Human factors and usability
The fourth governance element covers human factors and usability: the design of the work and the interface as they affect safe use.
What the public record carries
Not stated in the public record beyond the element title. The public introduction describes the four parts. The text of 5.2.5 is not public.
Basis. The public contents name the element. The four parts are not public.
Why it matters in a health estate
Usability is a safety property in health software because the user is often making a decision under time pressure with incomplete information. A screen that is usable in a demo can be unsafe in a ward. The element sits in governance because usability decisions are made in design and procurement, long before a user meets the system, and because a usability defect is usually fixed by a design change rather than a training course.
What to do now
Record the user tasks and the context in which they are performed. Test the highest-risk tasks with real users in a realistic setting. Log the design changes that follow and the residual difficulty the organisation has chosen to accept.
The evidence a reviewer will ask for
| Evidence | What it is |
|---|---|
| Task list | The user tasks in scope, with the context and the time pressure for each |
| Usability test | The highest-risk tasks tested with real users in a realistic setting |
| Design changes | The changes made and the residual difficulty accepted |
| Training note | Where training compensates for a design limit, with the limit stated |
What a reviewer will ask
A reviewer will ask how the interface was tested with the people who use it. A vendor demo is not a usability test.
Common gaps
- Usability is tested with staff who already know the system
- A known difficulty is handled by training rather than by design
- The test is run in a quiet room and the ward is loud and interrupted
- No record is kept of the residual difficulty the organisation accepted
Before the draft publishes
Test one high-risk task in the real setting and record what changes. The first change is usually the cheapest and the most effective.
If the draft changes this row
The draft is edition 2 and 62 pages, one page more than the first edition. Its text and any change summary are not public as at 21 October 2026. This row follows the published first edition's structure, which is what your procedure should name today. The change watch emails you when the record changes or the draft text lands, and the row is re-read then. No one can tell you what moved before that, and this page does not guess.
Related rows
Who this binds. The clinical lead, the product owner and the CISO, because this element covers how the design meets the people who use it under pressure.