The Potential Utility of the System Usability Scale in U.S. Military Acquisition

There are statutory requirements for human systems integration (HSI) in military acquisition. Despite these requirements, usability is often neglected in the test and evaluation of military systems. The System Usability Scale (SUS) has been proven to be a reliable and valid, yet pragmatic measure of usability for commercial systems. However, there are certain differences between military systems and commercial systems. These differences include users, system complexity, and testing environments. This paper describes the impact of these differences on the use of the SUS in military test and evaluation. Research suggestions and guidance for integrating the SUS into the military acquisition process are also discussed.