Interview


4 Far from being unimportant compared with a product or machine’s function, good ergonomics can deliver a number of business benefits. Jon Severn discussed the need for good ergonomics with Gary Davis, a qualified ergonomist and industrial designer, a fellow of the Ergonomics Society, a Registered European Ergonomist, and founder of Davis Associates in 1986.


4 Loin d’être sans importance par rapport à la fonction d’un produit ou d’une machine, une bonne ergonomie peut offrir de nombreux avantages commerciaux. Jon Severn a discuté de la nécessité d’une bonne ergonomie avec Gary Davis, un ergonome européen et concepteur industriel qualifié, membre de la Ergonomics Society, ergonome européen agréé, et fondateur de Davis Associates en 1986.


4 Wer die Ergonomie im Vergleich mit der Funktion eines Produkts oder einer Maschine als unwichtig ansieht, ist weit von der Realität entfernt: Gute Ergonomie kann eine Reihe von geschäftlichen Vorteilen bringen. Jon Severn besprach die Notwendigkeit guter Ergonomie mit Gary Davis, einem qualifizierten Arbeitswissenschaftler und Industriedesigner, Mitglied der Ergonomics Society, eingetragenen europäischen Ergonomen und Gründer von Davis Associates in 1986.


Why designers should pay more attention to ergonomic issues


N


obody sets out to design a product or machine that is ineffective, inefficient or unsafe. If asked, therefore, most designers would say that they take usability into account as part of


the design process. However, it is often true that ergonomics (or human factors) considerations are restricted to the designer applying his or her common sense, or organising usability trials far too late to influence the design before it is released for manufacture. Of course, there are many designers and


manufacturing companies that take a far more enlightened view of ergonomics, treating it as something that can add significantly to the value of a product - or service or environment. When asked what can benefit from ergonomics, Gary Davis, the managing director of Davis Associates, a UK-based ergonomics design consultancy, replies: “Virtually any product, system, service or environment. There are obvious examples, such as seating, remote control handsets, plant control rooms and websites, but almost anything with an element of human interaction can benefit - for instance, mass rapid transit vehicles and buildings through which people must navigate. Often people do not appreciate that ergonomics is as much about cognitive behaviour and psychology as it is about physical interaction” (Fig. 1) Given that ergonomics is so widely applicable, there are many reasons why Davis believes that


designers should be paying more attention to ergonomics: “We have a changing demographic; by the year 2020 half the adults in the UK will be aged 50 or over and the number of older people in the world will double to 1.2 billion by 2028. Inclusive design, in which products and services are usable by the widest possible range of people, therefore provides access to an expanding market” (Fig. 2). Interestingly, Davis is finding that among those


product manufacturers that give due consideration to ergonomics, the motivation is changing: “Previously we had to fight to sell the idea of applying ergonomics to improve usability, but now usability is considered to be a minimum requirement and the requirement is to make a product more pleasurable to use and to give it the ‘wow!’ factor. Ergonomics is becoming recognised as something that can create a commercial advantage” (Fig. 3).


Regulations and standards


Other trends that should cause designers to reassess their view of ergonomics include pressure from legislators, which manifests as regulations and supporting standards (for example, ISO 11064 Ergonomic design of control centres). This is due partly to stronger promotion of equality (one example being the EU Equal Treatment Framework Directive 2000/78/EC) and a better appreciation of the way in which ergonomics can influence safety (for example, the new EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC places a much greater emphasis on


“Virtually any product, system, service or environment can benefit from ergonomics input to the design process.”


Gary Davis,


Managing Director, Davis Associates.


www.engineerlive.com 7


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