Conceptualising people as integral elements in system design
by Yvonne Toft
Introduction · Activities · rubric · conclusion · teacher's guide
Introduction · Activities · rubric · conclusion · teacher's guide
Introduction
The Problem:
The classic of all design deficiencies which have come to our attention was a combination safety shower and eyewash constructed at a northern missile site. In order to operate the eyewash, it was necessary for a man, who might already be blinded by acid, to put his head in the eyewash bowl and then to turn on the water valve with his right foot. The only problem was that the foot-operated valve was about four feet to his rear and higher than his waist. As an additional feature, if a man did happen to hit the valve, he got a full shower from overhead as well as getting his eye washed out. However, the whole problem became academic in winter because the whole system froze up.(Anonymous, 1959)
The Solution: Human Centred System Design
Here we go ... your opportunity to begin conceptualising people as integral elements in system design.
If every time we encountered something new, we had to learn about it as if we'd never seen anything in our lives before, we'd never get past the bedroom door. Part of learning is being able to group examples of things into sets or concepts that share common elements, or critical attributes. So we know most four-legged fuzzy things that bark are dogs, most Hollywood movies end happily, and most university assignments are incredibly interesting and inspiring. Well, if you have to learn about which are examples of a concept and what aren't, then it helps to analyze a group of good examples to see what they have in common. That's what we'll be doing in this activity. If you want to get a feel for what good conceptual learning looks like, review the evaluation rubric that goes with this activity. Either way, get ready to switch on your brain, open your eyes, and begin to recognize the critical attributes that define the key aspects of these concepts.
Web Activities
Engineers are ingeniousEngineers partially cause major accidentsUse the links above to look at examples of this concept. Try to find important things that are common to each example. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any example of this concept has to have? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have. Celebrate the potential of engineering.
- The Museum of Unworkable Devices
- This museum is a celebration of fascinating devices that don't work. It houses diverse examples of the perverse genius of inventors who refused to let their thinking be intimidated by the laws of nature, remaining optimistic in the face of repeated failures.
- How Stuff Works
- Ingenious engineers.
- Extreme Engineering
- A celebration of engineering potential.
Engineers cause error through designUse the links above to look at examples of this concept. Try to find important things that are common to each example. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any example of this concept has to have? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Australian and International Incidents
- Look for the web links to a variety of incidents from all over the world with a special emphasis on human error as a major contributing factor.
- Victorian State Coroners Office - Findings
- Travel through the learning that we can take to all engineering projects. An opportunity to give a voice to the dead to protect the living.
- List of disasters
- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
People come in all sizesUse the links above to look at examples of this concept. Try to find important things that are common to each example. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any example of this concept has to have? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Disaster by Design
- Human errors account for a growing share of accidents and misfortune in our skies, waterways, workplaces, and hospitals. Structurally sound aircraft plummet to the earth, industrial machines run awry, and the instruments of medical science sometimes harm unsuspecting patients, all because of incompatibilities between the way things are designed and the way people perceive that they should be used.
- Bad Human Factors Design
- A collection of 'what not to do' in design.
- Learning from disaster
- Check this out for some interesting perspectives.
People have expectationsUse the links above to look at examples of this concept. Try to find important things that are common to each example. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any example of this concept has to have? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Soyus 11 chronology
- Soyuz 11 succeeded in completing the mission that Soyuz 10 had failed at - carrying cosmonauts to live on the world's first space station, Salyut 1. After a normal re-entry, the recovery team opened the capsule to find the crew dead. It quickly became apparent that they had asphyxiated.
- Special Commission - Inquiry into the Waterfall Rail Accident
- Chapter 13 of this report (Findings and Conclusions) is presented. Considered specifically issues of human error and the Deadman system.
- A reach-around mirror
- Did the designer actually intend for it to be used?
- Hard to open!
- What not to do when designing doors.
People skills can be optimisedUse the links above to look at examples of this concept. Try to find important things that are common to each example. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any example of this concept has to have? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Interfaces that Kill - John Denver story
- John Denver died in an aircraft that had already done its best to kill two previous pilots, an aircraft with a human interface flaw so fundamental, so profound, that it finally managed to kill.
- Ballot mistake - US Elections
- The US presidential election might have been decided by the poor design of ballot papers in one Florida county where voters are said to have been confused.
- An investigation of Therac-25 accidents
- Between June 1985 and January 1987, six known accidents involved massive overdoses by the Therac-25 -- with resultant deaths and serious injuries. They have been described as the worst series of radiation accidents in the 35-year history of medical accelerators.
- This phone's broken!
- How would YOU know how to work this phone?
People have stereotypical reactionsUse the links above to look at examples of this concept. Try to find important things that are common to each example. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any example of this concept has to have? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Maximum occupancy not to exceed 182 persons
- Are you sure that you say what you mean!
- Please use sidewalks
- People will use ALL information sources.
- Longford findings
- In this coroner's case you should consider the organisational decisions on the outcome.
- Designing with the user
- A book review which highlights issues related to the social design of engineering systems.
Ergonomics prevents human errorUse the links above to look at examples of this concept. Try to find important things that are common to each example. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any example of this concept has to have? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- An investigation of the Therac-25 accidents
- Between June 1985 and January 1987, six known accidents involved massive overdoses by the Therac-25 -- with resultant deaths and serious injuries. They have been described as the worst series of radiation accidents in the 35-year history of medical accelerators.
- Linton Wildfires
- In this coroner's case you should consider the effects of design on the ability of the fire fighters to protect themselves. The link between emergency actions and design.
- Staines Air Disaster
- Look for issues related to the emergency reactions of crew and follow the links to more information.
- Disaster by Design
- Revisit Steven Casey's speech for insights into this area.
Use the links above to look at examples of this concept. Try to find important things that are common to each example. Taking all the links together, what are the key features that any example of this concept has to have? Write down the 3 - 5 things you think examples of this concept have to have.
- Seven deadly excuses for poor design
- A short article in which the author suggest seven deadly excuses for poor design. The context is software and web design but the ideas transfer well to all other types of design work.
- What they didn't teach me in design and usability school
- This short essay proffers some reasons as to why coverage of this area is limited in design courses.
- On line engineering ethics
- These brief cases present situations that raise ethical questions common in engineering practice and research.
- International Ergonomics Association
- Pay particular attention to the definition of ergonomics.
- Design by Fire
- A provocative piece that questions 'who is responsible' for poor design. The context is software and web design but the ideas transfer well to all other types of design work.
- Ergonomics Hotlist: Keys to successful design
- Lots of information to assist your understanding of ergonomics.
Conclusion
At the beginning of this activity, you were invited to review a rubric and told you'd look at Internet links that were examples of an important concept. What key features do members of this conceptual grouping have to have to fit into the group? As a class, you will now test your conceptual understanding by sharing your ideas. Finally, concept building requires sharing, discussing and comparing your ideas against those of others, so a class discussion will conclude this activity. Revisit the 'problem' in the introduction, test your new insights. By the way, how was this for a incredibly interesting and inspiring university assignment?
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created by Yvonne Toft email: y.toft@cqu.edu.au http://web-and-flow.com/members/ytoft/ergoeng/builder.htm |