Research & Evaluation Techniques PDF

Research & Evaluation Techniques helaly.1  Designers and market researchers often evaluate existing products in order to identify what makes them successful or unsuccessful in the market place. By finding out what consumers like or dislike...

Research & Evaluation Techniques helaly.1  Designers and market researchers often evaluate existing products in order to identify what makes them successful or unsuccessful in the market place. By finding out what consumers like or dislike about existing products it is easier to design new products to suit individual users needs. helaly 2  Different evaluation techniques allow you to evaluate how a product performs with respect to different design factors. It is possible for a product to be easy to use and good at performing its function but not appeal to consumers due to its appearance or because it is too expensive. The following table describes common evaluation techniques that are used to evaluate a variety of design helaly 3 Evaluation Description Design Information Presenting Factors Technique A series of questions about Information from a people’s opinions on a Function, questionnaire can product. Answers are given ergonomics, be presented in a bar graph to show on a scale and there should aesthetics, Questionnaire averages for be opportunity for people to costs, value answers or as a pie give comments to explain for money. chart or spider web their answer. diagram to show A questionnaire works best more detailed with people who have used or results. Graphical are familiar with the product information should be accompanied by being evaluated. written explanation The more people you get to which could answer your questionnaire include people’s the more valid your results comments. will be. helaly 4 Evaluation Description Design Information Presenting Factors Technique During a user trip Function, Information is someone uses a product ergonomics, generally and records their fitness for presented in impressions. There could purpose, written format in Trip/Trial be a pre determined value for separate sections User series of issues that money, which may be information is going safety. divided into to be gathered for.. design factors or more specific issues. helaly 5 Evaluation Description Design Information Presenting Factors Technique The product being evaluated is compared Function, A good way of to one or more similar ergonomics, presenting COMPARISON products by someone fitness for information for a who uses them all to perform the same tasks. purpose, comparison is in a The products should be aesthetics, table. This way it evaluated against the costs, value is easy to see how same performance for money, one product criteria. safety. performed against Some websites and another. companies specialise in comparing products and are widely available helaly 6  Evaluation Description Design Information Presenting Factors Technique A product can be tested to Function,. destruction in order to durability, Information from assess how durable it is and materials testing is generally how long it would be , safety. displayed in a expected to last. Testing can table showing the be used as a way of finding results to specific Testing specific information about a tests. This table product (i.e. how quickly would be does it heat up). It is also accompanied with possible to find out what written materials a product is made explanations and from by performing certain conclusions tests (Burning, scratching, sound tests). helaly 7 Evaluation Description Design Information Presenting Factors Technique Designers often give Function, Information products to other people to ergonomics, gathered from use. They ask them to materials. an observation perform various tasks and can be Observation will watch or film them displayed in performing them. By written format watching someone else using or as a verbal a product you can see what commentary difficulties they are having. accompanying Sometimes people don’t the video realise they are having the footage problems that are identified.. helaly 8 Evaluation Description Design Information Presenting Factors Technique These are mechanical Durability, Information systems that are designed to materials, gathered from perform the same operation value for test rigs Test rigs repeatedly over a period of money. will be time. This allows designers presented as a to check how many times a table of button can be pressed or figures. how often a hinge can be opened and closed before it will break. helaly 9  When presenting the information that has been gathered during a product evaluation it is important to give a numerical value (for instance a mark out of five) so that people can easily and quickly see how a product is performing compared to an ideal or to other products. helaly 10  Ergonomics helaly 11  Most people have heard of ergonomics and think it is something to do with seating or with the design of car controls and instruments. It is...but it is much more! Ergonomics is the application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use. Ergonomics comes into everything which involves people, work systems, sports and leisure, health and safety should all embody ergonomics principles if well designed. helaly 12  Ergonomics incorporates elements from many subjects including anatomy, physiology, psychology and design. Ergonomists apply their diverse knowledge to ensure that products and environments are comfortable, safe and efficient. Ergonomic design is a way of considering design options to ensure that people's capabilities and limitations are taken into account. This helps to ensure that the product is fit for use by the target users. helaly 13  When designing the ergonomic aspects of a product, system or environment for human use we must consider three different areas.- 1. Anthropometrics 2. Physiology 3. Psychology These areas are used to design around the human capabilities. helaly 14  1 - Anthropometrics Anthropometrics is concerned with the study and recording of.- The sizes of the different parts of the body. Dimensions of reach for the different range of positions that the body can cover. Human body weight. helaly 15  Designers produce products to be used by the majority of the population – to design a product that can be used by everyone would be impossible or impractical. When selecting sizes for various anthropometric factors of a product we must consider the age, sex and race of the users who will be using it. For different aspects of a design we would consider different percentile ranges.- helaly 16  Designing in this way is known as the ‘Method of Limits.’ People who have to be considered separately are from the recorded percentile ranges are.- 1. The very small 2. The very tall 3. The elderly 4. The handicapped 5. Pregnant women 6. Children helaly 17  2 - Physiology Physiology is the study of.- Factor Example 1. Body The amount of weight that we can lift in various Strength positions, the amount of force which we can apply when pulling or pushing in different positions and with different parts of the body. (Also How far we can throw a certain weight, How far we can jump!!!) 2. Fatigue How long the body can the stresses and strains of different positions and tasks before tiring (may involve additional weight), how far and fast we can run before tiring. (See also Posture and Movement below) 3. How long it takes the body to react to a given stimulus. Reaction E.g. if a driver needs to break suddenly how long does it Times take them to release the accelerator pedal, move their foot the required distance and press the brakes. helaly 18  4. The stresses placed on the body and its Posture shape while sitting and standing. The angle of the arm and hand when holding objects in different positions. 5. The range of movements that the body Movement can make in different positions, and and their accuracy. Dexterity The strains placed upon the body while lifting, carrying pulling and pushing. These are all Physiological considerations which must be taken into account when designing. helaly 19  3 - Psychology Psychology is the study of how we react to different stimulus in our surrounding environment (heat, light, noise, colour, texture, contrast and pattern) through the use of our senses. -Sight- touch –sound–smell - taste When designing products we make use of visual, audio and textural sensations to inform the user that a task has been carried out or to draw their attention to something (To convey important information). When carrying out an operation sensations should be used to reinforce their use or to let the user know that they have carried out an operation properly. It should be obvious how to carry out a task or how to use a product through its use of shape, colour and contrast. Colour affects us by making us feel calm or aggressive and by making objects seem heavier, lighter or faster. helaly 20  Factors and Considerations. The difference between an ergonomic factor and an ergonomic consideration is crucial in analysing products and in answering exam questions. Ergonomic Factor Ergonomic Considerations An ergonomic factor is a An ergonomic part of a PRODUCT which consideration is a HUMAN has to be designed with factor which has to be reference to an aspect of investigated and used in ergonomics, to ensure the developing the product ease of use of the being designed. product. helaly 21  Ergonomic Factor Ergonomic Considerations Mobile Phone Anthropometric Width of Button. Anthropometric Width of Human Factor Consideration Finger. Physiological Positioning of Physiological Range of movements Factor buttons in Consideration available to the hand relation to the and digits in that shape of the position. phone. Psychological User must know Psychological There is a noise / a Factor when a button Consideration change in the has been pressed pressure needed to properly. press the button down / a change on the screen. helaly 22  Case Study – Kettle Case Study – Car Driving Controls Case Study – Bank Cash Machine Case Study – key cutting machine ……………. etc helaly 23  More on Ergonomics Why is the video recorder one of the most frustrating domestic items to operate? Why do some car seats leave you aching after a long journey? Why do some computer workstations confer eyestrain and muscle fatigue? Such human irritations and inconveniences are not inevitable – ergonomics is an approach which puts human needs and capabilities at the focus of designing technological systems. helaly 24  The origins of ergonomics Ergonomics is a relatively new branch of science which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1999, but relies on research carried out in many other older, established scientific areas, such as engineering, physiology and psychology. helaly 25  The components of ergonomics Ergonomics deals with the interaction of technological and work situations with the human being. The basic human sciences involved are anatomy, physiology and psychology, these sciences are applied by the ergonomist towards two main objectives: the most productive use of human capabilities, and the maintenance of human health and well-being. In a phrase, the job must ‘fit the person’ in all respects, and the work situation should not compromise human capabilities and limitations. Size and shape Some years ago, researchers compared the relative positions of the controls on a lathe with the size of an average male worker. It was found that the lathe operator would have to stoop and move from side to side to operate the lathe controls. An ‘ideal’ sized person to fit the lathe would be just 4.5 feet tall, 2 feet across the shoulders and have an arm span of 8 feet. helaly 26  Vision Vision is usually the primary channel for information, yet systems are often so poorly designed that the user is unable to see the work area clearly. Many workers using computers cannot see their screens because of glare or reflections. Others, doing precise assembly tasks, have insufficient lighting and suffer eyestrain and reduced output as a result. Sound Sound can be a useful way to provide information, especially for warning signals. However, care must be taken not to overload this sensory channel. A recent airliner had 16 different audio warnings, far too many for a pilot to deal with in an emergency situation. A more sensible approach was to have just a few audio signals to alert the pilot to get information guidance from a visual display. helaly 27  Job design One goal of ergonomics is to design jobs to fit people. This means taking account of differences such as size, strength and ability to handle information for a wide range of users. Then the tasks, the workplace and tools are designed around these differences. The benefits are improved efficiency, quality and job satisfaction. The costs of failure include increased error rates and physical fatigue - or worse. Human error In some industries the impact of human errors can be catastrophic. These include the nuclear and chemical industries, rail and sea transport and aviation, including air traffic control. helaly 28  Product design Even the simplest of products can be a nightmare to use if poorly designed. Our ancestors didn't have this problem. They could simply make things to suit themselves. These days, the designers of products are often far removed from the end users, which makes it vital to adopt an ergonomic, user-centred approach to design, including studying people using equipment, talking to them and asking them to test objects. This is especially important with 'inclusive design' where everyday products are designed with older and disabled users in mind. Age related design The number of people in the UK aged 75 and over is forecast to double over the next 50 years. As such, there is a need to extend the range of application of equipment, services and systems designed for the general population. helaly 29  Design of information Much of today's human factors research and expertise is channelled towards improving the ways we use information. Virtually everyone has experienced the frustration of using computer software that doesn't work the way they expect it to. For the majority of end users of computer programmes, if the system is not working they have no recourse but to call for technical help, or find creative ways around system limitations, using those parts that are usable, and circumventing the rest or increasing stress levels by using a substandard system. Often the problems in systems could have been avoided, if a more complete understanding of the users' tasks and requirements had been present from the start. The development of easily usable human-computer interfaces is a major issue for ergonomists today. helaly 30  Information design is a related area, concerned with the design of signs, symbols and instructions so that their meaning can be quickly and safely understood. helaly 31  Graphic Techniques in Product Design Designers employ a wide range of graphic techniques in order to communicate different information with different members of the design team or the general public. Different techniques are also used at different stages of the design process for different purposes. helaly 32  Graphic Description Stage Used Communicating Technique With Quick and rough 2D and Used during Generally Annotated Sketches 3D sketches with written idea generation communicating notes which are used to stage and early with other generate and explore new in development designers or concepts and how they stage to explore used to record would work. The focus varied designers own should be on quantity ideas/concepts thoughts on rather than quality in quickly. paper quickly. order to generate as many varied ideas as possible. helaly 33  Better quality and more Used during the Communicating Pictorial Drawings detailed 3D drawings and early with other sketches used to explore development designers and form and proportion of stage to explore members of concepts which are and evaluate the design being developed. They aesthetics of team to discuss give a good overall image emerging changes to of the whole product and designs. designs and to can be drawn to scale to evaluate give a realistic aesthetics. impression of proportions. helaly 34  Accurate Used later in the Communicating scale development with the Dimensioned Orthographics drawings with stage to figure out engineers and Working Drawings/ dimensions detailed sizes and manufacturers and hidden make sure parts who will be detail to will fit together. involved in the show sizes of Required for production of components accurate the product or and how they manufacture of responsible for interact. the product parts. making sure that it works properly. helaly 35  Accurately drawn 3D Used later in Communicating views of the separate development to with Exploded Views parts in the order that explore and manufacturer they are assembled. explain the who will be assembly of a assembling the product. product. Needed for Also used to accurate assembly show consumers during how to manufacture. assemble flat pack products. helaly 36 Graphic Description Stage Used Communicating With Technique High quality Used during the Used to help clients who rendered 3D development would find it hard to read images of a stage to a more technical drawing Presentation product or communicate appraise and evaluate Graphics proposed proposed ideas design proposals. Used by product which to people with marketing team to give a realistic no technical promote or advertise a view of how a knowledge. product to potential product will clients or consumer look. groups. helaly 37  Accurate 3D models Used at the development Can be used to created on stage to ensure that communicate computer components of a product with a whole programmes to fine will fit together during range of Computer Models tune the sizes and assembly. Can also be used people and shapes of to evaluate the aesthetics cover a range components so that of a product and for of topics. they will assemble. marketing purposes. Can Manufacturers This helps to be used as a Presentation , other eradicate Visual for clients as it is designers, expensive and time easy to understand. Can marketing consuming also be used to check team, problems in ergonomics if a rapid engineers, manufacture. Can prototype is produced clients and the also be used to from the computer model. general create rapid public/consum prototype models. ers. helaly 38  Once a computer Used to help develop Primarily used to Computer Animations generated 3D model a detailed design. help has been created it Will assist greatly in manufacturers can be animated to assembly and understand the show how it manufacture of a assembly of a assembles or how it product and will product but also works. This is very help clients and used to explain useful as people can consumer groups to concepts to less actually see how it understand a technical people happens as opposed product. Can be (marketing team, to imagining it with used for marketing directors, clients the aid of a static purposes. and consumers). drawing. helaly 39