Background 

Although computer technology has changed dramatically over the period the original ISO 9241 has been under development (more than twenty years), many of the ergonomics issues remain similar. For example, when part 14 (menu dialogues) was originally planned, menus were usually displayed on character based screens and menu choices were typically made by selecting numbered choices by keystroke. However, by the time the standard was finished, menus were a common part of graphical interfaces and items were selected by pointing device. Nonetheless, the guidance on menu structures, how many options should be presented and so on remained applicable since it related to how people make choices and interpret information and these have not changed much in the time.

But changes in the technology and the way we use it have made it difficult for the ISO 9241 standard to keep up to date. The development of flat panel displays meant that new display standards had to be developed. The rapid pace of change meant that we could not always wait for the technology to stabilise before developing standards, so we developed some design process standards. And of course, ISO itself requires standards to be reviewed after five years.

New standards 

As a result, ISO/TC159/SC4 has been working to develop a new set of standards which build on the strengths of the previous work but which are also easier to use by standards users.

The title for the new ISO 9241 is 'Ergonomics of human system interaction'. This title was selected to demonstrate the broadening of the scope from office tasks and to align the standard with the overall title and scope of SC4.

We also wanted to build on the 'branding' of ISO 9241 which has become recognized as a benchmark, particularly in Europe.

The following table shows the structure and the current status of the main parts. (as at November 2008).

New ISO 9241 Ergonomics of human-system interaction
Part	Title	Status and notes
1	General introduction	IS to be replaced by ISO/TR 9241-1 (TR to allow frequent updates) and ISO 9241-130
2	Guidance on task requirements	Is to be replaced by revision/extension of old Part 2
11	Guidance on hardware and software usability	Is to be replaced by revision/extension of old Part11 to include hardware explicitly
20	Accessibility guidelines for information/communication technology (ICT) equipment and services	IS published in 2008
21 to 99	Reserved numbers	No plans to allocate at present
100 - 199	Software ergonomics	Planned as ISO/TR 9241-100 introduction to the series of software ergonomics standards
110	Dialogue principles	IS published in 2006
129	Guidance on software individualisation	NP New work item proposal approved, WD under development
151	Software ergonomics for World Wide Web user interfaces	Published in 2008
171	Guidance on software accessibility	Published in 2008
200 - 299	Human system interaction processes	Reserved number for revision/ extension of ISO 13407 and other process standards
210	Human-centred design process for interactive systems	Revision of ISO 13407, DIS expected Nov 2008
300 - 399	Displays and display related hardware	Reserved number for series of display ergonomics standards
300	Introduction to electronic visual displays	IS published in 2008
302	Terminology for electronic visual displays	IS published in 2008
303	Requirements for electronic visual displays	IS published in 2008
304	User performance test methods	IS published in 2008
305	Optical laboratory test methods for electronic visual displays	IS published in 2008
306	Field assessment methods for electronic displays	IS published in 2008
307	Analysis and compliance test methods for electronic visual displays	IS published in 2008
308	Surface –conduction  electron-emitter displays (SED)	TR published 2007
309	Organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays	TR published 2008
400 - 499	Physical input devices	Reserved number for series of input device ergonomics standards
400	Principles and requirements for physical input devices	IS published in 2007
410	Design criteria for products	IS published in 2008
420	Ergonomic selection procedures	DIS under development
500 -599	Workplace ergonomics	Reserved number for revision/extension of old Part 5
600 - 699	Environment ergonomics	Reserved number for revision/extension of old Part 6
700 - 799	Special application domains	Reserved number for series of ergonomics standards for specific application domains eg process control
900 -999	Tactile and haptic interactions	Reserved number for series of tactile and haptic ergonomics standards
910	Framework for Tactile and Haptic Interaction	CD under development
920	Guidance on tactile and haptic interactions	FDIS approved, awaiting publication