A Review of:“Fundamentals of Psychology”. By FRANK A. GELDARD. ( New York,John Wiley and Sons. ) [Pp.437.] 57s.

Abstract

Industrial Design is a discipline which, despite an early pre-occupation with styling and making technology saleable, is now centrally concerned with user needs. This is reflected in Coventry's unique degree course in the Industrial Design/Transport Department at Lanchester Polytechnic. The course contains a significant commitment to Human Factors and this is evident in the range of design projects which are undertaken either by students or as sponsored research. The emphasis in these projects is on practical designs which meet user requirements.

This paper describes the following typical course projects:

1. The competition winning design for a dinghy which can be used as an emergency life-raft.

2. An adaptation of a standard front-wheel-drive car with a transverse slide seat to allow easy access for a wheel chair user.

3. The design for a bus seat which can be used either as a conventional seat or as a standee ‘lean’ seat.

4. Design of a vehicle for use by spina bifida children.

5. Design for a pedal driven power unit for transport and machine uses in Developing Countries.

6. The design of adult tricycles for the transport of mothers plus children under 5 yr.

It is concluded that greater collaboration between industrial designers and ergonomists would be possible if the latter published their data in a more accessible form, and that designers must place greater emphasis on the product evaluation aspect of their work.     

A review of: “Decision Theory and Human Behavior”. By WAYNE LEE. (New York: Wiley, 1971.) [Pp. x + 352.] £6.15.

Abstract

A recently developed walking traction test has proved to be a reliable and rapid method of measuring coefficient of friction (c.o.f.) of floor surfaces and footwear, and is a suitable method for ranking the grip of footwear solings on slippery floors. This paper describes four new experiments in which footwear samples were ranked. The first experiment compared mean rank orders on water wet (wet) and oily surfaces of seven flat solings. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient rs was 0·893, P < 0·005. In the second experiment, five pairs of women's shoes were ranked on wet and oily surfaces. On the wet surfaces, three samples recorded maximum attainable c.o.f. but rank orders on two oily surfaces were identical, rs = 1·0, P < 0·01. In the third experiment, thirteen pairs of discarded footwear were ranked using three different test methods. The test surfaces were oily stainless steel plates cut from the same sheet. Rank orders of the three test methods were significantly similar. Kendall's coefficient of concordance w = 8·68, P < 0·001. In another experiment samples of commercially available footwear were issued to factory workers and recalled for c.o.f. measurements at intervals. Their rank orders on wet and oily surfaces were not statistically similar but when wet surface results obtained at 4 months, were compared with those at 10 months, rank orders were significant; rs = 0·994, P < 0·01. Also on oily surfaces, rank orders of two measurements were significant, rs = 0·982, P <0·01. Although most experiments have revealed significant correlations between footwear samples on wet and oily surfaces there are examples where a soling performs well on wet surfaces but is at the lower end of rank order on oily surfaces. It is concluded that rank orders on wet, oily and icy surfaces should be calculated but also it is necessary to examine rank orders on each surface-lubricant combination, by comparing results obtained at intervals during the useful lives of the solings. In future, samples at the lower end of the rank orders of c.o.f. will be eliminated from the varieties available to workers.     

A Review of: “The Psychology of Thinking”. By NEIL BOLTON. (London: Methuen; New York: Barnes and Noble, 1972.) [Pp. ix+291.] £3.20.

We are in the midst of a major shift in the way computers are designed and used. The architectures, both of computer systems and of the organizations which use them, are changing from hierarchies (‘tiers’) to networks (‘peers’). This gives us, as individuals and as a profession, a challenging opportunity to enlarge our ‘systems approach’ in order to help solve the difficulties which will inevitably arise from such a major shift.