The Usability and System Evaluation Technical Group (USETG) consists of people interested in all aspects of human factors and ergonomics as applied to researching and assessing the usability, usefulness, and utility of designs and design concepts whether they are software, hardware, or a combination of the two. Of particular interest to this technical group are the tools, techniques, and methodologies applied during system usability evaluation as well as the measures and metrics used, return on investment experienced, practical implications of results, best practices, impact on design and the user experience, and lessons learned by those conducting and leading these efforts. Evaluation is a core skill for all human factors, usability, and user experience professionals and includes measuring performance, ease of use, cognitive workload, situational awareness, safety, and user acceptance. Early evaluation is conducted using low-fidelity mock-ups and wireframes with fidelity increasing as prototypes become available. As systems become available, focus moves to operational usage and assessment at intervals thereafter during their operational life. Evaluations can be formative, summative, and comparative as well as iterative.
All officers serve one-year terms (calendar year). The Technical Group Vice Chair and Technical Group Vice Program Chair automatically become Chairs of the respective positions after one calendar year and a call for nominations is issued each fall for new Vice Chairs.