Topic 1: Human Factors And Ergonomics Flashcards
(20 cards)
Ergonomics
the science of designing products, systems, or environments to consider the interaction between humans and their surroundings
Anthropometric
consists of measurements of the human body–height, weight, arm length,
Primary Data
data about the specific target audience that is gathered first hand by designer.
Secondary Data
typically comes from data sets that are produced by government agencies or research groups and have a relatively large sample size
Static Measurements
measurements of length between points on a body.
Dynamic Measurements
measurements of reach, movement, or strength. used to determine how a person moves in a space or how much force is required to complete an action
Nominal Scale
used for labelling a variable. examples are checkboxes for characteristics such as gender, city, favorite food, etc.. The items in the list have no real numerical value or relationship to one another.
Ordinal Scale
list items in order of importance or significance. usually measure a feeling or perception along a continuum (unhappy to happy). there is no numerical difference between on value and the next.
Interval Scale
represent the order of values as well as showing the difference.
Ratio Scale
show the exact difference between units (Interval scales); show the order of units (Ordinal scales); and they have absolute zero.
provide the most comprehensive form of quantitative data for analysis and research.
Factors that affect how well we process information
Age: user may be too young and not have learnt the skills to accomplish the task; the use may be too old and have forgotten how to do the task.
Strength: user may be too weak to do the task.
Skills: user may not have learnt the skills yet, or the skills may be to complex to learn without a lot of practice.
Health: user may not be physically or mentally healthy enough to carry out the task.
Environmental Factors
can affect how they perform. include sound, temperature, lighting, air quality, and smell. can have effects on Comfort, Alertness, and Perception
Alertness
the ability to be focused and awake. Environmental factors will affect our level of alertness in different ways:
Temperature: Too hot and we get sleepy and less alert; Too cold and we become very alert
Sound: Too loud and it can be distracting or even damaging to our hearing. Repetitive or high-pitched sounds can be annoying, distracting, or irritating.
Lighting: Too dark or too light can cause strain on the eyes, causing headaches. Types of indoor lighting can also affect people.
Air quality: Dusty or stuffy air can make it difficult to breathe.
Smell: Bad smells can be distracting and repulsive.
Perception
While we may be able to measure an environmental factor using quantitative data (the room temperature, for example), the perception will vary from person to person.
Physiological Factors
encompass the physical aspect of the body. Some they may consider are:
- Muscle strength in different positions: How strong a muscle is in different positions.
- Endurance in different positions (how long a position can be maintained before discomfort sets in)
- Visual acuity (how well the user can see under different conditions)
- Tolerance to hot or cold temperatures
- Range of frequencies that can be heard by humans
- Hand/eye coordination
Biomechanics
study the mechanical movements of our body. focuses on how our body moves and how it is affected by different forces.
understanding the range and ability of the human body can help us design products that can comfortably, safely, and efficiently meet the needs of users.
Force
amount of compression, pushing, twisting, pulling, etc., that a person can exert. It is directly related to muscle strength.
Repetition
How frequently a task is repeated. Task that are repeated at a high frequency can impact the body in a negative way.
Posture
position the body is in
Duration
How long the task is performed or repeated.
