College of Engineering

GE106:Introduction to Engineering Design

Human Factors
in Engineering Design

By

Matthew Amao
 Outline
• What is Human Factors Integration in Design?
• Some Definitions of Human Factors Engineering
• Importance of Human Factors in Design
• Difficulties of Human Factors
• Forms of Human Factors Integration in Design
o Anthropometric Factors
o Ergonomic Factors
o Physiological Factors
o Psychological Factors
• Concluding Statements

Monday, October 21, 2019 Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 2

What is Human Factors Integration in Design?
• Considering information about human behavior, abilities,
characteristics and physical limits.
• Ensuring that the final product can be effectively utilized by the
end user, without exceeding their capabilities.
• ‘Fitting the Job to the Man’ rather than ‘Fitting the Man to the
Job’.
• Optimizing Efficiency, Health, Safety and Comfort of people
through better designs focused on the end-user.

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 Human factors must be considered
during the design phase:

“You can use an eraser on the

drafting table or a sledge-hammer on
the construction site.”
Frank Lloyd Wright (Architect)

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 Some Definitions
Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with
the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of
a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and
methods to design to optimize human well-being and overall system
performance. (Wikipedia)

Designing tasks, equipment and work stations to suit the user can
reduce human error, accidents and ill-health. ... The application of
human factors to the design and development of systems and services
is often called Human Factors Engineering or Human Factors
Integration. (HSE, [Link])

Human factors in design refers to ergonomic and aesthetic factors that

influence the design of products, systems and environments. These
factors are supported by the use of anthropometric, psychological and
sensory data gathering and analysis techniques.
Monday, October 21, 2019 Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 5
 Importance of Human Factors in Design

• Improve productivity Ease and Efficiency

• Improve safety
• Improve comfort
• Improve satisfaction
• Decrease errors
• Reduce fatigue Human factors
• Reduce the learning curve
• Meet user’s needs and wants
• Positive perception of product Man* Machine*

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 Difficulties of Human Factors

• Humans are flexible and

adaptable
• Large individual differences
• Obvious differences:
Physical size and strength
• Non-obvious differences:
culture*, style, and skill

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 Forms of Human Factors

1. Anthropometric Anthropometric
(Human interaction in static
sense; dimensions of human
body)
Ergonomic
2. Ergonomics
(Human interaction in dynamic
sense; repeated tasks)
3. Physiological Physiological
(Human interaction with body
characteristics)
4. Psychological Psychological
(Human interaction with mental
activities)
Monday, October 21, 2019 Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 8
 1. Anthropometric Factors
Anthropometric
Anthropometric human factors are
related to the physical size of humans;
Ergonomics
it is man-machine interaction in the
static sense.
Physiological

Psychological

9
Monday, October 21, 2019 Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106
 Anthropometric Factors (Cont’d)

Adequate attention to the nature

of the physical dimensions of
humans.

• Design for • Design for

Adjustability Average
• Design for • Design for
all Extreme

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 Anthropometric Factors (Cont’d)
Statistical distribution Cumulative distribution diagram
(relative frequency) diagram is an alternative method to
for the height of people present the same information

• The peak in the relative frequency diagram is often close to

the average value
• By designing for the average person we often exclude 50%
of the population
Monday, October 21, 2019 Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 11
 Anthropometric Factors Example

Being able to see an obstacle of height h at a

minimum distance L from the front of the car*

The average

12
Monday, October 21, 2019 Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106
 2. Ergonomic Factors
Anthropometric
Greek Words: Ergon = work, Nomos = law
Ergonomics= Study of Work Laws Ergonomics

Physiological
• The three aspects of ergonomic factors:
Safety, comfort and efficiency. Psychological
• Important
Importancewhen
whenthe thehuman
human isis involved
involved with
the machine in
or aproduct
dynamic sense.
in a dynamic sense.
• A human is required to exert a force or
perhaps supply work to the machine.
• The effective operation of a machine over
long periods of time will depend upon the
matching of requirements to human capability.
Monday, October 21, 2019 Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 13
 Ergonomic Factors (Cont’d)
The capability for performing
many tasks depends on:

• The physical ability of the

operator
• The range of movement
required
• The speed of movement
• The duration of the activity
• The position of the operator
• The environmental condition

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 Ergonomic Factors
(Aircraft Instrument Panel Example)
• First, determine functions inter-relationships and their
relative values
• A useful measure of the relative value of a relationship
is the product of the importance of the particular event
by the frequency of occurrence

If these can be
established, the designer
has a logical perspective
available to assist in
planning the display.

Monday, October 21, 2019 Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 15

 Aircraft Instrument Panel
(Importance and Frequency)

Instrument Duration of No. of Relative

observation observations value
(sec) per min. Air speed, Directional
Cross Gyro, and Gyro. Horizon
0 0 0
pointer are the most important
Air speed 0.67 22 14.7** and must be very visible
and close to each other
Directional
0.51 24 12.2*
Gyro
Gyro. 0.59 26 15.3***
Horizon
Engine 1. 13 5 5.6
Instruments
Altimeter 0.47 10 4.7
Turn and
Bank 0.39 5 2.0
Vertical 0.17 12 5.6
Speed
16
Monday, October 21, 2019 Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106
 3. Physiological Factors
• Physiological factors are of concern
Anthropometric
when the physicochemical
characteristics of the body are
significant, these deal with human Ergonomics

sensations.
• They involve the neurological, muscular, Physiological

respiratory, vascular and sensory

systems. Psychological

• They can be grouped according to the

response to various inputs such as:
 Visual
 Auditory
 Tactile (the sense of touch)
 Kinesthetic (detecting body position)
 Taste senses* (also smell: olfactory)
 Environment
Monday, October 21, 2019 Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 17
 Physiological Factors (examples)

• Color • Noise
• Light • Speech

Vision Hearing

Weather Touch

• Temp. • Braille
• Humidity • Comfort

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 Physiological Factors

 Human operators receive a great deal of information

visually.
 The visual processes enable us to perceive form,
color, brightness and motion and so read printed
instructions and instruments, observe moving objects
and react emotionally to combinations of shape and
color.
 In order to achieve the discrimination necessary for
correct interpretation it is necessary to achieve
satisfactory intensity and color discrimination and
resolution.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 19

 Physiological Factors

 Color discrimination is impaired when illumination levels

are low, and this can lead to unexpected difficulties in
comprehension.
 An associated problem of illumination which has a critical
effect on contrast is that of glare and shadow formation.
These can be controlled by careful design of lighting
systems and selection of materials and colors.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 20

 Physiological Factors

 Another source of information is that

which is transmitted audibly (capable of
being heard). This will range from spoken
information to the noise which
machinery makes when operating.

 Spoken communication is, of

course, very obvious, but the unusual
sound that is made by malfunctioning
equipment are often recognized as
such and lead to the taking of remedial
action.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 21

 Physiological Factors
 An excessive level of noise
pollution is, in fact, undesirable
for a number of reasons:
 Leads to degradation of
speech intelligibility (clearness)
 Will lead to physical damage
to the human auditory system.
 Hinders mental activity due to
distracting influences.
 Can lead to psychological and
mental disorders if
sustained.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 22

 Physiological Factors

 The speech interference level (SIL) is a measure of

the destructiveness of noise.

 It is determined by the level of noise in certain

frequency bands.

High levels of sound intensity cause pain and even

physical damage.

 The usually accepted threshold of pain is at about 0.5

W/m2 (sound intensity watt/m2)

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 23

 Physiological Factors

The following steps are available for the acoustic

(sound) treatment of working environments:
 Control the noise at its source by changing the
dynamic behaviors of the machine, modifying
fluid jet flow, … etc.
 Create barriers between the source and the
listener.
 Provide personal protective devices.
 Modify operating procedures so that the
exposure of personnel to noise is reduced.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 24

 Physiological Factors
 Acoustic design can also take on a positive aspect
when we are concerned with the quality of sound. This is
important in the design of concert halls, recording studios,
amplification equipment, to name a few areas.

 In these cases it is necessary to consider the frequency

analysis of the sounds and the reflection and absorptive
characteristics of surfaces over the appropriate frequency
range.

 The geometric design is also of considerable

importance since this determines the reflection of sound
waves and the possible interferences.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 25

 Physiological Factors
There are many sensory inputs to
which the body responds and which must
be taken into account, or made use of in
the man-machine relationship.

The sense of touch is one which is of

great value in various recognition
situations.

Braille printing of coded impressions

is an example of the recognition process
by the sense of touch.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 26

 Physiological Factors

 Humidity has little effect on heat exchange for normal

temperatures.

 At high temperatures, however, humidity has an

important effect on heat transfer, comfort and
physiological tolerance.

 There is a relationship between temperatures and

humidity which leads to similar degrees of comfort.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 27

 Physiological Factors (Summary)
• It is necessary to achieve satisfactory intensity and color
discrimination and resolution.
• Need careful design of lighting systems and selection of
materials and colors.
• Consider the frequency analysis of the sounds.
• Control the noise at its source.
• The sense of touch is of great value in various recognition
situations (e.g., Braille printing).
• The atmospheric environment in which the human performs
his tasks may considerably affect his
working efficiency and accuracy.

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 4. Psychological Factors
Anthropometric
Psychological considerations in human
factors analysis are concerned with the
mental activity relationship between Ergonomics

man and the product.

Physiological

Psychological

This involves:
• Interpretation of information
• Motivation and fatigue
• Decision making
• Aesthetics (philosophy of art)

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 Psychological Factors (Cont’d.)

 Here we are concerned with the manner of

presentation which will lead to minimum error of
interpretation.

 The design of visual displays such as control

panels, instrument panels and other informative
displays is a typical example of psychological factors at
work.

There are a number of principles which have been

developed. Some of these include:
1. Retain the usual method of operation (e.g., a
power switch is ON when the operating lever is DOWN

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 30

 Psychological Factors (Cont’d.)
2. Use digital indicators for
precise numerical values with
no need for interpretation. That
is satisfactory only when values
are constant or not changing
rapidly.

3. For time variable readings

not requiring high accuracy use
moving pointers over a fixed
linear or circular scale.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 31

 Psychological Factors (Cont’d.)

4. Arrange control movement

to coincide with required
direction of instrument pointer
movement.

5. Color coding on dials are

useful in helping to recognize
conditions quickly e.g., green-
normal, yellow-caution, red-
danger.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 32

 Psychological Factors (Cont’d.)

If the operator feels he can easily assert control, and that
the system will respond, then he has less fear of the
operation resulting in reduced fatigue and improves
motivation.

 This means that the mechanism of the control device

should be designed so that:
(i) Movements are easy.
(ii) Slackness is eliminated.
(iii) The operator is aware of a feedback response.
(iv) The system response is rapid.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 33

 Psychological Factors (Cont’d.)

 If this cannot be achieved the controller should

incorporate some restriction so that over reaction and
instability does not develop.

 Decision making is sometimes a difficult task for people

to carry out.
It is important that the incoming information be
presented in a readily assimilated manner.
 However, it is also necessary that this information be
supplied in ample time for the operator to be able to
decide on his course of control action.

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 34

 Psychological Factors (Summary)

• Use presentations which will lead to

minimum error of interpretation*
• Retain the usual method of operation
(e.g., a power switch is ON when the
operating lever is DOWN)
• Use digital indicators for precise
numerical values.
• Use color coding on dials for fast
recognition: green-normal, yellow-
caution, red-danger.
• Arrange control movement in a
logical manner

Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106

35
Monday, October 21, 2019
 Concluding Statements
• Human factors must be considered in Engineering design.

• A well designed product must adequately incorporate the

necessary components of Human factors engineering.

• Product should be designed for adjustability and inclusivity,

this will ensure wider acceptability amongst the population.
Do not just design strictly for the average user.

• Your project design for this course must integrate necessary

human factors engineering considerations and you should
demonstrate how these were integrated in your project
design.

Monday, October 21, 2019 Introduction to Engineering Design GE-106 36

College of Engineering
GE106:Introduction to Engineering Design

Human Factors
in Engineering Design

By

Matthew Amao