Ergonomics issues in future systems

The paper starts by discussing some of the historical background to the design of systems and the development of systems thinking, from the perspective of Ergonomics. This is followed by an attempt to describe the likely future for systems design and operation; critical points being that these systems will interoperate with other systems; they will be long-lived; and we cannot afford for them to fail. This leads on to a discussion of complexity and its effects. The paper then goes on to discuss how and why Ergonomics practitioners should be interested in these effects. This includes dealing with intrinsic complexity (inherent in the purposes of the system) and induced complexity (introduced by the the organization, process design and operation of the system), the significance of trust, shared situation awareness and sense-making, the need for excellent communications, the importance of knowledge, experience and governance. Finally, a brief section, pointing to other sources, outlines possible approaches for designing these future systems.     

Ergonomics issues in future systems

The paper starts by discussing some of the historical background to the design of systems and the development of systems thinking, from the perspective of Ergonomics. This is followed by an attempt to describe the likely future for systems design and operation; critical points being that these systems will interoperate with other systems; they will be long-lived; and we cannot afford for them to fail. This leads on to a discussion of complexity and its effects. The paper then goes on to discuss how and why Ergonomics practitioners should be interested in these effects. This includes dealing with intrinsic complexity (inherent in the purposes of the system) and induced complexity (introduced by the the organization, process design and operation of the system), the significance of trust, shared situation awareness and sense-making, the need for excellent communications, the importance of knowledge, experience and governance. Finally, a brief section, pointing to other sources, outlines possible approaches for designing these future systems.     

An overview of consumer ergonomics in the United Kingdom

Consumer ergonomics has emerged as one of the mainstream areas of ergonomics research and application. This paper discusses the background to this development and provides a framework for the three special issues of Applied Ergonomics devoted to this topic. The main aspects of current consumer ergonomics research, for example the fields of application, available techniques and relevant criteria, are reviewed by drawing on papers from this special series and other complementary published work. Some criticisms are made relating to the failure to achieve the systematic application of ergonomics in the design process, and a series of recommendations is made as to how the contribution of ergonomics could be made more effective. Finally, the future of consumer ergonomics in considered in the light of three major trends - the increased complexity of products, changes in social climate and forthcoming changes in consumer legislation.     

Web application security engineering

Integrating security throughout the life cycle can improve overall Web application security. With a detailed review of the steps involved in applying security-specific activities throughout the software development life cycle, the author walks practitioners through effective, efficient application design, development, and testing. With this article, the author shares a way to improve Web application security by integrating security throughout the life cycle. The ideas he present here are based on empirical evidence from consulting with hundreds of customers - real-world scenarios with real project constraints and security concerns - across a variety of scenarios and putting into practice the security techniques that the experts know. The result is an approach that has evolved and refined itself over time.     

Ergonomic problems in ship control

This is the first of two papers concerned with the application of ergonomics in marine systems. Ergonomics problems in ship control will be discussed in this paper, and a subsequent paper, by D.M. Anderson, will illustrate the contributions of ergonomics to bridge design by means of a case study. Ergonomics problems in ship control are identified with basic human limitations in perception, decision making and control. Ergonomics can make immediate contributions towards minimising many of these difficulties. Guidance can also be provided in the development of new marine systems to overcome the human limitations of the mariner.     

Breaking away from the conventional 'usability lab': the Customer-Centered Design Group at Tektronix, Inc.

The conventional usability lab is primarily responsible for testing prototypes and products to determine if customers will accept a new design. Often this testing comes too late in the development cycle to allow major design or product changes to occur. In the Customer-Centered Design Group at Tektronix Labs, the usability lab is a small part of our group's involvement in the entire design life cycle of a Tektronix product. We work with design groups to bring the benefits of a usability lab to all phases of design, beginning with understanding our customer's current system and work processes to assessing the competitor's strengths and weaknesses to simulating and evaluating design alternatives. Our 'lab' is often on the road; meeting with customers where they work, working with design teams to simulate and prototype designs, and evaluating designs with our customers. To keep in touch with customers and to keep product development focused, we feel a usability group must break down the barriers inherent in a conventional testing suite. By breaking these barriers we can better determine what customers need and how these needs are addressed throughout the entire product life cycle.     

The IEA contribution to the transition of Ergonomics from research to practice

The future growth of ergonomics as a scientific discipline will require a greater focus on methods to transition research findings into practice. Whilst the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) and the Federated Ergonomics Societies provide opportunities to promote exchange on ergonomics research and collaboration in research programs, the future sustainability of the domain will be dependent on the provision of ongoing educational opportunities in ergonomics and the transitioning of the research findings into practice. This transition will require greater external focus outside the ergonomics profession in working in collaboration and partnership with other professional associations, governments and international agencies. Practical tools that are targeted towards particular user groups within the community, workplace, and governments will enhance the opportunities for the transition of ergonomics research into practice. Focus on extramural initiatives such as Ergonomics Checkpoints, integration of the ergonomics design process into the International Organisation for Standardization Guidelines, and the incorporation of ergonomics into the World Health Organisation research programs will ensure that the positioning of ergonomics will continue at an international level.     

Complexity assessment: A design and management tool for information system development

Information system complexity is related to many software engineering metrics. Design, construction and maintenance difficulty can be associated with their respective complexity metrics. Complexity measurement algorithms for information system schemas are considered. A set of properties is proposed that serve as a basis for complexity assessment throughout the life cycle. Heretofore, an emphasis in system engineering has been the analysis of software program complexity. Current work, as well as new alternative measures, in software complexity are discussed. Complexity measurement is extended to include other major phases of the system life cycle. Benefits include the evaluation of complexity propagation between system development life cycle phases. Complexity projection provides for improved management of the development process. The implementation of the Dynamic Complexity Monitor (DYCOM) is discussed. DYCOM is comprised of analyzers and models useful in both research and industrial environments. DYCOM supports complexity assessment for requirement definitions, logical and physical design schemata, and implementation and maintenance. The system determines complexity projection functions between life cycle phases. Further, projection functions are automatically updated as the system is used. DYCOM “learns” from system development experience. Also, proposed complexity models can easily be added to DYCOM in order to evaluate their utility. DYCOM serves as a laboratory for examination of alternative complexity metrics.     

人机工程学在鞋类设计中的应用

本文从人机工程学角度分析鞋类设计的各个要素,即尺寸、功能、样式、材料、色彩以及人的心理六个要素。探讨鞋类设计与人机工程学的关系,力求寻找满足人们需要的最佳鞋类设计原则,从而为人机工程学在鞋类设计中的应用提供有力素材。     

Breaking away from the conventional ‘usability lab’: the Customer-Centered Design Group at Tektronix,Inc.

Abstract

The conventional usability lab is primarily responsible for testing prototypes and products to determine if customers will accept a new design. Often this testing comes too late in the development cycle to allow major design or product changes to occur. In the Customer-Centered Design Group at Tektronix Labs, the usability lab is a small part of our group's involvement in the entire design life cycle of a Tektronix product. We work with design groups to bring the benefits of a usability lab to all phases of design, beginning with understanding our customer's current system and work processes to assessing the competitor's strengths and weaknesses to simulating and evaluating design alternatives. Our ‘lab’ is often on the road; meeting with customers where they work, working with design teams to simulate and prototype designs, and evaluating designs with our customers. To keep in touch with customers and to keep product development focused, we feel a usability group must break down the barriers inherent in a conventional testing suite. By breaking these barriers we can better determine what customers need and how these needs are addressed throughout the entire product life cycle.     

Interoperability of manufacturing applications using the Core Manufacturing Simulation Data (CMSD) standard information model

The goal of this paper is to propose an approach to enhance interoperability between manufacturing applications using the Core Manufacturing Simulation Data Information Model (CMSDIM) in order to streamline design and manufacturing activities throughout the product life cycle. To this end, a system framework required to facilitate such interoperability is first presented. The proposed approach, architecture, and developed translators are then illustrated and demonstrated using two separate case studies. The first case study facilitates design for manufacturing and assembly improvements for the development of new products, allowing for part of a discrete event simulation model of a downstream manufacturing and assembly process to be automatically generated from corresponding product assembly information contained in the lean design engineering software. Conceptual design and development of this case study, which extracts outputs from Design Profit™ lean design software and generates a corresponding discrete event simulation model in ProModel™ for a Nikon® L-100 Camera, is then discussed. The second case study demonstrates interoperability of three applications (order and inventory system, Gantt chart scheduler, and discrete event simulation) for a generic job shop operation. Using the considered case studies, this paper also details and demonstrates the benefits of interoperability enhancement using the CMSDIM, which is an important consideration in any product life cycle. Finally, we discuss how future research opportunities integrating additional manufacturing applications can be used to address intellectual challenges present in our current approach.     

Mapping the relationships between work and sustainability and the opportunities for ergonomic action

A map was drawn up of the relationships between work (in its multiple interpretations) and sustainability (sustainable development and corporate sustainability) based on a bibliographic analysis of articles that discuss these themes jointly in the current academic literature. The position of the discipline of ergonomics focused on work was identified from this map and, based on its specific academic literature, it was possible to identify where this discipline could contribute so that work and workers can be included in the discourse of sustainable development and considered in corporate sustainability policies. Ergonomics can be actively influential within the organization on issues relating to work improvements; it may boost integrated increases in the organization's performance and in workers' well-being; it can provide support for changes and new (environmental) sustainability-related work requirements to be considered; and it can contribute to the definition of the concept of work in a context of sustainable development.     

Ergonomics in action: human factors at SUNY at Buffalo

In this further contribution to the Ergonomics in Action series, the authors review work at SUNY in terms of the historical background, teaching, theoretical and applied research and future prospects.     

劝导技术及其设计评估的分析

劝导技术是利用计算机、设备及应用软件来影响人类想法及行为的技术。该文对劝导技术的发展及其现状进行了综述，并着重对劝导技术的可信度及其三类劝导技术应用结果通过心理学的角度进行了分析。系统生命周期是现代设计方法理念的一个重要概念，该文介绍了系统生命周期，并介绍了基于系统生命周期中的劝导技术的设计评估行为。该文为劝导技术产品研究设计分析提供了系统的理论的指导。     

劝导技术及其设计评估的分析

劝导技术是利用计算机、设备及应用软件来影响人类想法及行为的技术。该文对劝导技术的发展及其现状进行了综述,并着重对劝导技术的可信度及其三类劝导技术应用结果通过心理学的角度进行了分析。系统生命周期是现代设计方法理念的一个重要概念,该文介绍了系统生命周期,并介绍了基于系统生命周期中的劝导技术的设计评估行为。该文为劝导技术产品研究设计分析提供了系统的理论的指导。     

Large-scale regional economic development: Macroergonomics in theory and practice

Ergonomics has traditionally focused on improving such indices as productivity, health and safety, and quality of work life. Such improvements are necessary to individuals and organizations, but may not be sufficient, as emphasized by the recent focus on community ergonomics and other “macrosystem” concerns. Ergonomists have begun to apply their technologies to go beyond traditional measures to impact regional economic development. A model for ergonomics in regional economic development was developed from a successful 10-year intervention in New York State. After presenting this model in terms of organizational design and core processes, two industrial cases are summarized to help validate the approach. Two large plants and industrial employers were threatened with closure. Macroergonomic assessment, research, and intervention led to significant job retention, facilities expansion, and job creation. Within 5 years, the approach was credited with several turnarounds, retaining and expanding thousands of jobs and transforming the regional economy. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The client-centred approach: expert system development

Abstract: This paper describes a project that is studying an expert system (ES) development method tailored to meet the requirements of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It is posited that many such organisations cannot use ES technology because of its high entry price and because the available tools and methods were developed for and by large organisations. Within this context our development method encompasses the entire life cycle of an ES from initial conception to implementation through to maintenance and updating. The central premise is that the method should be 'client-centred', emphasising what the client can see, rather than being 'technology-centred', emphasising how the knowledge engineers work. Discussion includes how this methodology addresses many criticisms of current ES development methods, including rapid prototyping and KADS.     

On the design and synthesis of limit cycles using switching linear systems

This article deals with the design and synthesis of limit cycles for a class of switched linear systems. This work is motivated by an application in the context of electrical networks, but the methodologies can be applied in other engineering fields as well. Several methods for the design and synthesis of limit cycles are presented. Based on a monodromy matrix associated with a periodically switched system, a design method and two feedback strategies are developed. The first strategy is based on linear feedback design using pole placement. The second strategy is based on the observation that certain state-dependent switching strategies can be implemented by means of a simple nonlinear output feedback controller. Advantages of this latter strategy are not only the ease with which the switching strategy can be implemented, but also the fact that classical techniques may also be used to ascertain the stability of the resulting limit cycle. Our next contribution is the development of a novel frequency domain-based approach to limit cycle design. This approach is based on the observation that the existence of certain limit cycles can be deduced from an infinity of circle criteria generated by a family of periodic systems. By making use of recent results, this observation can be used to develop a one-parameter spectral search to deduce the approximate frequencies of feasible limit cycles. Having selected a frequency of oscillation, one may then make use of the aforementioned nonlinear elements to realise a switching strategy that generates a stable limit cycle with given frequency and amplitude. Examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the approaches presented.     

Adaptive Techniques for Universal Access

This paper discusses the contribution of adaptive techniques to Universal Access in Human–Computer Interaction. To this effect, the paper revisits the concept of Universal Access, briefly reviews relevant work on adaptive techniques, and follows their application in efforts to provide accessibility of interactive systems, from the early, product- and environment-level adaptation-based approaches, to more generic solutions oriented towards Universal Access. Finally, the paper highlights some of the research challenges ahead. The normative perspective of the paper is that adaptive techniques in the context of Universal Access have the potential to facilitate both accessibility and high quality interaction, for the broadest possible end-user population. This implies the design of systems that undertake context-sensitive processing so as to manifest their functional core in alternative interactive embodiments suitable for different users, usage patterns and contexts of use. Such a capability needs to be built into the system from the early phases of conception and design, and subsequently validated throughout its life cycle.