Human Factors and Ergonomics I (056:144) Timothy L. Brown Adjunct Professor Department of Mechanical &Industrial Engineering Senior Research Associate National Advanced Driving Simulator

Course Goals n Develop sensitivity to human capabilities and their implications for system performance. n Develop task analysis skills to understand human/machine interactions. n Apply human performance principles to system design and evaluation. n Learn accident analysis techniques to identify causes and cures.

Medical errors

Design Challenge (S. Guerlain) n Two flows in a process are related Flow 2 should always be set 5 greater than Flow1 Neither flow should be set to less than 50 or greater than 100. n Design a display or set of displays that: shows the current flow for each variable. allows the user to adjust the flows to maintain their relationship. doesn’t allow the user to set either flow outside its boundaries.

One solution Flow 1 Flow Flow2 should always be set 5 greater than Flow1, and neither flow should be set to less than 50 or greater than 100.

Another solution F1: F2:62 57

Design considerations n Make the invisible visible (from zip lock to nuclear power plants) n Minimize need for instructions and labels n Minimize the need to remember n Usability testing, even designs based on good theory can fail in practice n Programmability and other engineering constraints may make even good HF considerations impractical

Case studies n Traditional engineering knowledge – of electronics chemistry, physics, structures, and materials – is insufficient in and of itself for the design of technologies which play such a profound role in our lives. (Casey, 1998)

Goals of Human Factors n Safety n Productivity n Comfort n Acceptance n Error reduction

Achieving HF goals n Task design n Equipment design n Environmental design n Training n Selection

Human Factors and other Disciplines Experimental Psychology Biological Psychology Bioengineering Operations EngineeringIndustrial Engineering Industrial Psychology Social Psychology Training Displays Workload Communications Decision making Job Design Workplace Layout Anthropometry Domain Engineering (computer science, transportation, manufacturing,...) Artificial Int. Industrial Design Cognitive Science Statistics Management

Human Factors design cycle Brain Body System Environment Task Equipment Selection Training Identify problems with: Productivity, Safety, Acceptance,... Design solutions Human Factors tools and principles