Showing papers in "Ergonomics in Design in 2019"
TL;DR: This work evaluated the usability of one medication management app and two congestive heart failure management apps using cognitive walkthroughs, heuristic analysis, and user testing, and identified design issues that may affect usability for older users, including poor navigation, small button sizes, and inadequate data visualizations.
Abstract: With smartphone use among older populations on the rise, older adults have increased access to health-focused mobile apps. Despite their potential benefits for managing health, currently no guideli...
37 citations
TL;DR: The different types of checklists, how they aid user performance, the barriers to their adoption, and strategies for increasing user acceptance are reviewed.
Abstract: Since its initial introduction in the 1930s, checklists have proven their worth in aviation and have been increasingly promoted in medicine as a cognitive aid that can improve patient outcomes. Thi...
21 citations
TL;DR: Trust is fundamental to creating a lasting relationship with another human being and as the relationship between the trustor and the trustee progresses, dependability or integrity replaces predictability as the basis of trust.
Abstract: Trust is fundamental to creating a lasting relationship with another human being. In our daily lives, we encounter several situations where we place trust on other humans such as bus drivers, colleagues, and even strangers. Trust in human-human teams is initially founded on the predictability of the trustee, and as the relationship between the trustor and the trustee progresses, dependability or integrity replaces predictability as the basis of trust (Hoff & Bashir, 2015). As artificial intelligence (AI) gets smarter and smarter, it is becoming an integral part of human lives. For example, AI is being used for scheduling appointments, powering smart homes, recognizing people’s faces in photos, making health diagnoses, providing investment advice, and several other things. As with a humanhuman team, trust is a necessary ingredient for human-AI partnerships. However, trust in human-human teams progresses in the reverse order from human-human teams (e.g., Hoff & Bashir, 2015). This is because humans initially assume that AI is near perfect. Therefore, in the initial stages, faith forms the essential constituent of trust, and as the number of exchanges between the human and the AI increases, faith is replaced by dependability and predictability. Trust in AI is considered a twodimensional construct comprising trust and distrust, where trust is associated with feelings of calmness and security and distrust involves fear and worry (Lyons, Stokes, Eschleman, Alarcon, & Barelka, 2011). Unarguably, trust is a complex social process with a variety of factors determining the extent to which humans trust AI agents (Hoff & Bashir, 2015; Lee & See, 2004). Specifically, in order to calibrate the right level of trust in AI, consider dispositional (i.e., user characteristics such as age, culture, gender, and personality), internal (e.g., user characteristics such as workload, mood, self-confidence, and working memory capacity), environmental (e.g., task difficulty, perceived risks and benefits, organizational setting), and learned factors (e.g., reputation of the AI, reliability, consistency, type and timing of errors made by the AI, and users’ experience with similar agents). Design factors (e.g., appearance, ease of use, communication style, and transparency of the AI) also affect perceptions of trust. For example, anthrophomorphizing is an effective way of establishing a long-term social bond between humans and AI agents, which is driven by the neurotransmitter and hormone, oxytocin (e.g., de Visser et al., 2017). Further, anthropomorphic agents also resist breakdown in trust compared to their counterpart non-anthropomorphic agents, presumably because anthropomorphic agents remind users of humans who are forgiven more easily for being imperfect in comparison to machine-like agents. Interestingly, there is also evidence that humans tend to disclose more information to AI therapists than human therapists. Transparency of the AI also helps to calibrate the right level of trust by enabling users to develop accurate mental models of the AI underpinnings (e.g., Balfe, Sharples, & Wilson, 2018). 818592 ERGXXX10.1177/1064804618818592ergonomics in designergonomics in design research-article2018
20 citations
TL;DR: This paper illustrates the necessity of taking a user-centered approach to privacy and security when designing and developing IoT technologies.
Abstract: The “Internet of things” (IoT) refers to Internet-enabled technologies designed to increase the efficiency of users’ lives by communicating with other objects and elements in a system. The growth i...
11 citations
TL;DR: This strategy first uses artificial intelligence systems to transform low-level input data into high-level sociocultural features and these features are conveyed using a multifactored temporal design that uses speech, sonification, auditory scenes, and music.
Abstract: Social media is an overwhelmingly visual medium, and we ask the simple question: How can the data and images of social media posts be transformed into something as meaningful and vivid in the auditory sense? Such a design would be useful for eyes-free browsing and could enhance the existing visual media. Our strategy first uses artificial intelligence systems to transform low-level input data into high-level sociocultural features. These features are then conveyed using a multifactored temporal design that uses speech, sonification, auditory scenes, and music.
10 citations
TL;DR: Hill-Rom developed the Centrella bed, which includes new features to address patient satisfaction, patient safety, and caregiver efficiency and is the winner of the 2017 Stanley Caplan User Centered Design Award.
Abstract: The modern hospital bed is a sophisticated medical device, and its users represent a diversity of abilities and needs. To develop a new bed, Hill-Rom studied these users in nearly 500 hr of observa...
8 citations
TL;DR: If novel footwear design could aid in postural stability and fall prevention in workplace and minimalistic footwear that has design features such as low mass, lower heel height, and thin midsole can positively influence postural instability are identified.
Abstract: The purpose of the article is to identify if novel footwear design could aid in postural stability and fall prevention in workplace. Footwear design has been reported to aid the task of maintaining...
7 citations
TL;DR: The scan and print method uses 3D scan technology, CAD design software, and 3D printing to create the next generation of better fitting wearable products with shorter lead-times and improved fit.
Abstract: Product designers create the beautiful products we use every day from iPhones to eyewear. Every product aspires to mesh seamlessly with the human body. The wearable technology market is increasing ...
5 citations
TL;DR: An instructor taught students to use industry-standard anthropometric data sets by applying them to a long-term, alternative vehicle design project within industrial design courses to produce a robust, anthropometrically appropriate model that balances multiple design constraints.
Abstract: An instructor taught students to use industry-standard anthropometric data sets by applying them to a long-term, alternative vehicle design project within industrial design courses. Students learned how to verify existing anthropometric data through physical testing using three-dimensional mock-ups to produce a robust, anthropometrically appropriate model that balances multiple design constraints. As a practical exercise, students examined aesthetics and control interface of the vehicle interior focusing on human interaction, optimum comfort, and control within the confined constraints of the aerodynamically optimized vehicle packaging. Ultimately, students gained insights into how to apply ergonomics to new, varied design challenges through these educational tasks.
4 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study with 9- to 10-year-old children in a supervised setting is presented. But the evaluation methods emphasizing children's natural interaction help in getting feedback from children for product development.
Abstract: Evaluation methods emphasizing children’s natural interaction help in getting feedback from children for product development. This paper presents a case study with 9- to 10-year-old children in a s...
2 citations
TL;DR: The PhET project as discussed by the authors ) is a collection of over 130 interactive simulations designed to teach physics concepts to students from elementary to university levels, which rely heavily on visual and audio cues.
Abstract: The PhET project is a collection of over 130 interactive simulations (or “sims”) designed to teach physics concepts to students from elementary to university levels. The sims rely heavily on visual...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a monitoring task simulating drilling scenarios, Drillers' Situation Awareness Task, with drilling experts and piloted with 14 drilling personnel and found that it is viable as a tool for examining drillers' cognition and has the potential for training and formatively assessing cognitive skills in drilling.
Abstract: Drilling incidents have emphasized that offshore drillers require a high level of cognitive skills, including situation awareness and decision making, to maintain safe and efficient well control. Although a number of tools for supporting operators’ cognition are available in other high-risk industries, there is no specific tool for drilling. We developed a prototype monitoring task simulating drilling scenarios, Drillers’ Situation Awareness Task, with drilling experts and piloted with 14 drilling personnel. Preliminary results suggest that it is viable as a tool for examining drillers’ cognition and has the potential for training and formatively assessing cognitive skills in drilling.
TL;DR: In this article, the amplitude envelope (i.e., sound shape) of tones was found to affect user preference, and participants were willing to pay 9% more for products using sounds with decaying-amplitude envelopes rather than abruptly ending envelopes.
Abstract: Interfaces play a crucial role in a device’s success or failure. Although visual aspects generally receive more attention, findings from sonic interaction design increasingly illustrate the importance of auditory aesthetics in creating desirable products. Here we show that small changes to the amplitude envelope (i.e., “sound shape”) of tones affect user preference. Specifically, participants are willing to pay 9% more for products using sounds with decaying-amplitude envelopes rather than abruptly ending envelopes that are common in many device sounds. These findings hold important implications for cost-effective changes that could potentially improve a product’s desirability and perceived value.
TL;DR: An interactive sonification system that lets users listen to their own hand/arm movement and bicep muscle signals as sonic feedback during biceps curls exercise to improve the exercise quality and user motivation is developed.
Abstract: We developed an interactive sonification system that lets users listen to their own hand/arm movement and bicep muscle signals as sonic feedback during biceps curls exercise. The system aims to imp...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a method to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive motion stresses and strains in a commercial laboratory environment by reducing or eliminating the need for repetitive motions.
Abstract: Repetitive tasks performed in a commercial laboratory potentially expose lab technicians to repetitive-motion stresses and strains. Our goal was to reduce or eliminate the risk of injuries through ...
TL;DR: Affective computing is a method of using computers to sense human emotion through nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, text, and voice, and is being deployed rapidly across multiple industries.
Abstract: Affective computing refers to computing that is capable of “recognizing, expressing, modeling, communicating, and responding to emotion” (Picard, 2003, p. 56). To put it simply, it is a method of using computers to sense human emotion through nonverbal cues such as facial expressions (e.g., Angerer & Bösel, 2016), text (e.g., Yam, 2015), and voice (e.g., Robinson, 2019). Affective computing technologies are being used in several fields, including medicine, automotive, education, law enforcement, advertising, and entertainment (Clark, 2012; Dwoskin & Rusli, 2015; Lee, 2012; Lieberman, 2018; Robinson, 2019), and the market is expected to grow up to $50 billion by 2022 (Kleber, 2018). For example, the AI startup Affectiva has created an automative AI that claims to infer the emotional state of drivers by analyzing their facial and vocal expressions (Affectiva, 2018). Similarly, VoiceSense attempts to use voice emotion analytics to make determinations about speakers’ emotions (VoiceSense, 2018). While affective computing technology is being deployed rapidly across multiple industries, it is fraught with several problems, which are outlined in the following:
TL;DR: The patterns of hand-to-product contact areas are investigated by identifying the potential locations to couple an external add-on tracing device on surgical instruments by determining the contact areas between surgeons' hands and different surgical instruments.
Abstract: The interaction of hand tools with the user is crucial and a key factor for his or her performance. In specific medical devices like surgical instruments, it is also important to ensure patient saf...
TL;DR: Banks and Stanton (2017) bring a comprehensive discourse of considerations of the new challenge of automobile automation in their book, which takes on a theoretical perspective on the changing role of the driver within automated vehicles.
Abstract: Vehicle automation is happening at a rapid pace. Automation is not necessarily the driverless car (although that is what technology is working toward) but automated functionality within the vehicle. Many manufactures (existing and new to the sector) are conducting on-road vehicle testing to progress the technology as fast as possible, with variable results, as has been widely documented in mainstream media. Within all this automation, the human needs to be considered in the fullest sense. History shows us that with automation brings ironies (see Bainbridge 1983), and Banks and Stanton (2017) bring a comprehensive discourse of considerations of the new challenge of automobile automation in their book. The book takes on a theoretical perspective on the changing role of the driver within automated vehicles. The book covers the three main research areas the authors identify, namely
TL;DR: This feature critically examines poor designs encountered in typical public facilities in the Western world and suggests guidelines for future improvements.
Abstract: Modern public restrooms are fitted with a wide range of automated fixtures that promote cleanliness and afford ease of use. Unfortunately, frustrations pervade from the lack of usable and effective restroom technologies. This feature critically examines poor designs encountered in typical public facilities in the Western world and suggests guidelines for future improvements.
TL;DR: By acknowledging the relationship between aesthetics and information presentation, sound designers may develop designs that are safer and more user-friendly, with implications for the emergence of sonic information design as a subtype of human factors design.
Abstract: It might be suggested that composition and sonic information design are fundamentally different. However, some academic commentators and composers have explored the intersection between these disciplines. The authors presented one such work, Eonsounds: Fiamignano Gorge, at International Community of Auditory Display 2017. We argue that analysis of the aesthetic and informational choices in such hybrid works is essential to the development of sonic information design, with implications for the emergence of sonic information design as a subtype of human factors design. By acknowledging the relationship between aesthetics and information presentation, sound designers may develop designs that are safer and more user-friendly.