User-centered systems engineering approach to design and modeling of smarter products

Employing user-centered design principles along with systems engineering methodology to the development of smarter products has the potential of establishing a novel field of research. This paper introduces a novel user-centered human factors knowledge management framework for collaborative design and modeling of the next generation of smarter products. A conceptual framework and practical application of user-centered systems engineering approach to support smarter product development is proposed. The human systems component in collaborative systems engineering aims to ensure that human considerations, for users and designers, have a prominent place in the integrated design and development of sustainable smarter products throughout the total system lifecycle [12]. Future challenges that collaborative user-centered systems engineering techniques are likely to face in this domain are also discussed.