Human Factors Physiological Aspects Psychological Aspects Human Interface

Human Factors • Physiological Aspects • Psychological Aspects • Human Interface with World of Work

Physiological Aspects of Human Performance • Physical structure of skeleton, muscles, nervous system, and metabolic processes • Bones-spine and upper and lower • Connected at body joints, wrist, knee etc • Joints connected by ligaments • Muscles contract and move bones • Expend energy to move • Biomechanics of motion

Psychological Aspects of Human Activities • What motivates people? • Do people like being idle? • Americans want “job enrichment”? • Who has the best ideas on how to increase productivity? • What makes people more positive at work?

Psychological Aspects of Human Activities • People are still motivated by money • People would rather be doing productive work than be idle • Many workers do not necessarily want “job enrichment” • Workers often have the best ideas on how to increase productivity if only asked • Most people respond ++ when they know objectives, what their jobs are, that they will be treated fairly, consistently and with respect

Human Interface with Work • Important interfaces – Work Environment – Social Structures – Machines – Information/Communication Systems – Organizational/Supervisory Structure – Robots/”Intelligent Machines”

Interface with Work Environment • IE’s design workplaces • Optimal location for devices • Illumination • Atmosphere • Safe and Attractive

Interface with Machines • Human serves a control function • Human factors data used to select size, shape and location of controls • Humans are better at: – Recognizing…. – Storing…. – Other words….

What are we better at? • Recognizing complex patterns • Recognizing unusual/unexpected events • Storing lots of info, long time, strategies • Quick retrieval, associating, inferring • Adapting the decision process • Reasoning inductively • Discerning most important activities

What are machines better at? • Monitoring prespecified events • Storing quantitative data quickly (lots) • Retrieving and processing data quickly • Performing repetitive activities • Responding to inputs consistently, fast • Ignoring distractions

Interface with Information/Communication Systems – One portion • Auditory vs. Visual Presentation • Auditory – Message short, simple – Not referred to later – Deals with events in time – Calls for immediate action – Visual system overburdened – Too bright, have to move a lot

More Interface: Auditory or Visual • Visual – Message is complex and long – Referred to later – Deals with location in space – Does not call for immediate action – Auditory system overburdened – Location is noisy, worker in one position