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Barry Glasford

'92 BSTC
Human Factors Engineer
GE Medical Systems, Inc.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

 

Question: Tell us about your job: Where do you work? What is your job title? How long have you had this position?

Barry: I am a Human Factors Engineer at GE Medical Systems, Inc. I have been in this position for two years.

My job as a Human factors engineer is to make our users' jobs easier. I focus my efforts at the beginning of the design process. I often get involved at the initial product conception. Technical communicators tend to, and I believe quite wrongly, get involved towards the end of the project. The results of my work should make the technical communicators make jobs easier since they shouldn't have to struggle with documenting a crappy interface.

Human factors engineers and technical communicators are closely related. Both groups strive to make our users' jobs easier. The difference is when we produce our outputs. Human factors engineers create the product design and ensure that it works to make our users' jobs easier. Technical communicators ensure that the user assistance - the online help, operators manuals, etc. - helps the end user when the interface fails them. Trying to fix a bad interface with documentation is like trying to fix a severed limb with a Band-Aid.

Question: What are your key duties at work? What is a typical day like?

Barry: My job as a Human Factors Engineer consists of three phases. The first phase includes working with users in order to understand the tasks of their jobs. I get to know my users by observing them at work, asking them questions about anything I don't understand, or interviewing them. Because of time and expense, I also use a lot of questionnaires for some parts of the information gathering. In the next phase, my team members and I translate the information I have gathered into a user interface, using pictures and storyboards. Finally, I test and evaluate the new applications or products to be sure the user can use them. At times, I have spent weeks overseas doing evaluations with doctors and technicians to be sure the products work as planned.

Question: Does your job involve travel?

Barry: I have spent a great deal of time traveling in order to do field studies and evaluations of products and applications. I have conducted field studies and usability evaluations in a number of countries, including Germany, France, Switzerland, United Kingdom, China, and Japan.

Question: What do you like most about your job?

Barry: The most rewarding part of my job has to do with helping to make medical equipment and the corresponding documentation easier and more efficient to use for the medical personnel. I realize that I am truly helping people in my job.

Question: What is the least favorite part of the job?

Barry: I really think I have one of the best jobs. But if I could change one thing about this job, I would wish that more people would be doing similar things. There are so many products - hardware, software and web sites - that are just awful. By getting to know their users and by just performing some really inexpensive usability evaluations, a LOT of people's lives would be better.

Question: How did you become interested in Technical Communications?

Barry: I originally went to college to study journalism and library science and worked as a photojournalist. When I ran out of money, I decided to join the Navy. While in the Navy, I worked as an electrician, troubleshooting and repairing electrical wiring and systems. I was forced to use large, cumbersome manuals to fix the electrical systems, and I had to hunt for the information I needed. Eventually on one particularly over-documented product, I pulled out the information that I needed and created my own manuals. I was most recognized for condensing an eleven-volume manual into a single manual.

I first became interested in MSOE when I was recruiting at a college fair in Milwaukee. The MSOE booth was next to the Navy booth, so I talked with the admission counselor from MSOE. After telling her about my history and experience in the Navy, she suggested studying technical communication. This was the first time I had ever heard the term "technical communication." Since I was looking to get out of the Navy, this just seemed like the right thing to do and the perfect opportunity to go back to school.

Question: Do you consider yourself to be a Technical Communicator? How do you feel your job is suited for a TC? Do people with other backgrounds also perform your type of job?

Barry: I consider human factors to be an advancement from technical communication. Even if technical communicators don't make the move to becoming human factors engineers or usability specialists, they and their users can certainly benefit from things like user and task analysis and usability evaluations. STC even has a SIG that focuses on usability. Many people in my line of work have a background in technical communication and use it as a step into human factors. Other backgrounds people may have in this career include hardware or software engineering, cognitive psychology, or anthropology. Human Factors is a diverse but blended profession.