Using Incident Reporting to Combat Human Error

Incident reporting schemes enable users to provide direct feedback about the safety of the systems that they operate. Many schemes now also include questions that are specifically designed to elicit information about the usability of computer-based applications. They, therefore, provide a good source of information about the contextual factors that frustrate the operation of many interactive applications in complex working environments. This paper argues that such schemes can yield valuable insights about the nature of Human—Computer Interaction (HCI). Conversely, there is also a need to apply HCI research to improve incident reporting systems. Many of the online forms and Web-based interfaces that are being used in industry are poorly designed.