Overview
EN ISO 9241-1:1997/A1:2001 is an amendment to Part 1 of the ISO 9241 series - Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs) - providing a general introduction with a specific focus on the software ergonomics parts (ISO 9241-10 to ISO 9241-17). Adopted by CEN, this amendment clarifies the structure, relationships and practical use of the software-oriented parts of ISO 9241, and adds an informative Annex A describing the software parts and guidance for selecting and combining dialogue techniques.
Key Topics and Technical Requirements
- Scope and structure of ISO 9241 software parts: Explains how ISO 9241-10 through ISO 9241-17 interrelate and how they fit into the broader ergonomics framework for VDTs.
- Dialogue principles (ISO 9241-10): Seven high-level principles - suitability for the task, self-descriptiveness, controllability, conformity with user expectations, error tolerance, suitability for individualization, and suitability for learning.
- Usability framework (ISO 9241-11): Usability defined in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction within a specified context of use (users, tasks, environment).
- Presentation of information (ISO 9241-12): Key characteristics such as clarity, discriminability, conciseness, consistency, detectability, legibility and comprehensibility.
- User guidance and dialogue techniques (ISO 9241-13 to 17): Recommendations on user guidance and specific dialogue techniques; many recommendations are conditional and tied to context of use.
- Application and conformance guidance: How to evaluate applicability of recommendations, report conformance, and use annex procedures to test whether recommendations have been met.
Practical Applications
- Designing and evaluating user interfaces for desktop applications, enterprise software and other systems using visual displays.
- Creating usability requirements and ergonomics requirements specifications for software development lifecycles.
- Conducting usability evaluations and preparing conformance claims that reference ISO 9241 parts.
- Informing accessibility, productivity and occupational ergonomics improvements in office environments.
Who Should Use This Standard
- UX/UI designers and human-computer interaction (HCI) specialists
- Usability engineers and test teams
- Product managers and software developers responsible for interface design
- Occupational health & safety professionals, procurement officers and standards bodies seeking ergonomic compliance for VDT-based systems
Related Standards
Keywords: EN ISO 9241-1:1997/A1:2001, ISO 9241, VDT ergonomics, software ergonomics, usability, human-computer interaction, dialogue principles, presentation of information.
