Controlled Experiments, Research impact
A language of numbers: The importance of ecological validity in data collection
What
Number entry is a process that can be overlooked - the standard number entry keypad has remained the same for 10s of years without much enquiry.
Number entry occurs often seamlessly, but is responsible for some of the most catastrophic issues if it’s done incorrectly - lives have been lost in the medical domain due to number entry, and millions of pounds lost in financial transactions.
Why
Number entry is ubiquitous and has not had the attention of researchers and designers and therefore error within this domain remains common. Whilst the text entry domain benefits from intense research and innovation, the typing of numbers and data does not.
The applications of number and data and wide ranging, and therefore innovation and design in this area has the chance to make a real difference
Action
I constructed a long-term collection of research aimed at uncovering previously unstudied knowledge about number entry processes and behaviour. By designing, coding, running and analysing numerous user experiments in number entry I was able to establish a theory of number entry which presented insights into everything from the cognitive processes involved in transcribing numbers, to design changes aimed at minimising errors and saving lives.
Impact
The outputs of my research changed the way that number entry is studied. New patterns were contributed to research methodologies, and new standards of ecological validity ensure that number entry studies now use realistic data, a crucial step uncovered by my research.
Design recommendations I generated as a result of this research were shortlisted at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society awards, and the results of all of my work were combined into a white paper aimed at the medical device industry asking for improvement and making suggestions about how devices could be safer.