information for a large part of the world for all needs. Procedurally the steps in design include cognitive design, visual design, technical design, technical development and testing. Typically cross-functional teams are set up to perform the design process. Information ergonomics and interaction ergonomics are the main issues in the iterative design process. The importance of cognitive ergonomist who plays a pivotal role in the design process is discussed.