Multidimensional Usability Assessment in Spaceflight Analog Missions

Crew autonomy is essential to deep space exploration. Software planning tools enable the self-scheduling of operational timelines during spaceflight, reducing reliance on ground support crews. Here, we assess crew perceptions of a planning tool’s usability across two space mission analogs with two validated questionnaires: the unidimensional System Usability Scale and the multidimensional User Experience Questionnaire. Critically, half the missions had assistive countermeasures integrated into the planning software interface whereas the other half did not. Correlation tests revealed high convergence between usability measures in the spaceflight analog setting. Group comparisons showed that the interface countermeasures enhanced several dimensions of usability, particularly for perceptions of the tool’s efficiency and dependability. These findings highlight the utility of a multidimensional approach to characterizing usability in order to capture fine-grained shifts in human-software dynamics, especially in spaceflight environments.