Human Factors Lecture Notes PDF

Human Factors What is Human Factors inDesign? Considering information about human behavior, abilities, characteristics and physicallimits Ensuring that the final product can be effectively utilized by the end user, without exceeding their capabilities ‘Fitting the Job to the Man’ rather t...

Human Factors What is Human Factors inDesign? Considering information about human behavior, abilities, characteristics and physicallimits Ensuring that the final product can be effectively utilized by the end user, without exceeding their capabilities ‘Fitting the Job to the Man’ rather than ‘Fitting the Man to the Job’ Optimizing Efficiency, Health, Safety and Comfort of people through betterdesigns 2 Human factors Must be considered during the design phase: “You can use an eraser on the drafting table or a sledge-hammer on the construction site.” Frank Lloyd Wright (Architect) 3 Importance of Human Factors in Design Improve productivity Ease and Efficiency Improve safety Improve comfort Improve satisfaction Decrease errors Reduce fatigue Human factors Reduce the learning curve Meet user’s needs and wants Positive perception of product Man* Machine* 4 Difficulties of Human Factors Humansare flexible and adaptable Large individualdifferences Obvious differences: Physical size and strength Non- obvious differences: culture*, style, andskill 5  Forms of Human Factors 1. Anthropometric Anthropometric (Human interaction in static sense; dimensions of body) 2. Ergonomics Ergonomic (Human interaction in dynamic sense; repeated tasks) 3. Physiological (Human interaction with body Physiological characteristics) 4. Psychological (Human interaction with mental Psychological activities) 6 1. Anthropometric Factors Anthropometric Anthropometric human factors are Ergonomics related to the physical size of humans; it is man-machine interaction in static Physiological sense Psychological 7 1. Anthropometric Factors Adequate attention to the nature of the physical dimensions of humans Design for Design for Adjustability Average Design for Design for all Extreme 8 1. Anthropometric Factors example Being able to see an obstacle of height h at a minimum distance L from the front of the car* The average 10  2. Ergonomic Factors Anthropometric GreekWords: Ergon = work, Nomikos = law Ergonomics Ergonomics= Study of Work Laws Physiological The three aspects of ergonomic factors: Safety, comfort and efficiency Importance when the human is involved with Psychological the machine in a dynamic sense A human is required to exert a force or perhaps supply work to the machine The effective operation of a machine over long periods of time will depend upon the matching of requirements to human capability 10 The capability for performing many tasks depends on: The physical ability of the operator The range of movement required The speed of movement The duration of the activity The position of the operator The environmental condition 11 Ergonomic Factors (Aircraft Instrument Panel Example) First, determine functions inter-relationships and their relative values A useful measure of the relative value of a relationship is the product of the importance of the particular event by the frequency of occurrence If these can be established the designer has a logic available to assist in planning the display 12 Aircraft Instrument Panel (Importance and Frequency) Instrument Duration of No. of Relativ observatio observation e n (sec) s per min. value Cross 0 0 0 pointe Air speed, Directional r Gyro, and Gyro. Horizon Air speed 0.67 22 14.7** are the most important Directional 0.51 24 12.2* and must be very visible Gyro and close to each other Gyro. 0.59 26 15.3*** Horizon Engine 1. 13 5 5.6 Instrmnt s Altimeter 0.47 10 4.7 Turn and 0.39 5 2.0 Bank Vertical 0.17 12 5.6 Speed 13  Anthropometric 3. Physiological Factors Ergonomics Factors dealing with human sensations These involve the neurological, muscular, respiratory, vascular and Physiological sensory systems Psychological They can be grouped according to the response to various inputs such as:  Visual  Auditory  Tactile (the sense of touch)  Kinesthetic (detecting body position)  Taste senses  Environment 14 Physiological Factors (examples) Color Noise Light Speech Vision Hearing Weather Touch Temp. Braille Humidity Comfort 15  Physiological Factors It is necessary to achieve satisfactory intensity and color discrimination and resolution Need careful design of lighting systems and selection of materials and colors Consider the frequency analysis of the sounds Control the noise at its source The sense of touch is of great value in various recognition situations (e.g., Braille printing) The atmospheric environment in which the human performs his tasks may considerably affect his working efficiency and accuracy 17 4. Psychological Factors Anthropometric They are concerned with the mental Ergonomics activity of the human during the use of the product. Physiological Psychological This involves: Interpretation of information Motivation and fatigue Decision making Aesthetics (philosophy of art) 17 Psychological Factors Use presentations which will lead to minimum error of interpretation* Retain the usual method of operation (e.g., a power switch is ON when the operating lever is DOWN Use digital indicators for precise numerical values Use color coding on dials for fast recognition: green-normal, yellow- caution, red-danger Arrange control movement in a logical manner???? 18 As a student , what are the human factors to be considered in your current classroom????? 1. Anthropometric 2. Ergonomics 3. Physiological 4. Psychological;