Designing a Maintenance Support System Interface: Using the Activity Checklist Combined With the Sequence Model

Abstract: This thesis aims to investigate how a new interface of the Maintenance Ground Support System (MGSS) can be designed with insight generated from combining the Activity Checklist with the Sequence Model. Through observation of an expert user, deficiencies and qualities of the system should be raised. The combination of the activity checklist and the sequence model generated fruitful insight over the deficiencies leading up to a troublesome event in the interface. A rich understanding generated of what led up to a certain activity and how that action could be improved. The activity checklist explains the users’ behavior and why they are. It provided beneficial knowledge over the whole operation in the system and not just one functions. The insight from these two methods set up a ground pillar for a solid design, where the deficiencies are improved and the qualities are isolated from an untroublesome event. With the knowledge from the analysis a prototype of a new interface was made in Microsoft Blend. The new interface was evaluated with surrogate users at Saab AB. Though the result was not significant the result showed a higher SUS-score and faster total mean time of the performing of the tasks. The result showed a trend with a better usability and can be generalized and interpret that it would be the same output with real end users.