HF Activity Report 2019

Chairman: Matthias Schneider, Audi AG

Responsible for developing standards, guidelines and reports relating to end-user aspects of information and communication technology systems, products and services.

Human Factors is the scientific application of knowledge about human capacities and limitations in order to make products, systems, services and environments effective, efficient and easy for everyone to use. It is a key factor for the commercial success of any ICT product or service in the digital networked economy.

In ETSI we are helping to achieve these objectives through the work of our Technical Committee on Human Factors (TC HF). The committee has primary responsibility to produce standards, guidelines and reports that set the criteria necessary to embed optimum usability in the emerging digital networked economy (DNE).

TC HF co-operates with other groups within ETSI and outside to assist in the production of standards and other deliverables in accordance with good Human Factors practice. Within ETSI it has a special responsibility for ‘Design for All’, addressing users including young children, seniors and disabledpeople.

In 2019 the committee published two deliverables.

We made revisions to our Harmonised Standard on ‘Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services’ [EN 301 549 V3.1.1], created by TC HF and the eAccessibility Joint Working Group (JWG) with CEN and CENELEC. This standard addresses people with limited cognition, vision issues, hearing or vocal disabilities as well as those with limited manipulation, strength or reach capabilities.

We also published a new ETSI Guide [EG 203 499] on user-centred terminology for existing and upcoming ICT devices, services and applications. This updates the terminology list to include relevant terms for upcoming device and service features, and covers the five most frequently spoken languages in the EU and EFTA (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish).