Usability and Cognitive Ergonomics

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Usability and Cognitive Ergonomics

14th Nov 2006, 05:33 GMT

Tomorrow (Tuesday, November 14) is World Usability Day, a day to promote the value of user-centered design. How does World Usability Day relate to ergonomics? If you thought that ergonomics was about proper posture and reducing muscle and skeletal strain, you are only partly right. Those issues are part of what is called physical ergonomics. But that's only one element in the ergonomics picture, which, as it relates to the consumer, begins with cognitive ergonomics. You might be surprised at how big a role cognitive ergonomics plays in your everyday life. [more]Ergonomics is the study of how we interact with different elements to increase our well-being and overall performance. It draws from many different areas including, anthropometry, biomechanics, engineering, kinesiology, physiology, and psychology. As the name suggests, cognitive ergonomics deals with psychology and engineering. Many of us never really think about it, but cognitive ergonomics is used everywhere. Whenever a company designs a new electronic devise, software program, tool, or other product it needs to consider how it will be interpreted and applied by the end-user. If, for example, the cell phone was originally designed in a ball- or sphere-shape rather than the rectangular shape that is popular today, it would be difficult to hold to the ear. It also wouldn’t be very economical to carry around, as it would not fit in a standard-sized pocket easily. The consumer would perceive it to be awkward and would be less inclined to use the product. What Do End-Users Need? Cognitive ergonomics can be used to determine how complex or simple to design a product. For example, you’d want bear-spray to be quick and easy to use; when a bear attacks, the mind usually races and you may not be able to use a devise that is too complicated or takes too much time to apply. The user needs a simple and straightforward tool to use in these situations. Cognitive ergonomics says that a product like bear-spray should have a simple design so that it can be used easily and quickly when needed. While it is feasible to add features to, say, control the amount of spray to be expelled from the can or how long it will spray, it would not be appropriate in this product, simply because it is not what the end-user needs. On the other hand, digital cameras have tons of buttons and features and can be rather complicated, because photographers usually don’t have the same time-factors to worry about. Photographers have the time to set up shots and take their time to make sure the subject is framed perfectly. According to the rules of cognitive ergonomics, a digital camera can have many buttons and settings because, when it is being used, there are few time constraints to consider, whereas there is a major time constraint when using bear spray so it calls for a simpler design. Why Cognitive Ergonomics? When designers, engineers, and companies don’t take these cognitive ergonomic rules into consideration when developing a new product, it may ultimately hinder sales and company reputation because the end-users find it difficult to use and will not buy the product. These rules help provide more predictable results and could help in avoiding unnecessary accidents or even death, because the product was not designed for the situation for which it was intended. -- Next week we will run part two of this post, which will cover specific ways that physical ergonomics can positively inform how you set up your office space for increased health and productivity.

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