Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018)

This paper presents a new accommodation assessment method for vehicle occupants using a statistical body shape model in an augmented reality (AR) environment. Vehicle occupant accommodation assessment is an important aspect of vehicle interior design. Variability in body dimensions of the target population is a key component in determining the overall user accommodation. Statistical body shape modeling enables quantitative representation and assessment a wide range of variability in anthropometry and posture. These statistical models provide a way to efficiently generate a realistic 3d body shape surface along with the standard body dimensions, anatomical landmark locations and joint locations. In the current study, an automotive posture body shape model based on data from 255 men and women ages 20 to 95 years old was used in a demonstration of AR technology. Typically, quantitative assessment of a physical vehicle requires time-consuming scanning to obtain a computer model that can be used with virtual assessment tools. We addressed this issue by using AR to enable assessment without explicit model building. Apple ARKit on an iPhone was employed in this study to implement the model in an augmented vehicle environment. The system allows the user to place a human model in a vehicle by detecting the seat surfaces. The user is able to manipulate the body shape to assess accommodation across the range of anthropometric variability. Interior accommodation was assessed by measuring the distances between the certain points from both the model and the augmented physical environment, in addition to a qualitative visual inspection. Opportunities and impacts of the proposed AR approach with digital human models in more applications are discussed.

Source type bias (human vs automation) may influence the development of trust in decision aids. Situations involving two decision-aids may depend on the influence of pedigree (perceived expertise) such that decision making or reliance behavior is affected. In this task, the Convoy Leader decision-making paradigm developed by Lyons and Stokes (2012) was adapted to address advisor pedigree such that the human and automated information sources could be of high or low pedigree. Two hundred participants were asked to make eight decisions regarding the route taken by a military convoy based on intelligence (e.g., past insurgent attacks, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) detected, etc.) provided by two information sources (human and automation) of varying degrees of pedigree. In two of these eight decisions, the decision-aids provided conflicting information. Results indicated that participants were likely to demonstrate a bias such that they were more likely to trust the information coming from the human advisor regardless of pedigree. This bias towards the human was only reversed when the automated decision aid was presented as having far greater pedigree. Measures of trust attitudes were highly indicative of decision making behaviors. The findings are addressed in terms of design within a dual-advisor context where human operators may receive conflicting information from advisors of different source types.

In this paper we present an innovative approach to design smart clothing using statistical body shape modeling (SBSM) from the CAESAR™ dataset. A combination of different digital technologies and applications are used to create a common co-design workflow for garment design. User and apparel product design and developers can get personalized prediction of cloth sizing, fitting and aesthetics.

In this paper, we present a new framework to integrate movement acquired by a motion capture system to a statistical body shape model using Blender. This provides a visualization of a digital human model based upon anthropometry and biomechanics of the subject. A moving statistical body shape model helps to visualize physical tasks with inter-individual variability in body shapes as well as anthropometric dimensions. This parametric modeling approach is useful for reliable prediction and simulation of the body shape movement of a specific population with a few given predictors such as stature, body mass index and age.

Armed with feedback from the Fukushima accident, EDF’s Nuclear Operations Division has launched an action programme that aims to implement additional crisis management means (added equipment and organisational methods) to meet the needs in case of extreme accident conditions. As part of this action programme, a multidisciplinary R&D team (ergonomics experts and human reliability engineers) was consulted to manage a trial campaign in collaboration with the Operator, the engineering department and the company’s training department. Completed with the help of simulations, this test campaign enabled recreation of the individual and collective activity dynamic for the crisis organisation’s team members and was analysed with help from the Model of resilience in situation.With respect to the Local Command Post function, the goal of this document is to report how the implemented simulation system, coupled with the analysis of collected data, enabled the addition of activity understanding items from the Local Command Post. By relying on several examples, the goal was to question the reasoning of keeping this type of data in order to develop innovative models for extreme and unpredictable crisis preparation.

This study focused on the application of Torrance framework about creative thinking in a complex professional context: the management and control of an outbreak by experts in epidemiology and public health. We argue that building accurate responses in this context depends on the complexity of situations, such as ‘epidemiologic problems’ experts have to deal with. Thus, depending on the problem’s complexity, experts could possibly adapt their problem solving strategies, using either ‘standard’ strategies or more ‘creative’ ones.Our goal was to characterize expert decision processes developed during critical situation (where rule-based strategies and usual procedures could be not satisfyingly applied) with regard to creativity criteria described by Torrance (fluency, flexibility, elaboration and originality). We carried out a simulated outbreak alert to study creative processes during experts problem-solving activities. This simulation was intended to put specialists in a context of epidemiological problem management, based on possible real practice but conducive to implement creative solutions. The analysis carried out on the observations allowed us to identify a total of 14 different themes, with 148 ideas expressed by the participants. The participants have therefore actively contributed to the elaboration of ideas as well as to the mutual enrichment and implementation of ideas. However, the number of evocated topics and ideas and their level of elaborations appears higher when epidemiologists are more experienced in their domain. Thus, creative thinking appears to be an important aspect of the epidemiological alert management and related to experience in this area.

Support Teams functioning in crisis organization are challenged in the Post-Fukushima Context. Even though these teams are arranged by the company as a defined crisis structure, team members may work together only in crisis situations or crisis exercises: these teams are ephemeral. Training these teams in order to improve their teamwork inside a multi-level crisis organization is an important reliability stake. In this study, a reflexive training device for crisis management in the nuclear industry was designed and tested. Results show that it has allowed participants to debate some teamwork dimensions and helped them to build common references.

This paper reports the application of a bio-inspired computational artificial intelligent (A.I.) real-time crowd monitoring and management system that integrates ergonomics, anthropometric database, computer vision and decision analytics. The system matches and fits anthropometrically customized 3D human models into a 3D space that is dynamically constructed from videos captured by one or more surveillance cameras. This approach is consistent with the human visual closure effect when we estimate the number of people in moving crowds. Dynamic human movement data are optimally extracted from the video data and used to construct and train a crowd movement profile detector. Learning algorithms have been developed to detect deviations from the normal profile. Results of validations show that there remains a huge gap in the performance between a bio-inspired computational A.I. model and a normal human-being in the surveillance tasks in terms of reliability, but this is a notable first step of a reliable crowd management system not emphasizing on facial feature extraction.

Human models combined with virtual prototypes is increasingly used by seat and interior engineers in both automotive and aeronautic industries. Testing virtually a seat design enables to anticipate potential discomfort issues, to compare seat variants through repeatable test procedures and this for a wide range of seat occupants’ anthropometries. As comfort feeling is related to lots of factors, human models used for such virtual seat test must cover not only static comfort, through posture and pressure mapping evaluations, but also body vibration transmission related to external perturbations, and human thermal comfort sensation.This paper will describe the different steps of development of these finite elements human models, from the initial collaboration with Hong-Ik University to select the targeted human anthropometries until the validation of their capabilities to predict the static (dis)comfort while seating in a virtual seat prototype. It will then detail the work done to capture also the physical phenomena related to the dynamic comfort, when a seat is submitted to some vibrations. This paper will also present the latest developments to include the prediction of thermal comfort.Then, typical applications using those human models in interaction with virtual seat prototypes will be shown and will highlight the interest of a unique human model for prediction in diverse discomfort evaluations, such as static, dynamic and thermal comfort.Finally, the last part will demonstrate the influence of human anthropometries for the static and dynamic comfort evaluation.

Sustaining overload is the main factor of the pilots’ neck injury during the arrested landing of carrier-based aircraft. Therefore, the finite element model simulation calculation method is used to analyze the biomechanical response of pilots’ head and neck in the process of the carrier-based aircraft’s arrested landing in this paper. We have established a finite element model of human head and neck with high biological fidelity, and verified the effectiveness using both static and dynamic methods. After that, the model is used to simulate the arrested landing process. Finally, the injury situation of the pilot’s head and neck were analyzed and predicted based on the internationally recognized damage criteria. The results of this study may provide important theoretical basis and references for the design of the carrier-based aircraft landing training task as well as the design and improvement of the neck safeguard of the pilots.

Movement variability is an essential characteristic of human movement. It occurs in all kinds of activity including work-place tasks. However it is almost ignored in workstation design, where expected movements are highly standardized for productivity and quality considerations. Neglecting this variability may lead designers to omit parts of the future operator’s movements, thus leading to incomplete assessment of biomechanical risk factors.This article describes a model-based virtual human controller intended to simulate the movement variability induced by muscle fatigue during a repetitive activity. It is built using a multibody dynamics framework and a 3-compartments muscle fatigue model. The simulation of a repetitive pointing activity is described. Our demonstrator reproduces some of the adaptive behaviors described in the literature. This demonstrator must still be validated by experimental human data, but it opens interesting perspectives for DHM software improvements and more reliable ergonomic assessments from the early stages of workstation design.

The accumulated exposure to ultra-violet radiation creates an occupational and public health risk, and is carcinogenic to humans. The body surface area coverage by clothing (BSAC) contributes to skin cancer risk, and is a requirement in international standards on sun protective clothing, such as AS/NZS 4399:2017. BSAC is usually calculated utilising human subjects or physical mannequins using coating methods, indirect methods or direct measurements estimating the fraction of body covered. These methods are laborious and inflexible, and do not support computer based apparel design. To obtain a simpler, process integrated method, we determine the proportion of exposed body surface area using variable digital human models as virtual subjects, and image processing tools. Parametric, neutral posture human bodies of varying body stature, weight and age, including females and males, were generated in MakeHuman v1.1.1, and a protective clothing mesh, covering the minimum BSA specified in AS/NZS 4399:2017 was added. The MakeHuman definition of a human is based on fuzzy logic, with the main parameters normalised, and linked in a non-linear relation. The Whole Body Surface Area (WBSA) and the BSAC were obtained employing MeshLab, integrating elements on the respective surfaces, which were processed to improve precision. A procedure was developed to control geometric inconsistencies between the body base mesh and the clothing mesh. Thus different representative, generalized groups of subjects were analysed to explore BSAC. The method assists in the evaluation of exposed body areas in a wider spectrum of different occupations with their respective typical protective clothing conditions.

When developing new handheld products, engineers must consider ergonomics to increase the human-product performance, comfort, and lower the risk of cumulative trauma disorders. Extensive knowledge and lack of computer aided design software in terms of hand ergonomics prevents the improvement of handheld product ergonomics. The main research topic is therefore prehensile hand grasp with a handheld object. The nature of the human hand has prevented direct measurements of stresses, strains, forces, and contact pressure on the hand during movement and grasping. Therefore, several researchers tried to develop a feasible digital human hand model for hand biomechanics and product ergonomics. In this paper we present a viable method to determine realistic human hand movement and use this data to drive the developed finite element hand model for usage in hand biomechanics and product ergonomics. The model geometry has been acquired using medical imaging and appropriate numerical model definition inside finite element software has been defined. Grasping techniques and hand movement were then recorded using motion capture system and were input into the model. Based on numerical tests, the model has proven to be numerically feasible and stable. It shows reasonable biomechanical behaviour of movement and soft tissue deformation and corresponds well with experiments of contact area and pressure measurement and tendon/muscle force.

Gathering reliable and up-to-date full datasets of ISO-compliant anthropometric measures is time consuming and expensive. To use synergetic effects an explorative method was tested to use the environment of an existing population-based epidemiological study and extend the study design with additional three-dimensional body surface scans. Besides the standard algorithm based measure extraction, additional 34 ISO 7250-1 measures were extracted by manually identifying 44 anatomical landmarks on the 3D images. High priority was given to quality and reliability of the data. Therefore, standard operating procedures (SOPs) as well as a stringent quality assurance procedure were defined. In addition, three manually taken measures (height, waist-and hip-circumference) were compared to the extracted body scan data. The results of the manual reading process showed ambiguous results: some ISO measures showed a good intra- and interobserver reliability whereas others were difficult to identify on the scan images.

This study aims to know better the potential of simulation tools used currently by maintainability engineers to analyse Human Factors/ergonomics (HFE). Non-ergonomics experts can use digital/physical simulation tools through virtual reality platforms and physical mock-ups to analyse whether the design is well adapted to future users, especially maintenance operators in the aviation field. Knowing the potential of these simulation tools would be the primary step in developing a new way of working for engineers to integrate HFE better in the design process of the aviation industry.

This paper discusses the use of adaptive instruction to guide learning by stimulating non-adaptive virtual training environments. Adaptive instruction is sometimes referred to as differentiated instruction and is any learning experience tailored to meet the needs and preferences of an individual learner or team. An intelligent tutoring system (ITS) is the technology which delivers adaptive instruction. Adaptive instructional systems (AISs) use human variability and other learner/team attributes along with instructional conditions to develop/select appropriate strategies (domain-independent policies) and tactics (actions). The goal of adaptive instruction is to optimize learning, performance, retention, and the transfer of skills between the training environment and the work or operational environment where the skills learned during training are to be applied.

3D body scanning has been used broadly including digital human modeling, simulation, ergonomic product design, and so forth. This research used template-registered faces of 336 Koreans in order to use them to design an oxygen mask that provides good fit to Korean faces. The finite element analysis method is applied onto the template-registered faces to predict the contact pressure of a mask design onto different faces. The average and variation of the estimated contact pressure values among all the Korean faces were analyzed for evaluation of the appropriateness of a mask design for Koreans. The proposed method can be usefully applied to find an optimal shape of wearable products for a specific target population.

Among the technologies included in Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution, Digital Manufacturing (DM) represents a new approach to evaluate the performance of production processes in a virtual environment.DM can be seen as the industrial declination of Virtual Reality (VR) that, by using an integrated computer-based system, allows creating simulation, 3D visualization and provides different tools to define the product and the manufacturing process simultaneously.Virtualization and simulation of production processes generate benefits for companies in terms of time and costs, optimizing the assembly line and providing parameters for studying human-machine interaction.Regarding this last topic, the aim of this paper is to propose an innovative procedure to support the workplaces design, based on simulation techniques that allow setting a virtual scenario in which a Digital Human Model (DHM) is able to carry on assembly tasks. Data from simulations can be analyzed and used to assess ergonomic indexes in a preventive and proactive approach.As other automotive manufacturers, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) applies EAWS (European Assessment Work Sheet), a first level screening, to assess the ergonomic biomechanical overload of workplaces in the design phase, according to international standards (ISO 11226 and ISO 11228-1, -2, -3).The ergonomics risk assessment, since the design phase, allows identifying critical issues and to define and put in practice corrective actions in the earlier phase, being more successful and less expensive.In order to support the procedure proposed in this research, a case study is described, based on the EAWS index evaluation of a workstation in a FCA plant assembly shop.The simulation has been realized by using PLM software Tecnomatix Process Simulate by Siemens® and the EAWS analysis has been performed by using EAWSdigital by MTM®.The procedure can be considered innovative to support human-centered design of production process in developing new products.

The present communication reports on a series of experiments, aiming at exploring the effect of a virtual limb’s visibility on task performance inside interactive Virtual Environments. To this end, a motion tracking system was developed, capable of tracking the movement of the human arm beginning from the shoulder up to and including the palm. Twenty two university students participated in a shooting task experiment, divided into two groups. One group first completed the experiment with full visibility of the arm, and then without, while the other completed the experiment in the opposite manner. Results show that while the arm’s visibility had no significant effect on task performance, it does affect the subjects’ subjective experience within the environment.

In view of the needs of personnel behavior research in fire scenarios, a virtual experimental platform is set up to conduct research on personnel behavior in fire sites. The fire scenario is divided into two aspects: static and dynamic. In static aspect, the artistry and repeatability of the building are constructed by modeling software. In the aspect of dynamics, the change of building structure is realized by unity3D software, and the influence of structural change on Wayfinding Behavior is shown. It is intended to pave the way for the experimental platform for the study of personnel behavior in the subsequent fire field.

THEMIS-AR is an augmented reality (AR) app designed for mobile devices that was developed to assist first responders on disaster relief operations, which a very demanding context for users, regarding both the physical and the cognitive and emotional demands. In fact, the specificity of the usage environment imposes special care in addressing the interaction of the users with the system, regarding both the mobile devices technical characteristics and the workload. The paper provides a brief description of the THEMIS-AR architecture and features, focusing on the assessment of a concept demonstrator developed based on the UCD cycle (i.e., context of use characterization, requirements definition, solution implementation, and testing and validation). The usability testing setup and script adopted while performing field tests are described and the results obtained, namely regarding the application of the User Experience Questionnaire to benchmark the app evaluation in comparison with a set of previous evaluations made with this methodology. These results were compared with the user perceptions collected using a final questionnaire namely based on the System Usability Scale. The main findings resulting from this initial set of users are summarized and presented the way ahead for this component of the THEMIS project.

Repetitive manual lifting and lowering tasks exposes workers to a high-risk musculoskeletal disorder. This paper aims at the assessment of postures of workers during the piling up process of a Concrete Block and Bricks (CB&B) at CB&B manufacturing factories in Pakistan and to study the effect of different risk factors such as contact force, stresses, and repetition of jobs that put muscles under redundant physical forces, which causes musculoskeletal disorders. The lifting indices (LI) of concrete blocks are 1.57 at the origin and 2.04 at the destination similarly LI for the bricks were 0.60 at the origin and 0.77 at the destination using the NOISH equation. For this purpose, the anthropometric data of 103 workers, working in 33 different factories, was collected. The postures were simulated and analyzed, using a human modelling solution HumanCAD software, with an objective to minimize the risk of work-related injuries, and stresses on the different parts of body was calculated. The results showed in current work environment, 38.83% of workers have lower back musculoskeletal disorder, followed by 31.06% with upper back, 29.12% with thorax and 24.27% with neck. Therefore, re-design the lifting methods of CB&B factories are essential in order to reduce the work-related injuries. The reports were shared with the CB&B industries.

MakeHuman is an open source software rarely used in Ergonomic studies. Developed on open source Python code, the program creates realistic appearance 3D virtual human models, primarily focusing on morphing details. An intuitive graphical user interface working with sliders controls input parameters on normalized scales for the main parameters gender, age, muscle mass, weight, height, proportion and ethnicity. These input parameters govern associated output values, which mostly remain normalized. Height and age however are on an interval scale. MakeHuman Blender tools connect the MakeHuman and Blender programs, allowing users to modify a base mesh shape, create clothes, apply static poses or generate animations. In recent research work, MakeHuman was employed mostly to generate sets of virtual subjects. MakeHuman is a design (gaming) oriented, parametric virtual human modelling tool based on templates. A template model is transformed by means of scaling factors, resizing its segments and proportions, to create a set of human bodies compatible with the original base mesh. The template model is divided into ‘areas of influence’, and form factors are calculated to detect contraction or expansion, improving the use of targets in these areas. Fuzzy logic rules are employed in order to process inputs, which are linked directly to membership functions of fuzzy sets. With one morphing target file for each parameters’ extreme values, multifactorial input change is amalgamated into a character, using an inference engine that produces a diversity of human bodies. The study aspires to assess the practicability of using the software in a Human Factors framework.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) have experienced a tremendous increase in attraction and application. Nowadays, VR-headsets are commercially available. They provide a much better resolution and much wider field-of view for a fraction of the original cost. The same development can be observed for AR, including smartphone or hand-held AR solutions. But beyond the fun of new technology, VR and AR are often lacking of a professional use case. They still fail to show their benefits and provide data for a detailed cost/benefit analysis. And with the growing dispersion and implementation into professional applications in modern industrial processes, various training and education applications, or advanced distant learning, there is an increasing need for concrete results and recommendations for usability and human-technology interaction.They can be taken and applied from early studies in the area of Human Factors and Ergonomics. Although some of them are not important because of higher technological capabilities and performance (e.g. latency, resolution or field-of-view), most of them are still valid. They begin with cue conflicts, visual and multimodal perception and end with system performance, workload and simulator sickness.This paper presents the relevance of HF/E for a meaningful, effective and efficient application of this technology. It shows also that the topic itself is not totally new and many requirements and results can be transferred from existing studies.

The use of computer-generated simulations have been standard practice in a wide range of tertiary and vocational education and training applications for decades. The growing ubiquity, relative affordability, increasing computing power and functionality of Virtual Reality headsets are creating new opportunities for personalized, immersive simulation experiences that can be used anywhere and anytime. For Virtual Reality headset experiences to be sustainable and appropriate for long-term usage in education and training programs, it is critical to investigate the practicalities of implementing such a technology. Thus, the investigation of emerging Virtual Reality technologies against conventional training systems can provide a better understanding of their impact. This paper presents an experimental design used to compare user performance, user motivation and user experience of searching tasks in identical virtual environments between two system configurations: (i) Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display and a (ii) traditional desktop computer. A pilot study (participants N = 5) was performed with a between-group experimental design, using objective and subjective measures. The outcomes of this study and the lessons learned from developing, testing and refining the experimental design contribute to the broader knowledge of investigating and validating Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays for education and training applications.

The constant call in manufacturing for higher quality, efficiency, flexibility and cost effective solutions has been supported by technology developments and revised legislations in the area of collaborative robots. This allows for new types of workstations in industry where robots and humans co-operate in performing tasks. In addition to safety, the design of such collaborative workstations needs to consider the areas of ergonomics and task allocation to ensure appropriate work conditions for the operators, while providing overall system efficiency. The aim of this study is to illustrate the development and use of an integrated robot simulation and digital human modelling (DHM) tool, which is aimed to be a tool for engineers to create and confirm successful collaborative workstations. An assembly scenario from the vehicle industry was selected for its redesign into a collaborative workstation. The existing scenario as well as potential collaborative concepts are simulated and assessed using a version of the simulation tool IPS IMMA. The assembly use case illustrates the capabilities of the tool to represent and evaluate collaborative workstations in terms of ergonomics and efficiency assessments.

Stressful working postures are associated with increased risks of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). The reduction of stressful working postures is necessary for the safety and health of workers and is also related to increased productivity and worker satisfaction. The evaluation and control of work-related postural stress is currently achieved through a process that requires observation, analysis, and redesign (OAR approach). As an alternative overcoming the limitations of this approach, the authors have previously proposed an APAD approach [1]. The objective of the current paper is to report the initial results of the APAD research focusing on the modelling of individual PSM functions. 3 participants were asked to perform short-period static posture holding for 108 combinations of posture and hand load weights. Immediately after each task trial, the participants performed subjective ratings using the Borg CR10 scale to quantify the level of perceived postural stress. Individual PSM functions were derived through regression, and were evaluated by calculating the average absolute prediction error. The study results may serve as a basis for creating a large set of avatars that perceive postural stresses in a way similar to their actual human counterparts. Such avatars could be used to simulate various work situations in the digital world to aid in the design of less stressful and ergonomic workstations and work tasks.

This work focuses on an innovative training methodology based on the use of Virtual ergonomics and “serious games” in the field of occupational safety. Virtual Ergonomics was chosen as an effective and convincing tool for disseminating the culture of safety among the workers, while a “serious game” was developed to train operators on specific safety procedures and to verify their skills. The results of the experimentation in a real industrial case study showed that, compared to the traditional training methodology, multimedia contents and quantitative ergonomic analyses improve the level of attention and the awareness of the operators about their safety. On the other hand, Serious games turned out as promising tools to train the workers about safe operating procedures that are difficult to implement in a real working environment.

Much of patient care takes places in patients’ homes, but we do know very little about how patients deal with their health and chronic illness condition(s) while at home and how the physical environment can have an impact on their care. In this study, we focus on patients’ management of their personal health information management (PHIM) in the home.To enable repeated assessment of a set of constant stimuli, we have scanned 20 different households that we subsequently rendered for viewing in a 3-D virtual cave (VR) CAVE. Study participants identified features in the virtual home models that they considered useful for PHIM.Using the VR CAVE has many advantages. It enables all participants to experience the same stimulus in precisely the same condition, and it allows for standardization of the study procedures. However, we know relatively little about the impact the VR CAVE experience has on workload and simulation sickness, and if these interfere with task performance. In this study, we examine the relationship between time spent in the CAVE (duration), the number of frames rendered per second (framerate), the experienced workload and simulation sickness symptoms.Results show that performing tasks in the CAVE required some effort, particularly mental workload. Only a few participants reported minor simulation sickness symptoms, such as dizziness, headache or eyestrain. Apart from a correlation between duration and workload, we did not find a significant relation between exposure, framerates, workload, and simulation sickness.

Past biomechanical studies on seated postures showed that effects of seat parameters, such as seat pan angle, back angle and friction coefficient, on muscle activities, shear force between buttocks and seat and spinal loads are complex. Reducing all these biomechanical loads at the same time may not be possible. Lowered muscle activation may require higher frictional shear force. It is interesting to investigate how people behave compared to biomechanical simulations. In this paper, the question whether sitters prefer a seat pan angle for reducing shear force was investigated using the data collected from a multi-adjustable experimental seat. Two imposed seat pan angles (A_SP = 0°, 5°) and one self-selected were tested for two backrest angles (A_SB = 10°, 20°, from the vertical). A flat seat pan surface was used. Other seat parameters such as seat height, length and position of three back supports were defined with respect to each participant’s anthropometry. As expected, results showed that shear force increased with backrest recline and decreased with seat pan recline. No significant difference in self-selected seat pan angle was found between two backrest angles. An average of 6.2° (±3°) was observed. The lowest shear was observed for the condition of self-selected seat pan angle, supporting the idea that seat pan should be oriented to minimize shear force. However, self-selected angle did not completely remove the shear. A zero shear would require a more reduced trunk-thigh angle, suggesting a minimum trunk-thigh angle should also be maintained.

The control room is a critical workplace in a chemical industry or a nuclear power plant, where integrating human factors/ergonomics (HFE) could prevent accidents. Non-ergonomic situations in a control room have an adverse impact on operators, for example, cause anxiety, stress, and fatigue. Physical ergonomics such as computer workstations, sedentary postures, lighting, annoying noise, and communication difficulties are the common ergonomic factors in most of the control rooms. This study aims to use immersive virtual reality to improve physical ergonomics in a control room. The study includes HFE evaluation, proposing a new design to improve work situations and modelization of the proposed concept in a virtual reality setting. We firstly performed various ergonomic analyses such as the interview with operators, activity analysis, lighting and noise measurement. Then, a meeting was organized to present the results of HFE evaluation for decision makers. A creative session was arranged with five experts to develop the idea for a new design in the control room by considering HFE principles. The control room workplace was visualized in a virtual reality setting to make a new concept more visible and tangible. Three operators of the control room were immersed in the virtual environment to verify the proposed configuration. The proposed design was modified based on the operator’s feedback. This study showed that a comprehensive approach including ergonomic evaluation, virtual modelization, and stakeholder involvements provide a substantial improvement in a control room.

Various models and algorithms (hereafter, simply algorithms) have been developed to simulate human motions. Most of these algorithms generate only a single “would-be-realistic” motion for a given scenario; thus, they cannot inform the designer of the full range of feasible human motions for the given scenario. In this paper, we present a novel reach motion generation algorithm based on the use of a posture memory, which aims to inform the range of feasible human reach motions for a given simulation scenario. In this algorithm, posture memory is constructed using a random posture generation and registration process. After memory construction, different paths connecting the starting and ending hand positions are created. Then, the human reach motion generation algorithm produces different “feasible” motions by selecting and connecting “connectable” postures found within the neighboring cells of the path. The algorithm proposed in this study generates feasible motions and an ability to generate and report the full range of feasible human motions for a given scenario allows a more complete understanding of the consequences of a design decision and also provides a basis for simulating human motions under different constraints.

The development of a digital human modelling (DHM) based test procedure concept for the assessment of physical ergonomics conditions in virtual phases of the vehicle interior design process is illustrated and discussed. The objective of the test procedure is to be a valuable tool for ergonomic evaluations and decision support along the design process, so that ergonomic issues can be dealt with in an efficient, objective and proactive manner. The test procedure is devised to support companies in having stable and objective processes, in accordance with lean product development (LPD) philosophies. The overall structure and fundamental functionality of the test procedure concept is explained by a simplified use case, utilizing the DHM tool IPS IMMA to: define manikin families and manikin tasks; predict manikin motions; and visualize simulations and ergonomics evaluation outcomes.

In this paper, we show a method to model coordinated joint range of motion (ROM) of the thumb with subjective discomfort by exhaustively testing various postures. Coordinated joint ROM was modeled by capturing twelve exercises for four adults without any hand disabilities. Posture candidates were then generated for the discomfort experiment by uniformly sampling each subject’s ROM. Each subject was asked to answer if they felt it difficult to retain that posture for 10 s owing to pain or fatigue. The collected data from four subjects were converted into a discomfort possibility map.

Game Engines (GEs) are digital platforms generally employed to develop computer games and 3D applications using pre-existing modules and functionality (and thus speeding up development process). Several studies already investigate GEs application for education and training, collaborative design, facilities simulation and design, operational simulations and for the development of virtual and augmented reality applications. In this paper we present three virtual environments developed in a free to use GE and analyze them in terms of their goals, intended audience, interaction possibilities and overall design. Results highlight GEs affordances such as the development of high-quality graphics 3D environments, their real-time system nature, the possibility for digital human manikin’s customization, user agency, versatility in terms of possible interactions programming, among others, which make GEs powerful tools for ergonomics analysis, design and education.

Digital Human Modeling (DHM) can support the design of the working environment, to avoid the risks of work-related musculoskeletal diseases and disorders (WRMSD). Large Scale Retail Trade involves a large amount of workers, performing a huge number of tasks and activities. The aim of this study was to analyze the working activities and tasks and assess existing furniture by the use of DHM, thus to evaluate the risk of developing WRMSD. Two case studies were analyzed: supermarket clerks and cashiers, involved in restocking and cash desk activities. By using DHM approach, this furniture was assessed in terms of reachability and adjustability. Outcomes of this evaluation were realized in terms of reaching maps, comparing different genders and height/weight percentiles. Preliminary findings suggested the use of dedicated guidelines to choose and set-up furniture in these specific applications, underling the variety of issues present in the large-scale retail trade.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders impact surgical performance, which increase risks for patient safety. A new console has been designed to reduce workload for robotic surgery surgeons. Due to high costs and long waiting time of the production process, a pre-production ergonomic evaluation of the new design is preferable. In this paper, we evaluate if the new console at the pre-production stage by using an US checklist, and the Swedish standard for visual display unit work. A 3D model of the new designed console was introduced to the virtual environment of a digital manikin (Intelligently Moving Manikin, IMMA). The work-ranges of the console were calculated. Various individual work distances of 12 manikins (3 men and 3 women per each of the US and the Swedish population) were “measured”. The data were integrated and used as an objective reference to compare with the Swedish standard, and the US checklist. The result shows that the criteria in the Swedish standard and the US checklist are fulfilled, except for those are related to the adjustable range of the screen view height, the height range of the armrest and the adjustable distance of the pedals. The new console fulfills most of the criteria in the checklist and the standard, but there is room for a few improvements. The DHM tool IMMA provides the possibility for a pre-production assessment. However, the limited virtual measurement tools of IMMA restrained the time efficiency of the ergonomic assessment.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of simulating human-machine collaboration via immersive virtual reality. six participants were recruited to collaborate on a hand-over task with a collaborative robot in the real world and Immersive Virtual Environments (IVE). There are five scenarios included in the experiment: real environment, IVE, IVE with auditory feedback for contacts, IVE with visual feedback for contacts, and IVE with both auditory and visual feedback for contacts. Although the results showed the difference of motion strategies between virtual and real environment, the task performance was no difference among scenarios.

Forward leaning concepts regarding training and military operations are targeting augmentation technologies to change the interaction landscape. Advancements in virtual reality and augmented reality are providing new means for immersing individuals in realistic experiences and providing access points to data and information previously not easily accessible. While these new interaction modes evolve, measurement techniques are critical in understanding how best to apply these technologies. It is also important to investigate ways measurement techniques can influence the application of these technologies. In this paper, we present a high level overview of augmentation related research focused on human performance dimensions with a discussion on the role of construct measurement to inform and influence their utility. This is followed by a review of a three use cases that are applying the state of the art to advance the practice of training and on the job support tools.

Grasp interactions often involve both hand tracking and finger tracking to drive the virtual hand deformation and evaluate grasping conditions. With the more involvement of psychology into HCI technology, we are seeing more algorithms employing psychological finding. However, the performances and user experiences of these algorithms remain to be further explored. In this paper, a comparative study has been performed under the same grasping conditions between our formerly proposed method for reach-and-grasp tasks which needs only tracking the hand’s 6-dof motions (Method A) and a typical forward-kinematics enabled virtual grasping method which needs both 6-dof hand tracking and a dataglove for finger tracking (Method B). Virtual spheres centered at the origin with different diameters (i.e., 6 cm, 8 cm and 10 cm) were used as the grasping targets. A panel of 12 participants were divided into two groups and employed in the comparative study on task completion time, accuracy and 3 subjective criteria. It is shown from the experimental results that Method A is better than Method B as far as the above 3 aspects were concerned for simple shapes such as spheres. A demo application was developed using both Method A and Method B, and users’ preference evaluation was performed.

Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) combine methods of artificial intelligence with robotics, new ways of man-machine-man collaboration, and the “Internet of Things (IoT)” [1]. They create opportunities for individualized, one-piece-flow, and flexible manufacturing and assembly processes in tomorrow’s manufacturing plants.In this case study, a new production system for the assembly of sensors in a small/medium sized enterprise (SME) has been designed, implemented, and evaluated. As a method, the “complementary design of complex man-machine systems” [2, 3] has been used, adapted and expanded.The results show that manufacturing processes in CPPSallow for more self-regulation and self-organization in semi-autonomous production teams,create higher complexity and dynamics in the work process,require more collaboration, communication and problem-solving skills of the operators,enable new ways of man-machine-man collaboration, andcan significantly increase the productivity and quality of manufactured goods.The case study has been carried out as part of the research project “PRÄDIKATSARBEIT” (“Work of Excellence”), sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Research and Higher Education of Germany (Grant No. 02L14A093). The results shall be shared in the IEA community to promote new ways of man-machine-man collaboration in the “Industry 4.0”. For more information about CPPS and manufacturing in digitally inter-connected production cells see [1, 4, 5].

Phishing is a social engineering tactic where a malicious actor impersonates a trustworthy third party with the intention of tricking the user into divulging sensitive information. Previous social engineering research has shown an interaction between personality and the persuasion principle used to generate non-electronic messages. This study investigates whether this interaction is present in the realm of email phishing. To investigate this, we used a personality inventory and an email identification task (phishing or legitimate). Our data confirms previous findings that high extroversion is predictive of increased susceptibility to phishing attacks. However, extraversion was also found to be associated with increased susceptibility to phishing emails that utilize specific persuasion principles such as liking. Findings are discussed in terms of potential approaches to anti-phishing interventions within organizations.

This study aimed to investigate the spinal muscle activity and postural variations across time in healthy young adults during a prolonged reading comprehension task using a tablet computer. Twenty healthy college students (10 males and 10 females; mean age = 21.5 ± 1.7 years) participated in this study. Subjects were seated on a standard office chair with adjustable height and allowed to move freely in their body postures during the 30-minute reading comprehension task. The subject was instructed to hold a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 (SM-T810) with both hands. Surface electromyography and spinal kinematics were recorded simultaneously. The amplitude probability distribution function (APDF) was computed for each 10 min trial of the muscle activity data and postural angle data respectively. Amplitude measures of muscle activity using 50th%APDF and APDF range (difference between 90th% and 10th% APDF) were examined in 3 time phases (T1, T2, T3) of 10 min each. Postural variation (using zero crossing algorithm) was also analyzed. There was a significant increase in median muscle activity (50th%APDF) of bilateral cervical erector spinae (CES) (left: p = .002; right: p = .002) and a decreasing trend in bilateral thoracic erector spinae (TES) (left: p = .053; right: p = .068) over time. Significant increase of cervical postural variation was also revealed across time (p = 0.001). Finally, sex differences regardless of time effect were shown, with females showing significantly higher left CES median muscle activity (p = 0.044) and muscle activity range (p = 0.047) when compared with males. Other muscles did not reveal such significant differences.

The aim of this paper is to review the human and information processing factors that need to be addressed in order to improve closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance effectiveness and to make recommendations regarding future research. This is done by contrasting the way in which CCTV is portrayed in popular television crime series with the challenges inherent in real world CCTV surveillance systems. Despite considerable amounts of money being spent on the equipment needed for CCTV systems, the work of operators is often poorly valued although the monitoring process is difficult and mentally demanding. There are many factors that affect the effectiveness of CCTV surveillance systems, and this paper focuses on the information processing demands on CCTV surveillance operators. Previous research on the human factors in CCTV were reviewed, and episodes in popular crime series which showed CCTV were observed and analysed. Key aspects that emerged were the cognitive demands made on CCTV surveillance operators by the design of the technical system and their job, the nature of scenes observed and the characteristics of significant events. These placed demands on the interaction of goal-directed and stimulus-driven attention, search strategies employed, distributed situation awareness, visual analysis, processes that impair detection, and the effects of certain job designs on monitoring. Recommendations for future research were made.

The emergence of cyber-physical production systems poses new challenges for designing the interface between production systems and the human-in-the-loop. In this study, we investigate how human operators interact with risks in a supply chain scenario. We varied the financial magnitude and the expected value of the decisions, the combination of two types of risk (risk in delivery amount and risk in timeliness), as well as three different task displays as within-subject factors. As explanatory user factors we studied the influence of Need for Achievement and the Attitude towards Risk-taking on the dependent variables task speed and accuracy. Results of the user study with 33 participants show that each of the investigated factors either influences decision speed, decision accuracy, or both. Consequently, the human-in-the-loop profits from adequate decision support systems that help to increase decision efficiency and effectiveness and reduce uncertainty and workload. The article concludes with a research agenda to support the human-in-the-loop in production systems.

Wearable fitness devices (i.e., activity trackers) are increasingly popular for monitoring everyday activity. Research suggests that long-term adherence to activity trackers is relevant for their positive effects on health. Thus, it is essential to understand the factors that foster usage intensity and long-term adherence. Based on first research regarding users’ motives for using activity trackers and self-determination theory, we examined usage motives as predictors for the current and estimated future usage intensity. In addition, we investigated the relation of usage motives and user diversity facets (affinity for technology interaction, geekism, and need for cognition). Results of an online study with N = 58 regular users of activity trackers indicated a substantial variation of users’ intrinsic/extrinsic motivation for using an activity tracker. Further, positive relationships between intrinsic motivation, autonomous regulation and usage intensity were found. Regarding user diversity, affinity for technology interaction and geekism predicted the intrinsic motivation whereas need for cognition did not. Our results imply that, in order to obtain possible beneficial health effects of a more intensive activity tracker usage, users’ intrinsic motivation and autonomy have to be supported.

In many comprehensive and overall considerations of usability of web presentations, readability as a factor that potentially influences usability is not represented at all, or it is represented unsystematically and superficially. The main goal of this paper is establishing a connection between usability and readability. There is no known research that previously dealt with this topic. In order to establish the above correlation, firstly the classification of usability features was performed. This original classification has had an important function in identifying the major website usability constructs. Based on the identified major usability and readability features (constructs), an original questionnaire for assessing the usability and quality of websites was formed. This tool, together with the interviewing method was used in the case study, which referred to the website of a company operating in the banking sector. As a result of the case study, a high correlation of 0.943 is established between the organization of information on the screen (a usability feature) and the structure of headings, sub-headings, and positioning of the text (a readability feature). The existence of a strong link between the possibilities for finding information (a usability feature) and the content (explanations, arguments, coherence) of the textual presentation (a readability feature) has been established. This and other results obtained indicate that complex considerations that refer to the usability of websites, as well as tools that are used for usability assessment should involve in a systematic way the readability as an important factor, which can have the influence on usability.

Introduction: Workers using Visual Display Units (VDUs) face multiple risks, including upper limb discomfort and pain, mental stress, and visual fatigue. Since 2016, the Belgian Welfare Law has obliged companies to conduct risk analyses at least every five years to assess employees according to three dimensions: physical strain, mental stress, and visual load. To perform these assessments, researchers from Mensura Occupational Health Services developed two tools: (1) an online questionnaire (E-survey) and (2) a self-assessment tool (E-coach).Methods: Both tools were developed by a multidisciplinary team of experts, including one European-registered ergonomist; one occupational physician; one occupational nurse; two prevention advisers, one of which specialised in ergonomics; and one epidemiologist.Validation: After Dutch-to-French and Dutch-to-English translation and back-translation were performed, the questionnaire was validated in a two-stage Delphi process by a panel of 20 experts. Subsequently, a pilot test was conducted using all Mensura computer office workers. Written feedback was collected and used to develop the final version of the tool.Results: From October 2016 to August 2017, 17 companies implemented the questionnaire and 203 companies implemented the self-assessment tool. This resulted in 2,088 completed questionnaires and 875 completed self-assessments.Conclusion: Both tools were easy to use and effectively assessed risks across multidimensional levels, enabling organisations to map priorities and target actions to increase employees’ well-being. Furthermore, they provided employers with an extensive database for self-monitoring and continuous benchmarking.

The authorities and emergency forces are challenged with increasing terrorism threats. The present paper presents the results from a workshop and interviews with experts for the neutralization of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) regarding the introduction of a robotic sensor system, which is developed within the project. On the one hand, we found great openness and enthusiasm for innovations and new technologies. On the other hand, experience plays a key role in the job of IED neutralization experts. This implies the need for training phases in case of the introduction of new systems in this domain.

When social media becomes a dominant channel for the distribution of news, manipulation of the news agenda and news content can be achieved by anyone who is hosting a website with access to social media APIs. Falsehoods masked as legitimate news with the intent to manipulate the public are called Fake News. This type of propaganda is disseminated by sharing of individual social media users. Fake news pose a threat to democracies as they influence the public agenda and contribute to polarization of opinions. To limit the dissemination of fake news, social media websites utilize fact-checking badges to flag possibly fabricated content. It has however not been investigated whether these badges are effective and who responds to them. In a survey study with 120 participants we found little evidence for the effectiveness of such badges. However, believability of news in a social media sites were generally rated rather low.

The study presented in this paper was aimed at analyzing the user interfaces of Computed Tomography (CT) scanners and comparing three different systems used in two hospitals in Tuscany, Italy. Heuristic evaluations were conducted to measure the level of usability of these systems. The results show that the three systems have similar, but not equal, usability, that they rely heavily on operators’ competences, and are not designed and implemented to facilitate the execution of complex tasks .

Over the last few years the use of Computed tomography (CT) has become increasingly widespread. Despite the common usage of CTs, their usability and their suitability as safe diagnostic tools have not been subjected to scrutiny. The purpose of this study is to understand the evolution of the relationship between users (i.e. technical operators) and the complexity of a technological system such as that of the CT in a normal operational context. To this end, two studies were conducted employing ethnographic observations seven years apart. This paper compares these two studies from 2011 and 2018. The results show a significant difference in the timing of the activity relative to the interaction with the technology, while there are no significant differences in relation to the interactions with the patient and the problem situations that may occur during the CT examination.

Connection has become an essential component of work. It appears to be an essential resource for efficiency and rapidity, as well as for accessibility and transmission of information. However, it may have harmful effects on individuals, teams or organizations because of its continuous nature. Our study aims to characterize factors that may contribute to a positive or a negative experience related to this connection at work by managers, and ways of having such factors taken into account by the organization. Our long term aim is to help the organization to find solutions to improve the situation. We put together a questionnaire about practices, uses and feelings related to connection and about potential effects on health in a large French company, and we also conducted in-depth interviews. The analyses focus on the individuals’ connection practices and on their feelings about them in specific situations. We also analyzed the existing individual, collective, and institutional strategies used for regulating the connection process. The analyses of the questionnaires indicate the proportion of managers who experience difficulties related to their connections, the nature of the troubles evoked and their impacts on work activities and on life. The interviews allow us to go deeper into contextual elements and their feelings about these practices. The connection experience depends on ICT characteristics, experience of connection, team dynamics and psychological factors. Our analyses have shown, among others things, the role of working together as a team and how the team could regulate connection overload where neither the individuals nor the institution can succeed.

In recent years competitive computer gaming—esports—is becoming increasingly mainstream as audiences, general interest and acceptance of its status as actual sports grows. Its representativeness is backed by numbers: more than 33 million unique viewers on average watched the 2017 World Championship (a League of Legends championship) and the prize pool for Dota 2, The International championship earlier this year topped the 20 million dollars mark. As eSports consolidate itself as a possible career path, it is a natural step to start investigating its particularities regarding athletes’ work, from an ergonomics perspective. This exploratory study aims to achieve a better understanding of the constraints and issues faced by esports athletes in their work. To that extent, we analyze 36 interviews conducted with professional players of Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) in 2017 by the HLTV.org website, a news organization focused in covering CS:GO competitions. The interviews’ analysis followed the general inductive approach for qualitative data analysis and focused on gaining insight on players’ work, uncovering possible issues related to ergonomics and human factors aspects on the physical, cognitive or organizational domains. Although the interviews were not designed by the researchers and hadn’t ergonomics as their main subject, they still provided useful information about players’ work, the dynamics in their teams and their overall work strategies. This exploratory study can be seen as a first step for an ergonomics and human factors understanding of this emerging work situation. Further studies on this theme are necessary to understand the work of professional eSports’ athletes and, possibly, improve its conditions.

Deep understanding of users’ needs is crucial for developing successful digital health technology. At the beginning of system development, it is thus important to analyze and specify the context of use within the users-centered development process. Knowing what patients need to know about their health and which information sources they apply to find those, bears implications for personal health ICT conveying health information to the elderly patient. Present results from a survey on health information need and seeking behaviour of N = 551 older adults in Germany suggest that older adults are fairly satisfied with the information they get, indicating a low need to acquire health information. Higher health information need corresponds with a larger amount of health apps installed on older adults tablet PC and with the usage of smartwatches and apps in general. Finally, results support the theoretical influence of demographic variables. Here, educational attainment significantly revealed to be a main influence on information need.

In innovation, many actors look for ways to generate new ideas i.e. to support creativity. In this paper we present a work conducted in a project that is “technology-driven”. A new haptic technology is in search of a context of use. As ergonomists and designers we tried two methodologies to support ideation. The first one is a rather classical creativity session in a ‘focus group’. The second one is ‘technology-driven’ as it is first based on the experience with the prototype. The technology-driven methodology is divided in two steps. In the first one the participants experience the new haptic technology and try to imagine relevant use cases. The second step is another interview occurring a couple of days after the first one, where the participants report if they found any new use case between the two interviews. The conclusions show that both methodologies are very complementary. In the creativity session, the quantity of produced use cases is higher and more ‘out of the box’. In the technology-driven, the ideas of use-case are more aligned with the haptic technology.

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has spread widely in our personal life as well as in the workplace. The design of these tools can contribute to increased business productivity. In a service relationship context, the challenge is not only to deliver a service but also to improve customer satisfaction. Becoming a relational brand implies an exemplary level of listening, service and responsiveness across all channels of interaction. In order to deal with these expectations, some airline companies have developed software on digital tablets. The aim of this tool is to allow sedentary workers, in charge of meeting customers at airports, to access all the data relating to them in real time, such as their journeys and their luggage for example. This situation raises several issues related to models of task definition and working organization. A study was carried out in order to explore these “digitized” environments and particularly to understand how this technology has been adopted by airport reception agents. The goal is to identify the factors that encourage, or hinder, their use. The method is based on a field observation of real work activity in order to analysis the user’s tasks by using this tool in a real life situation. The data collected has been combined with individual and collective feedback during interviews that were held. The key factors of use were also collected via an on-line survey. Results show how use of the tablet, in particular centralizing information contributed to helping airport agents to increase their responsiveness and performance for passengers. In addition, the agents claimed that the tool facilitates the accomplishment of their tasks and improves their ability to react. The development of digital tools also brings a positive image: one of a modern and reactive company. For the agents, it is essential, they felt that they gain in credibility and that they are valued. Nevertheless, although a majority of agents integrated the tablet into their daily practices, misappropriations of use were created. These adjustments led to a profound change in the work, which led to a re-consideration of the work of ground staff. The development of digital tools implies a real challenge to the job, knowledge and know-how. Regarding the speed at which technological developments are growing and the major changes that they bring, the question of the connections between work, health and use seems important.

This study relates an experiment about multimodal distant collaboration in neurosurgery. We observed a two-hours distant meeting between neurosurgeons, supported by an original platform allowing to convey remotely speech and gesture (videoconferencing) but also images and hand drawn sketches. We use a bottom-up approach, analyzing and understanding the spontaneous activity set up by the professionals. We show that conversations about diagnosis and operational strategies are intimately linked, that different communication modalities are preferred to support different communication topics, and that digital Sketch is a flexible tool in remote collaboration in medicine.

This article sums up results from an experimental study conducted in the context of a research project on the design and assessment of a graphical authentication system (HSA® for Human Semantic Authentication). The experiment addresses different issues related to the usability of the system (performance), and its cognitive demands (memorisation and categorisation). The results put into evidence that, despite the fact that this type of system presents some advantages in terms of use (providing some requirements are observed), it raises nonetheless different problems which put uncertainty on its potential acceptability and use in real world situations. The results illustrate the traditional tension between security and usability.

Using smartphones and wearables in parallel activities, e.g. while walking, is a widespread phenomenon. In different individuals we furthermore find different interaction styles which involve one or both hands. To study the effects of different interaction styles, we carried out a study involving three different interaction styles for touch-sensitive devices compared to a HMD operated by an additional controller providing passive haptic feedback. The experimental task was carried out while walking on a treadmill. In addition to the primary task of using the interaction device, a secondary task was administered which competed for the participants’ visual attention.We found an impact of the different interaction styles on the input performance: Time on task proved to be faster with the HMD combined with a haptic input device, but error count increased significantly as well. Using the thumb for input resulted in a longer overall time during which the visual attention was focused on the interaction device.

Interactive digital textiles are both light and shadow in regard to users’ perception and technology acceptance. To understand people’s perceived barriers and benefits in regard to interactive digital textiles and to derive empirically founded design and communication guidelines, we conducted an empirical study based on a synthesis of the Unified Theory and Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) and the Smart Textile Technology Acceptance Model (STTAM). In a scenario-based quantitative user study with N = 324 participants, we evaluated the projected acceptance of two exemplary textile products in a between-subject design. The first product addressed wearables in form of a smart jacket and the second product referred to technology augmented living environments in form of a smart armchair. Regression analyses revealed that the combined model (UTAUT2 and STTAM) explained over 80% of the variance of the participants intention to use the smart armchair (80.3%) as well as the smart jacket (84.7%): For the smart armchair, the model dimensions performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, washability, and input modality were decisive, while performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, and connectivity were relevant for the smart jacket. We conclude with empirically based communication and design guidelines to increase the acceptance of interactive digital textiles.

This paper presents the results of a long-term study of the use of fitness trackers, with particular focus on the factors that influence sustained use or abandonment. The analysis focuses on the consequences of adopting a reductionist quantification of general fitness, and how it fails to provide a coherent and understandable measure from the users’ point of view.

Computed tomography (CT) is the most used clinical examination to produce cross-sectional images of the body. The main objective of the study reported here is to analyze the CT operators’ perceptions in relation to the evolution of the technology they use, with a specific focus on the usability of the user interface. The study is based on the consideration that the performance of the whole man–machine system is strictly dependent on the perception/experience that the operator has of the machine. To this aim, current opinions expressed by 6 operators have been compared to those collected in a study conducted in 2011. Results reveal a high level of satisfaction with the technology in use, but the hope for a even better operability in the future, which was expressed in 2011, seems to be no longer valid today.

Smartglasses can provide safety-relevant information during tasks, e.g., by displaying warnings or important updates during search operations in crisis management, or about patients while treating them in healthcare. It is both necessary for the desired outcomes and frequently taken for granted that users perceive these messages reliably and in a timely manner. However, research on inattentional and change blindness has shown that visual stimuli—even “obvious” stimuli directly “in front of one’s eyes”—can be overlooked. Thus, in safety-critical situations, in which the user is focused on a task in the environment, instructions or warnings can be overlooked, despite being displayed in the user’s field of view—with potentially serious consequences. In this paper, we address the problem of taking perception of messages displayed on smartglasses for granted with respect to perceptual load theory. We present the results of a study comparing reaction times to smartglasses messages in conditions of low and high perceptual load with 24 participants in order to analyze how well users can notice messages in different load conditions. We also describe the implementation of an application to conduct these studies and possible designs for future studies.

Users have been for a few decades recognized as precious contribution to the creative design process. However, the gap of knowledge and motivation between users and designers may weaken the collaboration between participants of co-design meetings. With the emergence of new technologies, design meetings inside virtual environments are developing. This study aims to determine whether virtual environments enhance the creative performance and the quality of collaboration inside co-design workshops. Besides, we tried to determine whether user-designer collaboration inside a virtual environment was more or less effective than “only-user” collaboration. Thirty teams of three participants each took part to creative design workshops whose purpose was to create a new solution to improve mobility in Paris. The teams were distributed into 3 experimental conditions: mixed teams in virtual environment, user teams in virtual environment and user teams in real environment. The workshops consisted in a 10-min step of idea-generation followed by two 10-min steps of solution-selection (one short-term and one long-term solution). In the idea-generation step, user teams produced more ideas in the virtual environment than in the real one. In the solution-selection step, teams in real environment performed a better time management than teams in virtual environment. Finally, mixed teams produced more useful solutions than user teams, and teams in real environment produced more useful solutions than teams in virtual environment, while no effect of the conditions has been evidenced on the level of originality of the produced solutions.

Care processes in hospitals require intensive communication between stakeholders, interaction with technology and documentation of processes. In any of these cases, text plays a central role. Variable and adaptive text input methods can enhance workflows approaching quality, time, hygiene and resource management. Touchless technologies and speech input offer promising new input methods. Especially, the Internet of Things (IoT) offers plenty of opportunities for the separation of input and output interaction devices, and the adaptive and context-aware provision of wirelessly connected compositions of smart devices (IoT-ensembles) fulfilling the specific needs of all relevant stakeholders of the care process.This paper analyzes empirically the requirements and possible integrations for text input device ensembles within hospitals using the process of Human-Centered Design (ISO 9241-210). The results were used as the methodical base to design a concept, to build an appropriate prototype, and to evaluate usability according to ISO 9241-11. The participants of the evaluation confirmed an improvement of efficiency or effectiveness for dedicated situations by using the provided devices.

In this paper we defend the position that design projects are not only socially embedded, but also ideologically-embedded, as far as the designers or other stakeholders consider necessary to take into account the insertion and future position of the artefact in its societal and cultural environment. This is illustrated by examples from studies of design of artefacts in three cases: (i) Wikipedia articles, (ii) production and use of local governments’ open data, and (iii) co-design of social artefacts such as participatory housing. We conclude with some implications on the design process.

This study compared four different postures and positions regularly suggested for moving a patient up towards the head of the bed, using both novice and expert users. The trial was carried out in a laboratory using 21 participants (10 novices and 11 experts). All participants completed all conditions (n = 4) three times each (n = 3 repetitions). The physical force at each hand was recorded using electronic four compression/tension meters, recorded on DasyLab software. After each condition a subjective review questionnaire was completed. The data was processed with excel and SPSS to evaluate the differences between the conditions. A significant statistical reduction was found when comparing combined force for all carers (F(3,27) = 24.63, p < .05) and the load per individual (F(2.21,44.21) = 27.26, p < .05). However there was found to be no statistical difference between left and right hand or upper or lower hand. Transfers carried out with the carer pulling the patient towards them corresponded with a lower force to complete the transfer. This study suggests that a position with an oblique offset base and an action of pull and push in line with the carer could be the preferred position for a wide range of patient transfers.

The eye tracking technique has been widely used in usability evaluation of screen-based user interfaces. Eye tracking collects user’s visual scanning behaviors during task performance (e.g., shopping holiday gifts on an online store). While eye tracking data contain rich information about user’s performance, meaningful use of eye tracking requires accurate recording of eye movements which has been a challenge to usability practitioners. In the present paper, we will (1) analyze the structure of a saccadic eye movement and its association with cognitive processes, (2) describe today’s most commonly used eye tracking technique, and (3) propose a systematic approach to improving spatial accuracy. The approach includes 6 steps: (1) test design, (2) participant’s seating, (3) test instructions, (4) manufacturer-provided calibration, (5) customer-tailored calibration, and (6) statistical adjustment to calibration.

The fast developing and intertwining fields of mobility and technology focus human-centered designs more than ever. V2X-technology is one of the major players on that research field, which will influence the people’s behavior in traffic in terms of safety and efficiency. To include all participating members of traffic, four important message features for a V2X-smartphone application are analyzed. Using a two-tiered research approach, we focused on possible information scenarios in traffic, the most important features (type of data, correctness of warning, battery consumption and data recipient) and a practical recommendation for interaction from a users’ perspective.

The aim of this presentation is to present a constructive view of the development of collective activity. The concept of collective activity is a proposal of Caroly [1] aiming to connect cooperative work of operators with work collective – collectif de travail in French - that they belong to. These tow concepts are described to understand the organizational conditions to support the development of collective activity: recognition of skills, arenas for debate of criteria for quality of work, reelaboration of rules, intermediaries objects, technical systems, projects design, reorganization with managers.

Mechanical ventilation and subsequent weaning from the respirator are linked to high levels of physical and emotional stress for critically ill patients. Due to the severity of illness, impact of sedatives and the endotracheal tube, these patients cannot orally express their feelings and needs. In clinical practice, effective tools to facilitate early communication and re-orientation in these patients are lacking. To address this lack, a multidisciplinary project was set up to develop an “Ambient System for Communication, Information and Control in Intensive Care” (ACTIVATE). The present study was the first step and aimed to identify needs and expectations of patients, relatives and health professionals regarding ACTIVATE. A qualitative study involving 16 patients recently weaned from a ventilator, 16 relatives and 34 health professionals was conducted. The results show that for patients the weaning period is dominated by unanswered needs for effective communication with health professionals and relatives. These needs include the desire to directly express physical symptoms, receive re-orienting information and get into touch with relatives. For large parts, these needs were confirmed by the relatives and the health professionals, although some were associated with a lesser relevance. In addition, all interviews revealed user- and context-specific requirements for the design and functionalities of ACTIVATE. The results highlight the strong need for an innovative sociotechnical system to facilitate early and effective communication with patients undergoing weaning. We derived typical communication needs to be supported by ACTIVATE as well as user- and context-specific design requirements and potential ethical, legal and social implications.

As a result of the demographic change, the population of the older adults within our society increases steadily. If done right, information and communication technology offer great potential benefit for older users. Thus, we focus on a human-centered design approach for aging (HCD+). This Paper describes the development of an input component for the Historytelling project, a cooperative interactive platform for older adults to connect life stories with historic events and appreciate the potential for older adult’s life experience. We conducted a task analysis based on requirements for the Historytelling project and developed a high-fidelity prototype which was tested with eleven older adults. The prototype was valued highly overall but still had minor usability issues. Thus, we could show that a rather complex task such as telling a life story with various multimedia objects can be executed by older adults if they are integrated into the design process from early on.

Although health monitoring systems in smart homes have been revealed as a significant tool to help people ageing in place, the density of data poses a challenge on the information visualization. This review aims to make contributions to find gaps in the field of information visualization regarding smart home monitoring for older people. Three kinds of information needs of older adults and their informal caregivers regarding smart home monitoring are categorized, including physical needs, emotional needs and cognitive needs. The research studies reflect that these needs are mainly used to discuss ideas of, design approaches for, the information visualization from ten aspects in the visceral level, behavioral level and reflective level. Results show that there is still a big gap existing in enabling older people and their informal caregivers to better understand smart home monitoring information. Some existing design recommendations can be improved while at the same time, some needs have not been manifested through information visualization. A wider understanding of older adults, informal caregivers and home living environment in all aspects are necessary.

The first electronic procedural system of the Brazilian Federal Justice (eproc) began to be used in 2003. It was idealized by federal judicial officials. It currently has more than 5 million shares distributed. There were interviews with system users for improvements. Priority was the ergonomic criterion of workload and flexibility. As well as the usability factors associated with efficiency and user satisfaction in their task. There was investment in the area of Usability Engineering for improvements in the system. Usability measures were performed through a successful expert system. The development of a course for system developers was part of the intervention. The eproc system is now considered by the users an agile, functional and friendly system. It is an economy for public management and respect for the environment. No paper and print supplies are used. It is available online, 24 h a day, with Internet access. At the moment, it is expanding to other spheres of the Brazilian Judiciary.

The awakening process of artificially respirated patients on intensive care units from unconsciousness is called weaning. In this phase, patients experience difficulties to communicate their basic needs or to meaningfully contact staff and relatives. This means psychological distress for all affected persons - patients themselves, medical/nursing staff and relatives. One major goal of project ACTIVATE is developing and evaluating the innovative, ball-shaped input device BIRDY. It integrates recent technology in terms of sensors, actors, energy supply and wireless communication. Ventilated patients should use BIRDY to interact with the ACTIVATE system that is intended to support communication, provide relevant information and control smart appliances in the room. This quasi-experimental study is part of a larger requirements analysis and aims to show which physical characteristics of BIRDY are relevant for potential users and which values are preferred. In the study, subjects evaluated several everyday objects in a more or less handy form with characteristic values that could be eligible for the design of BIRDY. The subjects were divided into two peer groups: adults and senior adults. The latter was explicitly chosen due to the relatively high average age on intensive care units in Germany. The setting was created as realistic as in the laboratory possible. Participants conducted a pairwise comparison, ranked objects against fixed characteristics and chose a preferred object, which was used to interact with. Within this contribution, the results of the study and derived design proposals for the interaction device BIRDY are described in detail and discussed.

In case studies a project is defined as the systematic design and implementation of a work system in the context of an investment project. It includes a system ergonomics design approach, an actual Human Factors (HF) intervention, feedback on project results as well as on methodology. HF activities are a small part of a project: other disciplines are involved and usually leading. HF Professionals interpret and integrate the results of scientific research. Feedback from practice could benefit researchers as well as practitioners. However, project results are not often published because it is not a part of the project scope, confidentiality, or simply a lack time and encouragement. It is not particularly helpful that the scientific community shows little interest in material presumably based on small sample sizes. To tackle this problem, IEA World Congresses and ODAM conferences since 2006 promoted company case study sessions. A project case study is not only about looking back. New application areas and emerging technologies could benefit from HF knowledge. HF Professionals possess long time experiences, for instance regarding automation in process industries. They know the risks of high levels of automation and how to cope with them. This could be applied in autonomous shipping, traffic control, or remote operations. Transfer of proven HF knowledge requires published case studies. This paper presents an introduction in project case studies, gives a literature overview, and proposes a framework for the systematic reporting of cases. Some automation trends will be addressed, whilst showing possible benefits of knowledge transfer, or the need for this.

This paper seeks, albeit incompletely, to provide a descriptive overview of the life and science of Neville Peter Moray. From his earliest contributions to the very foundations of cognitive psychology to his final works upon the ultimate purpose of humankind, he illuminated half a century of human knowledge with his erudition, his curiosity, and his manifest joie de vivre. The litany of his academic achievement is here leavened by some personal reflections of the character and influence of this unique scholar.

A study dealing with human factors and ergonomics in the design of alarm systems and alarm management in the process industries was conducted at 15 workplaces for control room operators across different branches of industry in Germany. The results show that none of the systems under investigation fulfilled all the design recommendations derived from relevant literature, guidelines or standards. Thus, the results indicate an increased risk potential for incidents. Need for action to improve alarm systems and alarm management has, inter alia, been found particularly necessary with regard to alarm prioritization, consideration of operator performance limits, instructions on alarm handling and system support, continuous improvement processes as well as systematic training concepts and operator training concerning the alarm system and alarm handling. Results also suggest that there is still a lack of design improvements, as has already been documented in former research reports on critical incidents.

The article covers the issue of information arrangement and presentation in a human–machine interface (HMI) for monitoring and control of complex process systems. Experience shows that there is no universal interface equally efficient in all cases. The article describes the concept of a multi-layered interface with three layers – system, analytical and functional. The same process information may be presented differently in these layers. Each layer is designed to support a certain type of an operator’s cognitive activity: the system layer is meant for control support, the analytical layer – for assistance in the assessment and prediction of situation development, the functional layer – for the support of supervisory activities. Depending on the situation, each layer may be visible, semi-transparent or transparent (disabled). The multi-layered adaptive interface is described with the example of a VDU format for monitoring and control of a coolant circulation loop at a nuclear power plant.

An approach to prevention of human errors committed by operators during monitoring and control of process systems is considered in the present paper. The purpose of the proposed approach is to eliminate the causes of errors and/or to reduce its impact on personnel activity when managing a complex process object. The reports on abnormal events occurred at nuclear power plants were used as a source of information about personnel errors. The events that took place at NPPs in 2009–2016 were analyzed. The events caused by deliberate violation of rules and regulations, lack of training and a poor safety culture were not included in this analysis. In order to categorize human errors, we used two criteria – sequence of operator task performance consisting of five stages and kind of error. These classification criteria form a two-dimensional matrix. Then, twenty-eight typical NPP operator errors extracted from the analysis and publications have been mapped on two-dimensional space. Based on analysis of standards and guidelines in the area of ergonomics and HMI design and taking into account the best practice, the seven principles and methods for error prevention have been proposed. It was shown which kinds of errors can be pre-vented by the use of particular principle. Thus, a set of rules are elaborated that allow HMI designer to choose the way to reduce the risk of human errors.

Contributing to the earliest phases of design is an old challenge of Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF&E) experts. If HF&E contributions to Basic Design and Detailed Design of Nuclear Power Plants is acknowledge, HF&E experts’ contributions to earlier phase of design like Conceptual Design or pre-conceptual design (PCD) are not frequent. Therefore, if participation of HF&E experts to the earliest phase of systems design is not new, up to our knowledge, there is no already described, validated and structured HF&E method to contribute to a pre-conceptual design (PCD) phase. The aim of the PCD phase is to prepare and address the scientific issues of a proposed new design. From an HF&E point of view, the scientific issues are related to the concept of operations envisioned for the new system. The paper presents the approach we are currently leading at EDF R&D during the PCD phase of the design of innovative small modular reactors (ISMR) in order to define its concept of operations. This approach is based on several methods we propose to articulate in order to contribute to fill the lack of described and validated HF&E method to contribute to PCD. The theoretical foundations of our approach are based on work analyses in reference work situations [1] and operational analysis [2]. The paper describes each step of the approach developed and the organizational conditions for the participation of HF&E experts into PCD.