From a macro-ergonomics perspective it is possible to explore how the factors within the overall security system contribute to the success of counter-terrorism initiatives and where gaps may exist. From the macro-ergonomics perspective a user requirements elicitation exercise was conducted at a mainline railway station in the UK to understand the work and duties of front-line personnel and management as well as the more complex system issues that surround security in this arena. It became apparent that the station relied on several security sectors working closely with one another to ensure safety and customer satisfaction. Security staff are also trained in conflict management as they are required to interact with customers who may have misunderstood the ticketing system or are travelling on invalid tickets. The chapter presents a case study of user requirements elicitation conducted for the Shades of Grey research project to illustrate the use of different human factors methods in the security domain.

The behavioral experiment presented in this paper investigated deception tasks (both concealment and lying) undertaken in a public space. The degree of risk of deception detection and the demands of self-regulation when deceiving were manipulated. The results showed a significant interaction effect between veracity and risk of deception detection, emerged for the body movement of “hand(s) in pocket(s)”. The incidence of “hand(s) in pocket(s)” was found to increase from truth telling to deceiving conditions when the risk of deception detection was higher, and to decrease from truth telling to deceiving conditions when the risk was lower. Higher risk of deception detection was also found in magnifying the “overall negative and controlled impression” displayed by both deceivers and truth tellers, compared to the lower risk of detection condition. We also discussed the possible effects of risk of deception detection and depletion of self-regulation, on deception behavior. Further studies and the connection between this study and the research community of computer vision and multimodel interaction is also discussed.

This paper presents work conducted as part the ‘Shades of Grey’ (EP/H02302X/1) research project that aims to develop scientific interventions for the detection of suspicious behaviors in public spaces. To provide an understanding of security and counter-terrorism work in different contexts the project adopted a human factors approach as part of a program of user requirements gathering exercises. These activities focussed on the needs of different end-users and stakeholders, ranging from frontline security personnel, managers and strategic security policy makers. By taking a user-centred approach, the discipline of human factors can be integrated into the security/counter-terrorism domain to support the design of practical security solutions. This paper presents a case study investigation using data collected from three security agencies. Common themes are explored, ranging from ‘the importance of temporal measures’ to ‘enhancing positive user experiences’. These factors are discussed in relation to the practical application of human factors methods within security research.

This chapter considers the value of tacit knowledge and expertise that end users and other stakeholders possess when developing security solutions. In order to capture important user requirements data, it is necessary to take a user-centered approach to understand security from a human factors perspective. A variety of direct and nondirect methods are available to assist with the collection of user requirements, and this chapter considers practical issues of their use in sensitive domains. In addition, tools are available (e.g., organizational profiling, personas, link analysis, and tabulated patterns of communications) that help researchers each communicate ideas back to users and stakeholders as well as develop a further understanding of significant issues. A case study is used to illustrate this approach and from the initial user requirements, key training needs are identified across a range of end users and other stakeholders. The findings provide valuable insight into future security training for large organizations as well as a basis for developing future security interventions.

In order to compare groups of road users who have fundamentally different skills, attitudes and behaviours, one of the first in-depth motorcycle simulation studies of its kind was conducted. The project was developed using the innovative ‘MotorcycleSim’ simulator designed and built at the University of Nottingham. The simulator is a research tool to investigate aspects of motorcycle ergonomics and rider human factors and is the first of its kind in the world to incorporate ‘STI-SIM Drive’ software that allows motorcyclists to ride a full size motorcycle and interact with a virtual riding environment (VRE). To build a simulator that was both fit for the purpose of research and provided the desired levels of fidelity associated with real world riding, a user-centred design process was adopted from the outset (based in principles of ISO:13407).

This paper reports a laboratory experiment investigating the influence and effects of shared-representation facilities on collaboration and shared mental models development in virtual teams. The experiment has two experimental conditions; with or without shared-representation facilities. Participants were asked to work in pairs on a 'house hunting' scenario. The results showed no significant difference in the overall performance between the two conditions, however shared mental models development was significantly higher where partners were able to use shared-representation facilities.