Need Human Factors Expertise to Give Your Projects Some Body Armour?
Anyone who has worked in or with the Forces will tell you that the biggest weapons aren’t the difference between success and failure.It’s the people that matter – how they’re selected and trained through to how they operate in teams and conduct themselves as individuals.There are few places where human error can have more drastic consequences than in the realm of defence.
How We Can Help
We work on defence human factors engineering and testing (ergonomics) in projects, helping you deliver:
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- More effective equipment – keeping your kit in service for longer.
Our human factors engineering and evaluation services aim to improve the usability, safety, and effectiveness of your defence equipment. By considering human capabilities, limitations, and behaviour, we help you design equipment that is optimised for use in high-pressure situations. This reduces the likelihood of error, and extends the lifespan of the equipment by ensuring it is used appropriately and effectively.
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- Reduced failure rates – fewer repairs needed.
Human factors engineering and testing can help identify potential issues with equipment early on in the design process, reducing the likelihood of costly and time-consuming repairs later on. By testing equipment with real users in realistic scenarios, we can identify any usability issues or design flaws that may lead to equipment failure, and provide recommendations for improved system design.
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- Cost savings – less waste means your defence budget stretches further.
By ensuring that your defence systems are designed with human physical and mental capabilities and characteristics in mind, you can reduce the likelihood of costly mistakes and repairs. This can result in significant cost savings, as well as increased efficiency and productivity. In addition, by extending the lifespan of your equipment through improved usability, you can reduce the need for costly replacements or upgrades.
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- Happier personnel – give your team the best, not the second best.
Defence personnel operate in high-pressure, high-stress environments, and the usability and effectiveness of their equipment can have a significant impact on their wellbeing and performance. By designing equipment that is optimised for human use, you can improve the experience of your personnel and help them to perform at their best. This can lead to increased morale, job satisfaction, and retention, as well as improved mission success through optimising the human component of capability.We take our knowledge of the defence sector and combine it with our understanding of the human factors challenges on land, sea and in the air.
Our defence clients deal with highly confidential contracts that relate to matters of national and international security. As well as our guaranteed discretion, our insights provide the peace of mind that means your defence project stands the best chance of success.No one wants a defence project that’s delayed or goes over budget because details have been missed and plans aren’t right. Mistakes are bad enough in the business world – imagine having to explain it to a defence minister or a military partner.We help you overcome the human factors challenges and assumptions that can affect even the best defence projects.How useful is your multimillion pound kit to a soldier who’s roasting in three layers of combat armour and trying to wipe the sweat from his eyes while working out which button he needs to press? We have to design for purpose and conditions, otherwise equipment is unlikely to reach acceptance.
Plan of Action
Mission-critical defence projects can’t be allowed to fail. We’ll help you address the following challenges:
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- Can your personnel work with automated systems?
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- Are your systems simple enough for them to use in pressured situations and extreme conditions?
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- Are your equipment and plans fit for purpose and ready for manufacture or deployment?
To give yourself the best chance of succeeding, deploy our experts in human centred design. When you bring us aboard, we’ll give you the guidance you need to get your project over the line.You’ll get a team experienced in working on defence human factors contracts, and a systematic process that’s aligned with UK Joint Service Publication (JSP) 912, MoD DEF-STAN 00-251 (Human Factors for Designers of Equipment) and best practice in Human Factors Integration (HFI) as reflected in the MoD HFI Technical Guides (TGs).The Def-Stan 00-251 standard outlines several domains related to defence human factors integration, including health hazards, human resources, and system safety. As an organisation, we have extensive experience working within these domains to ensure that human factors considerations are integrated into the design, development, and testing of defence projects. We understand the importance of considering the full CADMID cycle (including disposal) and ensuring that human factors are addressed at each stage to deliver safe and effective systems engineering for our clients.It’s important to take a proportionate approach to applying human factors integration (HFI) standards to commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, as a one-size-fits-all approach may not be appropriate or feasible. At Liv Systems, we are experienced in applying the appropriate level of HFI to COTS products, while balancing the associated trade-offs such as cost and schedule constraints. We are familiar with various HFI standards and guidelines, and can help ensure that your COTS products meet the necessary or equivalent system requirements for your specific stakeholders.
Need Defence Human Factors Support?
Email us now at info@liv-systems.com and we’ll call you back for a free consultation about your defence project.Whether you need HCI assessment, workload analysis, human reliability analysis, or training needs analysis, we can help.(We know that discretion matters in this business, so our service is 100% confidential).