'Putting People Power into Design' WebQuest
by Yvonne Toft
Introduction ·
Question ·
Background Info ·
Individual Roles ·
Group Process
Rubric ·
Conclusion ·
Teacher's Guide
Introduction ·
Question ·
Background Info ·
Individual Roles ·
Group Process
Rubric ·
Conclusion ·
Teacher's Guide
Introduction
What's the truth and who says so? In the old days (say just before you were born), people could read books, study, and feel pretty sure they knew what was going on. Then things started changing. We realized everyone had an opinion and if we listened, we could learn something. We also found that a lot of topics weren't separate, but connected to each other. So thinking in little boxes didn't work so well. Then along came the Web. Ah-oh... Because anyone can publish a Web page and passionate people tend to want to get their ideas out there, almost any interest, concern or issue has its online community.
Guess what: you're going to use the Web for learning. And grabbing someone else's ideas without giving them a close look is worse than silly. Think of it as intellectual slavery. So let's break the chains.
As a group you're going to explore the topic of human centred system design. Each member of your team will become an expert in one part of the topic. Then you'll have to come back together to answer a question that gets to the heart of 'what's the truth and who says so?' We want you to do a good job, so why not read the evaluation rubric for this WebQuest?
The Question
The main question you will be asked to find an answer for is:
Your Quest(ion) is - What are the key ergonomics concepts that need to be incorporated into system designs?
Your task is to develop 'The Seven Golden Rules that should be applied in the development of all system designs'. For each rule state the consequences for not applying this rule.
Background Information
'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)
This is an amusing but typical example of not designing for the human element in systems. Before becoming an expert on one aspect of this topic, we'd better make sure that everyone on your WebQuest team knows the basics. Use the links below to answer the six general questions: who? what? where? when? why? and how? Make sure everyone on your team can answer all the questions before moving into your individual roles.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Extreme Engineering A celebration of engineering potential.
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.
Learning from disaster Check this out for some interesting perspectives.
List of disasters From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
US Department of Denfense Human Factors Guide A huge collection of design guides
National Occupational Health & Safety Commission - Safe Design Resources Check out the various safe design resources and be sure to also check out many of the links to other resources
Ergonomics Hotlist: Keys to successful design Lots of information to assist your understanding of ergonomics.
Individual Roles
Now that you have some overall background knowledge, it's time to return to the main question for this WebQuest. Questions this big and important are better answered when a few people are working on it at one time. Things work even better when a group of you decide to look at the question from different perspectives. This way team members can become experts on different aspects of the question and then come together to pool their learning. This is where team work pays off. So are you ready to divide and conquer this question?
Cognitive Ergonomics
Use the links below to learn more about your role. Specifically, look for answers to the following questions:
1. What common lessons can you take from these examples?
2. What do designers need to know about these lessons?
3. How important would you rate the inclusion of these concepts in the development of systems design?
- 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?
Help Page: Strategy for Analyzing how the Topic Functions, Works or Interacts
Physical Ergonomics
Use the links below to learn more about your role. Specifically, look for answers to the following questions:
1. What common lessons can you take from these examples?
2. What do designers need to know about these lessons?
3. How important would you rate the inclusion of these concepts in the development of systems design?
- 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.
Help Page: Strategy for Analyzing how the Topic Functions, Works or Interacts
Organisational Ergonomics
Use the links below to learn more about your role. Specifically, look for answers to the following questions:
1. What common lessons can you take from these examples?
2. What do designers need to know about these lessons?
3. How important would you rate the inclusion of these concepts in the development of systems design?
- 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.
Help Page: Strategy for Analyzing how the Topic Functions, Works or Interacts
Emergency Actions and Reactions
Use the links below to learn more about your role. Specifically, look for answers to the following questions:
1. What common lessons can you take from these examples?
2. What do designers need to know about these lessons?
3. How important would you rate the inclusion of these concepts in the development of systems design?
- 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.
Help Page: Strategy for Analyzing how the Topic Functions, Works or Interacts
Group Synthesis
Congratulations! Your team is now full of expertise. Each person (or pair) on your team have become experts on the topic of human centred system design. You've all learned a lot of information. But guess what, gathering useful information isn't the same as truly understanding a topic. What experts in the field of learning suggest is that you now use that information in a new and challenging way. Then you'll really know about this topic.
So with your team members all gathered together, carefully read and try answering the main question for this WebQuest. See where you all agree and where differences arise. Below is a link to some activities that should help you with your task.
Use information, pictures, movies, facts, opinions, etc you explored to convince your teammates that your viewpoint is important and should be part of your team's answer to the Task / Quest(ion). Your WebQuest team should write out an answer that everyone on the team can live with.
You and your teammates have learned a lot by dividing up into different roles. Now's the time to put your learning into an email you'll send out for real world feedback. Together you will write an email that contains opinions, information, and perspectives that you've gained. Here's the process:
1. Begin your email with a statement of who you are and why you are writing your message to this particular person, list or organization (don't feel limited to the suggested links below).
2. Give background information that shows you understand the topic.
STATE THE TASK / QUEST(ION) AND YOUR GROUP'S ANSWER.
3. Each person in your group should write a paragraph that gives two good reasons supporting the group's opinion. Make sure to be specific in both the information (like where you got it from on the Web) and the reasoning (why the information proves your group's point).
4. Use the links below to make contact.
5. Your emails and responses should be submitted to your lecturer.
Cooperative learning activities Use two or three of these activities to help you on your way.
Real World Feedback:
Ergonomics info: Mailing lists
Yvonne Toft, y.toft@cqu.edu.au
Conclusion
At the beginning of this activity, you were asked about the truth. Did you discover it? Was there only one? Did everyone on your team think so? How did you answer the main question for this WebQuest? Have you checked the evaluation rubric to guide what you did?
You deserve a lot of praise for all the work you've done. And so does your brain. You've sure put that gray stuff to the test. You gained background information, developed expertise in one particular area and got into some pretty expert analysis. At times, you must have felt confused with ideas spinning every which way. That's normal when you're building new mental connections. It's funny, with each link between what you already knew and the new learning going on, you broke another different kind of link, remember the intellectual slavery we spoke about earlier? You're free! Go back now, revisit the 'design problem'in the background material, do you have any new insights? How will you use these ideas and strategies as you continue to grow and learn? It's all up to you. Good luck.
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created by Yvonne Toft email: y.toft@cqu.edu.au http://web-and-flow.com/members/ytoft/ergoeng/webquest.htm |