“We are in a time when one interface is definitely not going to satisfy everybody. This is why I like to say, ‘Think global, lose local. Think local, win global.’ If you think only of the big, macro-global picture, you may completely lose out on your potential user population that requires some very specific localization to the interface. There will be many local organizations that will step in and provide interfaces and products that meet the local needs, and you will lose the opportunity. So, if you think locally, you will always win locally as well as win globally.”

Apala

Apala Lahiri

MA, MS, CUA, CXA

Global Chief of Technical Staff,

Human Factors International

Advanced consulting

Human Factors International (HFI) offers consulting services for advanced user experience (UX) activities. These include creating and implementing the necessary strategies and assisting with research needed to drive the innovative designs and ideation for global markets. At the end of strategy projects, concrete design concepts illustrating the strategic solution are delivered. They make the strategic direction unambiguous.

Strategies

Recent studies show 75% of executives hope to use customer experience as a differentiator. "Hope" is not a strategy.

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  • UX strategy projects are the newest, most advanced and difficult projects to plan and complete successfully. They describe two things:
    • User motivation
    • Cross-channel solution
  • Motivation strategy uncovers users' motivations using our PET (Persuasion, Emotion, and Trust) Design methods. It creates the focus that translates into a seamless UX.
  • The cross channel solution strategy stops the creation of misaligned solutions allowing the organization to "speak" to customers with a single voice.
  • PET strategy for a persuasive product or site includes a design process and structure that delivers complete interface, application, and web page designs that are visually compelling and are graphically treated with persuasive elements that make the key components and pages relatable, prominent and inviting.
  • Research

    At HFI, we believe that designs should be informed and validated. A strategy is too important to be based just on stakeholder envisioning.

    Ecosystem models are ethnographic-based research.

    Ecosystem research

    Ecosystem models are ethnographic-based research. This research identifies the set of actors (user types), scenarios, environments, artifacts, and opportunities in the target space. The resulting models inform how a strategic concept will fit into the customer’s life.

    The ecosystem research is a 2 step process:

  • Scope definition and preparation: Understand the organization’s vision, conduct a market and domain study for validation of the initial hypothesis of the research
  • Data gathering and ecosystem documentation: Identify what research needs to be done
  • PET research

    PET research probes the customers’ emotional schema around a concept or design. This gives a clear picture of the motivational approach that is likely to work and provides the opportunity to assess a design concept and see if it resonates as expected.

    HFI's PET (Persuasion, Emotion, and Trust) research provides a deep understanding of your users' drives and blocks.

    Innovation

    Successful innovation requires understanding the psychodynamics and social dynamics of the environment and markets that products and services are being developed for. Managing the complex research needed to gain the insights that lead to breakthrough concepts and design requires a robust process.

    HFI's new product and business ideation process helps you to manage the complexity of going from deep research to actionable insights to breakthrough concepts and design.

    Learn more >

    PET designs use the information about your users’ emotions and conceptual mode to motivate users to take action.

    Design

    Pet design

    PET designs take the information about your users’ emotions and conceptual model—derived from the PET research—and translate it into the motivation to get users to take action.

    Cross-cultural design

    Cross-culture designs are challenging. HFI understands these challenges and has a specialized institute—the Institute for Customer Experience (ICE)—within HFI Laboratories that focuses on how to manage global customer experience design.

    Learn more >

    Design for emerging markets

    Designing for emerging markets takes a significant shift in thinking to understand the ecosystems, needs, and limitations of that environment. The ICE team uses specialized research skills to successfully understand new and emerging markets and incorporate their needs or limitations into design.

    Learn more >

    HFI's ICE team uses specialized research skills to understand new and emerging markets while designing.
    HFI has extensive experience in industrial design.

    Industrial design capabilities

    Industrial design (ID) capabilities transform the design insights from contextual innovations into concrete product ideas. HFI has extensive experience in managing complete product design life cycle projects for industries such as automotive, consumer products, electronics, healthcare and electrical equipment. Our expertise includes:

    • Understanding "Product-User-Environment-Task" domain and following a system design approach
    • Product safety and ergonomic studies
    • Exploration of form based on product function
    • Quick prototyping for iterative design process
    • Design optimization based on value engineering techniques
    • Support for detailed technical design
    • Product aesthetics and visual communication
    • Development of functional prototypes for field studies and testing

    Ask our UX expert

    Get your project plan

    Thank you for your interest!

    Our UX experts will review your question and respond in the next few days.

    Thank you for your interest!

    We will contact you about your project plan

    Ecosystem research

    ecosystem_research

    Gamification in UX design

    The Institute of Customer Experience

    Privacy policy

    Reviewed: 18 Mar 2014

    This Privacy Policy governs the manner in which Human Factors International, Inc., an Iowa corporation (“HFI”) collects, uses, maintains and discloses information collected from users (each, a “User”) of its humanfactors.com website and any derivative or affiliated websites on which this Privacy Policy is posted (collectively, the “Website”). HFI reserves the right, at its discretion, to change, modify, add or remove portions of this Privacy Policy at any time by posting such changes to this page. You understand that you have the affirmative obligation to check this Privacy Policy periodically for changes, and you hereby agree to periodically review this Privacy Policy for such changes. The continued use of the Website following the posting of changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes an acceptance of those changes.

    Cookies

    HFI may use “cookies” or “web beacons” to track how Users use the Website. A cookie is a piece of software that a web server can store on Users’ PCs and use to identify Users should they visit the Website again. Users may adjust their web browser software if they do not wish to accept cookies. To withdraw your consent after accepting a cookie, delete the cookie from your computer.

    Privacy

    HFI believes that every User should know how it utilizes the information collected from Users. The Website is not directed at children under 13 years of age, and HFI does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13 years of age online. Please note that the Website may contain links to other websites. These linked sites may not be operated or controlled by HFI. HFI is not responsible for the privacy practices of these or any other websites, and you access these websites entirely at your own risk. HFI recommends that you review the privacy practices of any other websites that you choose to visit.

    HFI is based, and this website is hosted, in the United States of America. If User is from the European Union or other regions of the world with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from U.S. law and User is registering an account on the Website, visiting the Website, purchasing products or services from HFI or the Website, or otherwise using the Website, please note that any personally identifiable information that User provides to HFI will be transferred to the United States. Any such personally identifiable information provided will be processed and stored in the United States by HFI or a service provider acting on its behalf. By providing your personally identifiable information, User hereby specifically and expressly consents to such transfer and processing and the uses and disclosures set forth herein.

    In the course of its business, HFI may perform expert reviews, usability testing, and other consulting work where personal privacy is a concern. HFI believes in the importance of protecting personal information, and may use measures to provide this protection, including, but not limited to, using consent forms for participants or “dummy” test data.

    The Information HFI Collects

    Users browsing the Website without registering an account or affirmatively providing personally identifiable information to HFI do so anonymously. Otherwise, HFI may collect personally identifiable information from Users in a variety of ways. Personally identifiable information may include, without limitation, (i)contact data (such as a User’s name, mailing and e-mail addresses, and phone number); (ii)demographic data (such as a User’s zip code, age and income); (iii) financial information collected to process purchases made from HFI via the Website or otherwise (such as credit card, debit card or other payment information); (iv) other information requested during the account registration process; and (v) other information requested by our service vendors in order to provide their services. If a User communicates with HFI by e-mail or otherwise, posts messages to any forums, completes online forms, surveys or entries or otherwise interacts with or uses the features on the Website, any information provided in such communications may be collected by HFI. HFI may also collect information about how Users use the Website, for example, by tracking the number of unique views received by the pages of the Website, or the domains and IP addresses from which Users originate. While not all of the information that HFI collects from Users is personally identifiable, it may be associated with personally identifiable information that Users provide HFI through the Website or otherwise. HFI may provide ways that the User can opt out of receiving certain information from HFI. If the User opts out of certain services, User information may still be collected for those services to which the User elects to subscribe. For those elected services, this Privacy Policy will apply.

    How HFI Uses Information

    HFI may use personally identifiable information collected through the Website for the specific purposes for which the information was collected, to process purchases and sales of products or services offered via the Website if any, to contact Users regarding products and services offered by HFI, its parent, subsidiary and other related companies in order to otherwise to enhance Users’ experience with HFI. HFI may also use information collected through the Website for research regarding the effectiveness of the Website and the business planning, marketing, advertising and sales efforts of HFI. HFI does not sell any User information under any circumstances.

    Disclosure of Information

    HFI may disclose personally identifiable information collected from Users to its parent, subsidiary and other related companies to use the information for the purposes outlined above, as necessary to provide the services offered by HFI and to provide the Website itself, and for the specific purposes for which the information was collected. HFI may disclose personally identifiable information at the request of law enforcement or governmental agencies or in response to subpoenas, court orders or other legal process, to establish, protect or exercise HFI’s legal or other rights or to defend against a legal claim or as otherwise required or allowed by law. HFI may disclose personally identifiable information in order to protect the rights, property or safety of a User or any other person. HFI may disclose personally identifiable information to investigate or prevent a violation by User of any contractual or other relationship with HFI or the perpetration of any illegal or harmful activity. HFI may also disclose aggregate, anonymous data based on information collected from Users to investors and potential partners. Finally, HFI may disclose or transfer personally identifiable information collected from Users in connection with or in contemplation of a sale of its assets or business or a merger, consolidation or other reorganization of its business.

    Personal Information as Provided by User

    If a User includes such User’s personally identifiable information as part of the User posting to the Website, such information may be made available to any parties using the Website. HFI does not edit or otherwise remove such information from User information before it is posted on the Website. If a User does not wish to have such User’s personally identifiable information made available in this manner, such User must remove any such information before posting. HFI is not liable for any damages caused or incurred due to personally identifiable information made available in the foregoing manners. For example, a User posts on an HFI-administered forum would be considered Personal Information as provided by User and subject to the terms of this section.

    Security of Information

    Information about Users that is maintained on HFI’s systems or those of its service providers is protected using industry standard security measures. However, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and HFI cannot guarantee that the information submitted to, maintained on or transmitted from its systems will be completely secure. HFI is not responsible for the circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures relating to the Website by any Users or third parties.

    Correcting, Updating, Accessing or Removing Personal Information

    If a User’s personally identifiable information changes, or if a User no longer desires to receive non-account specific information from HFI, HFI will endeavor to provide a way to correct, update and/or remove that User’s previously-provided personal data. This can be done by emailing a request to HFI at hfi@humanfactors.com. Additionally, you may request access to the personally identifiable information as collected by HFI by sending a request to HFI as set forth above. Please note that in certain circumstances, HFI may not be able to completely remove a User’s information from its systems. For example, HFI may retain a User’s personal information for legitimate business purposes, if it may be necessary to prevent fraud or future abuse, for account recovery purposes, if required by law or as retained in HFI’s data backup systems or cached or archived pages. All retained personally identifiable information will continue to be subject to the terms of the Privacy Policy to which the User has previously agreed.

    Contacting HFI

    If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, you may contact HFI via any of the following methods:
    Human Factors International, Inc.
    PO Box 2020
    1680 highway 1, STE 3600
    Fairfield IA 52556
    hfi@humanfactors.com
    (800) 242-4480

    Terms and Conditions for Public Training Courses

    Reviewed: 18 Mar 2014

    Cancellation of Course by HFI

    HFI reserves the right to cancel any course up to 14 (fourteen) days prior to the first day of the course. Registrants will be promptly notified and will receive a full refund or be transferred to the equivalent class of their choice within a 12-month period. HFI is not responsible for travel expenses or any costs that may be incurred as a result of cancellations.

    Cancellation of Course by Participants (All regions except India)

    $100 processing fee if cancelling within two weeks of course start date.

    Cancellation / Transfer by Participants (India)

    4 Pack + Exam registration: Rs. 10,000 per participant processing fee (to be paid by the participant) if cancelling or transferring the course (4 Pack-CUA/CXA) registration before three weeks from the course start date. No refund or carry forward of the course fees if cancelling or transferring the course registration within three weeks before the course start date.

    Cancellation / Transfer by Participants (Online Courses)

    $100 processing fee if cancelling within two weeks of course start date. No cancellations or refunds less than two weeks prior to the first course start date.

    Individual Modules: Rs. 3,000 per participant ‘per module’ processing fee (to be paid by the participant) if cancelling or transferring the course (any Individual HFI course) registration before three weeks from the course start date. No refund or carry forward of the course fees if cancelling or transferring the course registration within three weeks before the course start date.

    Exam: Rs. 3,000 per participant processing fee (to be paid by the participant) if cancelling or transferring the pre agreed CUA/CXA exam date before three weeks from the examination date. No refund or carry forward of the exam fees if requesting/cancelling or transferring the CUA/CXA exam within three weeks before the examination date.

    No Recording Permitted

    There will be no audio or video recording allowed in class. Students who have any disability that might affect their performance in this class are encouraged to speak with the instructor at the beginning of the class.

    Course Materials Copyright

    The course and training materials and all other handouts provided by HFI during the course are published, copyrighted works proprietary and owned exclusively by HFI. The course participant does not acquire title nor ownership rights in any of these materials. Further the course participant agrees not to reproduce, modify, and/or convert to electronic format (i.e., softcopy) any of the materials received from or provided by HFI. The materials provided in the class are for the sole use of the class participant. HFI does not provide the materials in electronic format to the participants in public or onsite courses.