bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Expert Panels as a Means of Engaging Students in the Applications of Human Factors
Authors: Histon Jonathan M. , Scott Stacey D.
Published: January 2012

Large class sizes make it difficult to provide meaningful and engaging opportunities to connect students to real world applications of human factors research. In an effort to address this, students in a senior year human factors class participated in a weekly expert panel, either as a panelist or as an audience member. The expert panel exercise mimics news conferences, panels and other media settings in a way that engages students and provides time-efficient opportunities to demonstrate how human factors principles are reflected in real world incidents and accidents. Initial experience with the expert panel has been promising and appears to be a valuable means of promoting a deeper understanding of applications of human factors knowledge.
Usability Analysis of Learning Environments — Needs and Realities
Authors: Smith Thomas J.
Published: January 2012

This paper addresses the question of whether the application of principles and methods of usability analysis can benefit the design of learning environments, and can thereby benefit student learning. The application of principles and practices of usability and ergonomic analysis have achieved proven success in improving performance of many sociotechnical systems areas. However, the benefits that the application of HF/E science might bring to promoting educational system and student learning performance have yet to be widely recognized. On the assumption that such recognition may someday be realized, an analysis is offered of the comparative advantages and disadvantages of ergonomic program intervention, versus usability analysis, for purposes of improving the design quality of K–12 learning environments. Usability analysis may provide benefits in terms of flexibility of application, ease of implementation, and student learning gains. The true test of applying HF/E science as a meaningful strategy to benefit education and learning rests upon: (1) establishing that the role of task and environmental design in learning has relevance to educational psychology; and (2) promoting recognition and acceptance of HF/E, in a systematic and comprehensive manner, by the educational community.
A Conceptual Framework for Guiding Data Collection in Facilities Programming
Authors: Popov Lubomir
Published: January 2012

Facilities programming involves data collection about users, their activities and behavior patterns, needs, values, and preferences. This part of programming has a social science nature and requires a well thought out research design. The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework that can guide the research design, data collection, and data analysis in the programming process. The paper proposes a general and inclusive conceptual structure that will be further developed and operationalized when applied to a particular building type and a specific programming situation. The framework represents only the most fundamental dimensions of the social organization and its constituent elements. The framework will structure the cognitive domain so that the information can be handled more easily and will provide assurance that basic aspects of the social organism will not be overlooked. The process and method for project-specific adaptation and elaboration will be discussed in a subsequent paper.
Model Integrating Assistive Technology Use and Human Performance for People with Disabilities
Authors: Haynes Scott , Bruce Carrie , Sanford Jon
Published: January 2012

The ageing workforce and returning veterans have generated a heightened awareness of the need to accommodate people with disabilities in the workplace. A critical factor in developing useful accommodations is being able to accurately quantify the abilities of the person and the demands of the environment. Human factors specialists are often involved with measuring human capabilities and environmental factors with the aim of improving human performance. However, the use of assistive technology (AT) is typically not considered in the development of such assessment models. This paper presents a theoretical framework for the integration of AT into a process model for assessing human performance.
On the Control of Environmental Conditions Using Personal Ventilation Systems
Authors: Hedge Alan , Khalifa H. Ezzat , Zhang J.
Published: January 2012

The concept of personal control is examined as this relates to the conceptual design of personal ventilation systems based upon the body's physiological and psychological homeostatic requirements. Literature on the effects of personal control of environmental conditions is reviewed. The concept of a “just noticeable difference in discomfort” that underpins the desire to initiate some personal control action is discussed. The concept of personal control is symmetrical for thermal conditions (hot or cold) but, apart from some pleasant fragrances, is asymmetric for indoor air quality (where less pollution is better). Factors that may influence the exercise of personal control will be summarized. Finally, important information for the design of PVS systems that are both energy efficient and effective in optimizing the micro-environmental conditions for workplace employees will be presented.
A Survey of Smart Home Interface Preferences for U.S. and Korean Users
Authors: Jeong Kyeong-Ah , Proctor Robert W. , Salvendy Gavriel
Published: January 2012

A survey was conducted to determine Americans' and Koreans' preferences in both general and specific aspects of smart home interface design. 210 Americans and 282 Koreans participated. The respondents preferred to interact with a smart home using a physical device (a computer, cell phone, or remote control) rather than through communication modalities such as speech or gesture. Though different, the layout organization preferences of the American and Korean respondents conflicted with those expected on the basis of an often cited distinction between Americans' and Koreans' preferences for functional vs. thematic structures, respectively. Based on the survey, the conclusion was reached that smart home interfaces should be adapted to the particular culture. General and culture-specific guidelines for smart home interface design are proposed.
Forensic Human Factors/Ergonomics Practice from the Perspective of the Forensic Consulting Firms
Authors: Cohen H. Harvey , Vigilante William
Published: January 2012

This discussion panel will present a view of certain critical practice issues from the perspective of key expert practitioners from the very few consulting firms specializing in forensic human factors/ergonomics (HF/E). Accordingly, attendees of this panel session will hear from principals within these firms for both their unique perspectives on practice issues not addressable by our sole-practitioner colleagues, as well as ways in which the employment of such forensic HF/E practitioners may be enhanced in the very near future. Four sub-topics will each be separately addressed by one of the panelists followed by interactive discussion: (1) Inter/multi disciplinary team approach to cases; (2) Internal peer review/involvement; (3) Opportunities for funded research; and (4) Mentoring students and young professionals. It is believed that exploring such practice issues in such a panel discussion will begin a process by which more HF/E professionals can enter the field of forensic practice growing the field through the development of more firms with added capabilities and multiple forensic experts on staff.
The Role and Limitations of Voluntary Standards in Consumer Product Safety
Authors: Pollack-Nelson Carol , Deppa Shelley Waters
Published: January 2012

Voluntary standards have been written for hundreds of consumer products ranging from go-karts to cribs. Industry relies on these standards when designing their products and in litigation, often pointing to their compliance in defending product designs. While standards have the potential to mitigate product hazards, they are minimum requirements. As such, certain product hazards may not be addressed. This paper examines three standards and serious injuries and fatalities associated with their related products. A discussion of these standards, as well as voluntary standards in general, underscores their value and limitations.
Slip Sliding Away — Slip Resistance of Athletic Socks on Indoor Flooring
Authors: Curry David G. , Mathias Anne
Published: January 2012

A laboratory study was conducted to assess the slip resistance of athletic socks on various household flooring materials under both wet and dry conditions. While prior studies regarding slip resistance have focused on shod walkers, there is a lack of published data on the coefficient of friction between stocking-clad feet and indoor flooring. To investigate this, four types of athletic socks were tested on samples of eight flooring materials for both wet and dry conditions. These results were compared to tests of a Neolite slider pad on these floors.

The results indicated that for socks on textured vinyl flooring, there was no significant difference in slip resistance between the wet and dry conditions, though there was a trend towards greater slip resistance under wet conditions. Generally, it appears that the likelihood of slipping on other types of wet indoor walking surfaces is lower when walking in socks rather than shoes.
Detecting Typing Errors in a Numerical Typing Task with Linear Discriminant Analysis of Single Trial EEG
Authors: Lin Cheng-Jhe , Wu Changxu
Published: January 2012

Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) was utilized to detect numerical typing errors in the context of daily data input. Single EEG trial data from 6 subjects were analyzed and a 67% detection rate was demonstrated by Fisher LDA classifier with an optimal Mahalanobis distance ratio setting. Sensitivity analysis showed that Fisher LDA classifier detected the errors in terms of 9-digit numbers by 62.19% on average, in comparison with 3.33% and 47.22% using the prior model and the chance model. This is one step towards predicting human errors in perceptual-motor tasks before their occurrence; future work would focus on benchmarking to improve current method toward an online and robust classifier.
Creativity and Design: Creativity's New Definition and Its Relationship to Design
Authors: Brougher Samuel J. , Rantanen Esa M.
Published: January 2012

Creativity is often defined in ways that are neither useful nor operationalizable. We proposed a new definition for creativity that incorporates the Skills-Rules-Knowledge model of Rasmussen (1983). We then examine the tests of creativity and real world design problems alongside each other with this new definition in mind. Participants completed six different creativity tests, including the design problems. The tests were scored on the basis of five domains of creativity. Answers to questions an individual had seen previously were not included in data analysis. We expect to find that all measures of creativity correlate weakly with each other, and spatial, nonentrenchment, and original types of creativity correlate more highly with design than other types, providing further evidence for the importance of creativity for designers and engineers.
Comparative Study of Computer Usage Patterns and Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Symptoms among College Students
Authors: Cooper Karen N. , Campbell-Kyureghyan Naira H. , Sommerich Carolyn M.
Published: January 2012

Recent studies have shown that computer-use-related musculoskeletal discomfort is prevalent in college students. In this paper two studies of college student computer usage, conducted five years apart (2003 and 2008), are compared. The participants in both studies completed online computer usage surveys. Questions included the duration of computer use, at what times they would most likely be using a computer, and at what locations. Some questions were focused on what safe computing practices the student had possibly adopted, such as taking breaks. Both studies indicated that students often assume awkward postures when computing. Students also reported continuously computing, with no breaks, though breaks are recommended by computer ergonomics programs in other sectors. Reported discomfort associated with computer use indicates that students are already experiencing musculoskeletal symptoms. This study can guide in the development, implementation, and evaluation of changes in the equipment and/or training that will reduce the ergonomic risks to students.
Physicians Bypass Enrollment Suggestions into a Clinical Reminders Intervention
Authors: Vashitz Geva , Gilutz Harel , Meyer Joachim
Published: January 2012

While clinical reminders can promote adherence with evidence-based clinical guidelines, they may have unintended consequences such as alert fatigue, false alarms and increased workload, which cause clinicians to ignore them. We evaluated clinicians' response rates to suggestions to enroll patients in a nationwide clinical reminders intervention, aiming to promote prevention of clinical arthrosclerosis. Analysis of 203, 164 suggestions for 108, 636 patients showed that the clinicians mostly ignored suggestions from the system and followed only 21.4% of the inclusion suggestions. The data show that when physicians could choose for which patients the reminders will be generated, they mostly chose not to include patients in the clinical reminders intervention. It seems that they tried to abort the process as soon as possible, rather than complete the workflow orderly. Insights regarding the usability of clinical reminders are discussed.
Lessons for Electronic Medical Records from Family Medical Practices
Authors: McEwen Timothy R. , Elder Nancy , Flach John M.
Published: January 2012

Motivated by the push towards the adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems, we conducted a series of observations, interviews, and patient record audits at four family medical practices to investigate the nature of record keeping in diagnostic testing processes. One lauded benefit of EMR is to reduce the number of steps required to process test results and reduce the number of errors. We found this to be the case. However, in offices with paper records, we found many instances where people helped create safety by correcting errors made at previous stages due to naturally occurring feedback loops that allowed for compensation. The EMR office faced unique challenges in this regard because of impoverished communication and feedback loops, both from the EMR system and support staff. It is important to appreciate the safety dynamics of paper based systems in the design of EMR systems and consider incorporating dynamics such as checks and redundancies into them.
The Impact of Protocolized Communication during Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Parker S. Henrickson , Wadhera R. , Wiegmann D. , Sundt T.M.
Published: January 2012

Background: Communication breakdowns are a common cause of adverse events in high consequence industries. It has become increasingly evident that within healthcare systems that poor communication is the causal factor of a large percentage of sentinel events. Methods: All communication exchanges between surgeon and perfusionist were monitored via observation for 18 cardiovascular surgery cases. Breakdowns were analyzed by stage and type of breakdown and a communication protocol designed based on the breakdowns. The protocol was then implemented, and use of the protocol was then monitored for 16 cardiovascular surgery cases. Results: Breakdowns decreased at each stage of cardiovascular surgery. Specific types of breakdowns decreased dramatically, most by more than half. Conclusions: This study shows that protocolizing communication can have a profound impact on communication breakdowns in the cardiovascular surgery operating theatre.
Accessibility and Usability of Diabetes Management Devices for Users with Vision Disabilities
Authors: Story Molly Follette , Luce Adam C. , Rempel David M.
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this study was to evaluate accessibility and usability of three blood glucose meters with voice output and three syringe loaders for individuals with diabetes and vision impairments. Twenty participants simulated a typical use scenario on each device. For meters, the Prodigy AutoCode scored better than ACCU-CHEK Advantage (with Voicemate), which scored better than OneTouch Basic (with Digi-Voice). Among syringe loaders, Count-a-dose scored better than Syringe Support, which scored better than Loadmatic. Recommendations are made for design modifications to both types of devices.
Improving Communication of Health Status Information
Authors: Douglas Stephen E. , Caldwell Barrett S.
Published: January 2012

This research focused on developing a general health report that conveys an individual's health readings in a clear, concise and explanatory manner and demonstrating the report's usefulness. The research examined the need for such a report and focused the design on the determined need and communication through visual display. The designed “Individual Health Report (IHR)” was evaluated using data obtained from an online survey developed for this research. The analysis involved t-tests, McNemar's tests, linear regression and ANOVA. Results included the finding that the IHR significantly improved respondent's ability to correctly answer questions about their health status and preventive health in general (p < .0001, n = 61). The study also showed that introduction of the IHR by healthcare providers would significantly improve the respondents' view that they get the preventive healthcare information they need to make appropriate decisions (p = 0.0007, n = 61).
Older Adults' Needs for Home Health Care and the Potential for Human Factors Interventions
Authors: Mitzner Tracy L. , Beer Jenay M. , McBride Sara E. , Rogers Wendy A. , Fisk Arthur D.
Published: January 2012

Demand for home health care is expected to increase as more people are living longer and because older adults rely on home health services to a greater extent than any other population (CDC, 2000). This paper provides an overview of older adults' home health care needs as well as guidance for potential human factors interventions to reduce medical errors and improve quality of care and independence for older patients. Factors discussed include reducing transition and handoff errors, ensuring proper use of medical devices, managing medication, and optimizing home health settings. The importance of considering the role of normal age-related changes in abilities when evaluating patients' needs is highlighted. The goal of this analysis is to provide guidance for human factors interventions in home health care.
Ergonomic Safety of Surgical Techniques and Standing Positions Associated with Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
Authors: Lee Gyusung , Youssef Yassar , Carswell Melody , Hui-Lio Cindy , George Ivan , Park Adrian
Published: January 2012

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), a procedure in which, using either a one-handed or two-handed technique, a surgeon removes a symptomatic gallbladder in a minimally invasive manner, is commonly—due to its relatively high safety level—the initial procedure that a resident will perform. Investigation of the ergonomics associated with LC one-handed and two-handed techniques is one goal of this study. Identification of which of two standing positions (between legs or at side) used during LC is the more ergonomically favorable is the other. Knowledge gained from our research in these issues is intended to be applicable both to surgical training and the operating room environment. Eight right-handed laparoscopic surgeons with varying levels of surgical skills were recruited for this study. Each performed LC a total of four times on a virtual reality (VR) simulator with each performance incorporating one of the following conditions: either the one-handed or two-handed surgical technique or the position of standing between the patient's legs or at the patient's side. Each trial was also divided into two phases: 1) dissection and clipping and 2) gall bladder removal. During the performance of LC, physical ergonomic data were collected though surface electrode electromyography (EMG) and two force plates. Additionally NASA-Task Load Index (TLX) and secondary time estimation were used for cognitive ergonomic assessment. Standing at the side produced a significantly higher weight-loading ratio (WLR) than standing between the legs. Comparison between techniques indicated that the two-handed technique caused higher WLR. Significant phase effect equated increased WLR with phase 2 gall bladder removal. No statistical interactions among technique, standing position, and phase were significant. Analysis of NASA-TLX showed that global workload, influenced mainly by significant physical workload and effort scales, was higher with the side-standing position and the two-handed technique. The results from time estimation analysis, although statistically marginal, demonstrated that the one-handed technique is more mentally demanding. Our study demonstrated that due to lower physical as well as mental workload, the two-handed technique performed with the surgeon positioned between the patient's legs is the most ergonomically favorable combination. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the pedal for cautery operation requires ergonomic improvement. These specific findings encourage us to continue research into what proof ergonomics can provide regarding what constitutes the most efficacious approaches to surgical procedures and to optimizing patient safety and the surgical environment.
Vibrotactile Feedback Improves Laparoscopic Palpation Skills
Authors: Zhou Mi , Cao Caroline G. L.
Published: January 2012

Sensory augmentation using vibrotactile stimulation has been shown to compensate for distorted haptic feedback in tissue compliance differentiation tasks in laparoscopic surgery. This study investigated its usefulness for tumor palpation. A controlled experiment was conducted using a wearable vibrotactile device that responded with various levels of vibration signal parameters (i.e., amplitude, frequency and duty-cycle) as a function of applied force during a palpation task. Results showed that subjects were able to perform more accurately and more confidently, applying lower peak forces and smaller force ranges to make a judgment regarding the presence of an embedded structure, with vibrotactile augmentation than without. In addition, as more parameters of the vibration signal were modulated (up to three), the vibrotactile augmentation tended to be more effective, possibly due to the greater information content in the multi-parameter signal. This suggests that palpation can be improved by implementing a vibration device that is capable of multi-dimensional modulation. However, the design of the vibration device should balance the advantage of providing additional information for effective information transmission with that of signal redundancy and complexity.
Structuring the Puzzle: Protocol Use in Disease Outbreak Investigations
Authors: Kramer Heidi S. , Snow Laverne A. , Drews Frank , Samore Matthew
Published: January 2012

Disease outbreaks affect millions of Americans every year and have potentially large health and financial costs. State and local health departments in conjunction with the CDC have the responsibility for investigating and managing disease outbreaks. Individual states define dozens of diseases as reportable. To manage the scope and diversity of these diseases public health agencies rely on the use of protocols. Protocols can be effective tools for improving performance and reducing errors. However, there are limitations with the use of protocols in natural systems such as disease investigations. Our study included 41 semi-structured interviews with public health disease outbreak investigators. This paper discusses some of the benefits and limitations related to the use of protocols in disease outbreak investigations. We also suggest areas where Human Factors Engineering can support public health disease investigations.
Distributed Prospective Memory: An Approach to Understanding how Nurses Remember Tasks
Authors: Grundgeiger T. , Sanderson P.M. , MacDougall H.G. , Venkatesh B.
Published: January 2012

People's ability to execute future intentions, or their prospective memory (PM), is a critical aspect of cognitive work because failures can have adverse outcomes. Most research to date deals with unaided prospective memory performance outside a healthcare context. We report results from a field study investigating PM performance of intensive care nurses. Concepts from distributed cognition help to identify how nurses use physical properties of their working environment to manage PM demands. Results show that (1) PM demands can be classified using a taxonomy from aviation and (2) nurses are supported by and use properties of the environment to manage PM demands. Focusing on distributed support for prospective memory lets us study prospective memory in rich work contexts. The results inform health information system and device design and professional education.
A Belief-Based Model of Air Traffic Controllers Performing Separation Assurance
Authors: Landry Steven J.
Published: January 2012

A model of an air traffic controller performing a separation assurance task was produced. The model was designed to be simple to use and deploy in a simulator, but still provide realistic behavior. The model is based upon an evaluation of the safety function of the controller for separation assurance, and utilizes fast and frugal heuristics and belief networks to establish a knowledge set for the controller model. Based on this knowledge set, the controller acts to keep aircraft separated. Validation results are provided to demonstrate the model's performance.
Using Saccadic Intrusions to Quantify Mental Workload
Authors: Tokuda Satoru , Palmer Evan , Merkle Edgar , Chaparro Alex
Published: January 2012

This study proposes a new method to quantify mental workload (MWL) automatically, without interfering with the operator's primary task performance. An unobtrusive Tobii eye tracker recorded eye movements while participants were engaged in a cognitively demanding N-back task. Original algorithms automatically analyzed the eye data, detected specific eye deviation movements called saccadic intrusions (SIs), and automatically quantified the eye deviation accounted for SIs. This SI measure was strongly correlated with the task difficulty levels in the N-back tasks and with pupil diameter. This indicates that the SI measure appeared to reflect MWL and may be used as a measure of MWL.
An Analysis Capability for System of Systems Research
Authors: Bowman Elizabeth K. , Smith Jeffrey A.
Published: January 2012

This paper proposes an analysis capability for systems of systems research in military settings. A new approach is needed due to the increasingly complex socio-technical nature of Command and Control (C2). This research seeks to advance the Army analysis process by developing a capability to examine cognitive, social and technical aspects of information sharing and consequential decision making requirement for C2. We first review the definition of system of systems. Next, we establish the agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) paradigm as a useful method for analysis because of its facility for exploring large and complex problem spaces. This is followed by some structural issues addressed by ABMS with an emphasis on the challenge of representing human behavior in psychologically plausible ways. We then present one instantiation of ABMS that incorporates a representation of human decision making and the utility of information in a small vignette. We consider the suitability of this ABMS for system of system analyses with respect to how the decision making processes represent human decision making behavior. Finally, we discuss an ongoing approach to improve human behavior representations in the agents of this ABMS.
Predicting Vigilance Performance and Stress with Individual Difference Measures
Authors: Shaw Tyler H. , Matthews Gerald , Finomore Victor , Warm Joel S.
Published: January 2012

In this study, personality and intelligence measures were used to predict vigilance performance and the stress associated with the performance of an abbreviated vigilance task adapted from Temple et al. (2000). Personality was measured using broad personality traits (NEO-FFI), as well as factor-analytically derived personality dimensions that yielded the four factor solution of Cognitive Disorganization, Heightened Experience, Sleep Quality, and Impulsivity. Intelligence was measured by two tests extracted from the ETS Kit of Factor-Referenced Cognitive Tests (Ekstrom et al., 1976). Stress was measured using the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire (DSSQ). Fluid intelligence and extraversion emerged as predictors for vigilance performance. With regard to stress, Neuroticism and Conscientiousness emerged as predictors for both pre- and post-task distress and worry. While the derived personality battery did not directly predict performance, the Cognitive Disorganization and Impulsivity factors predicted the stress associated with vigilance tasks.
A Comparison of the Relevance of Between-Subject and Within-Subject Variance for an Intention Estimation Behavior for Wheelchair Users
Authors: Jipp Meike , Badreddin Essameddin
Published: January 2012

In the field of assistance systems for powered wheelchair control, existing research considers individual differences in intelligence and psychomotor abilities only with regard to their impact on situation adaptation, which has been proven as a significant predictor of the cognitive processes going on when the actor decides on his/her future behavior. This paper investigates the direct effects of these individual differences on the variables used for intention estimation and compares their effects with the ones found for situation adaptation and for the interactions between the situation adaptation and the individual differences. The results demonstrate quite impressively that, for some variables, these direct effects play an even more important role than do the situation adaptation effects and the interaction effects. Hence, the direct effects should be considered as well. Implications about how these results can be integrated in existing intention estimation behaviors for powered wheelchair control are provided.
Perceptions of Humans Wearing Technology
Authors: Lum Heather C. , Sims Valerie K. , Chin Matthew G. , Lagattuta Nicholas C.
Published: January 2012

The current study is an examination of how using “wearable technology” may impact the impressions formed by others about the technology user. Previous research has examined how technological devices that are made to be more humanlike may be perceived, yet little research has investigated the perceptions of humans who are made more like technological devices through the augmentation of their senses or abilities. Participants viewed faces of male and female models either wearing no external devices, wearing non-technological articles, wearing consumer electronic devices, or scientific/military devices (eye trackers). Overall, models were viewed less favorably when wearing technology, but the attributions were a complex interaction of the rater's comfort with technology, the sex of the model, and the particular attribute being examined. Wearable technology may augment cognitive abilities, but interfere with interpersonal relations.
Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk Associated with Auto Rotation Angle during an Assembly Task
Authors: Ferguson Sue A. , Marras William S. , Allread W. Gary , Knapik Gregory G. , Vandlen Kimberly A. , Splittstoesser Riley , Yang Gang
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this study was to quantify how musculoskeletal disorder exposure risk changes in an auto assembly task as a function of car body rotation. Twelve subjects participated in the study. There were three car body angles including 1) zero or standard, 2) forty-five degrees and 3) ninety degrees from horizontal. Musculoskeletal exposure included spine loads, spine posture, shoulder posture, neck posture and wrist posture, as well as normalized electromyography of the shoulder and neck. The results showed that musculoskeletal disorder exposure risk decreased as the car was rotated to forty-five degrees and further decreased as the car was rotated to ninety degrees. Thus, rotating the car body reduces musculoskeletal exposure which in turn may reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. It should be noted that the results may vary with other assembly tasks.
Identifying Safe Load Moment Exposures for the Back
Authors: Lavender Steven A. , Marras William S. , Ferguson Sue A. , Splittstoesser Riley E. , Yang Gang , Schabo Pete
Published: January 2012

Low back disorders continue to be the most common and significant work-related musculoskeletal disorders in the US. Identifying what constitutes a “safe” physical workload has been the biggest challenge facing injury prevention efforts. Prior low back injury risk models have focused on manufacturing activities where there is limited variability in the parameters used to describe the exposures to low back disorder risk factors. Lifting tasks in distribution centers can have considerably more variability in load and physical layout. The goal of this project was to identify and quantify measures that characterize the biomechanical risk factors, including measures of the load moment exposure, and measures that characterize the duty cycle that are predictive of low back disorders in distribution centers. Thus, our hypothesis was that we could define a relationship between moment exposure parameters and the low back disorder incidence rates. A cross-sectional study was designed to examine the mechanical risk factors responsible for reported low back injury in distributions centers. The physical exposure was measured on 195 workers on 50 jobs in 21 distribution centers using a sonic-based Moment Exposure Tracking System (METS). The METS measures load, force, load moment, torso kinematics, and temporal parameters of the job simultaneously. For each job, low back injury rates were collected retrospectively from the company's records over the prior 3-year period. The data were used to develop a risk model designed to predict back injury risk based upon direct measures of load and load moment exposure. The model incorporates biomechanical variables which include the load moment and horizontal sliding forces, as well as a temporal variable indicating the opportunity for micro-breaks during the work process. Overall, the presented model has very good sensitivity (87%) and specificity (73%).
Combating the Effects of Sedentary Work: Postural Variability Reduces Musculoskeletal Discomfort
Authors: Davis Kermit G. , Kotowski Susan E. , Sharma Balaji , Herrmann Donald , Krishnan Anita P.
Published: January 2012

Long periods of intense data entry office work have been linked to increased pain and musculoskeletal disorders. The current study investigated how postural changes mediated by workstation intervention influences the discomfort, postures, and productivity of call center professionals. Thirty-five call center employees were evaluated over two-weeks while performing their job in four different workstation conditions: 1) conventional, 2) sit-stand, 3) conventional with reminder software, and 4) sit-stand with reminder software. The reminder software resulted in reductions in discomfort in the shoulder, hand/wrist, upper back, and lower back. Small increase in the productivity of the workers was also seen for the software reminders. The sit-stand workstation was also effective in reducing discomfort with out decreasing productivity. Periodic breaks that encourage postural changes may be effective in reducing the adverse effects of prolonged static postures commonly found in office work without adversely impact productivity.
Trunk Angular Kinematics during Slip-Induced Falls and Activities of Daily Living - Towards Developing a Fall Detector
Authors: Liu Jian , Lockhart Thurmon E.
Published: January 2012

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the trunk angular kinematics (i.e., angle and angular velocity) during slip-induced falls and activities of daily living (ADLs), with the aim to facilitate the development of a new fall detector. Ten elderly participated in a laboratory experiment, composed of normal walking, slip-induced falls, and 5 types of ADLs. Sagittal trunk kinematics was measured from optical motion analysis system. Angular phase plots were utilized to characterize falls from ADLs. Results indicated that backward falls were characterized by a simultaneous occurrence of a slight increase in trunk extension angle (average peak = 11°) and a dramatic increase in extension angular velocity (average peak = 139.7°/s). It was concluded that trunk angular kinematics could be used to design an effective fall detector.
Effects of Body Armor Design on Upper Body Range of Motion
Authors: Blackledge Christopher , Carruth Daniel , Babski-Reeves Kari , Close David , Wilhelm Marianne
Published: January 2012

Body armor for law enforcement personnel is critical in ensuring the safety and protection of these individuals, though literature on the impact of body armor design on task performance is not readily available in the public domain. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of body armor design on range of motion for the shoulder, neck, and back. Three armor configurations (no armor (Baseline), concealable body armor (CBA), and external body armor (EBA)) were studied. Results indicated that for most measurements, the EBA condition resulted in significantly lower ranges of motion that the other configurations and most measurements were similar between the baseline and CBA condition. Specific differences in the body armor designs (e.g., the presence of shoulder protectors) may be responsible for many of these findings. Therefore, changes to current armor designs should carefully consider the impacts of additional coverage elements on human movement.
The Effect of Scent on User Recall and Navigation
Authors: Resnick Marc L. , Baker Amir
Published: January 2012

When designing navigation menus, there are some key tradeoffs that usability professionals struggle with to ensure an easy to use navigation system. In the short term, the menu should support effective user wayfinding and confidence to accomplish the current task. Menus can also achieve longer term benefits by demonstrating the information architecture of the site, providing support for future tasks. For example, users would be more likely to return to the site if they believe a product they need in the future is available there. The effectiveness of menu design hinges on whether these objectives are achieved. The focus of this study was the impact of menu label scent on user performance in navigation tasks. Labels of high and low scent were placed at two menu positions to measure the impact on the short term goal of finding a known item and the long term goal of developing an awareness of the information architecture. The results provide insights that can be used in the design of navigation menus.
The Hyperbolic Brower as a Tool for Information Visualization, Discovery, and Retrieval on the Web and Enterprise Intranets
Authors: Ruffner John W. , Deibler Nina P. , Holiday Christine L. , Isenberg Timothy H. , Hutten Angela J.
Published: January 2012

Knowledge workers frequently need to locate task-relevant information quickly and efficiently through the Internet or their enterprise intranets. The ability to visualize how information is structured and organized is often a key to timely and efficient information discovery and retrieval. The traditional interface used for browsing Web sites has been a hierarchical, tree-like presentation, such as the Windows Explorer file/folder browser. From a user interface design standpoint, an attractive alternative to this type of browser is the hyperbolic browser, which is a focus + context technique for visualizing and browsing large amounts of hierarchical inter-related information. A hyperbolic view display efficiently represents hierarchical and associative information in a static or dynamic visual format using a relatively small display space. This paper discusses the characteristics of the hyperbolic browser, provides a real-life use case scenario to illustrate its application, and suggests avenues for future research and development.
General Visualization Abstraction Algorithm for Geographic Map-based Directable Interfaces
Authors: Humphrey Curtis M. , Adams Julie A.
Published: January 2012

Emergency incident response, including Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) a.k.a. weapons of mass destruction incidents, is evolving from a response involving humans with equipment to a response system combining humans and thinking machines (e.g. robots). The robots, along with possibly other deployed sensors, will generate and capture volumes of information that will be presented in directable visualizations. This paper presents a novel approach to performing information abstraction (i.e., selection and grouping) and determining how each information item should be presented (i.e., its shape) in directable visualizations. This new approach employs the General Visualization Abstraction (GVA) algorithm to make salient and direct attention to the most relevant information items by determining an importance value for each information item based on the item's relationship with two classes of information: historically relevant and currently relevant information, and novel and emerging information.
Keyboard Shortcut Users: They Are Faster at More than Just Typing
Authors: Jardina Jo Rain , Peres S. Camille , Nguyen Vickie , Megasari Ashitra , Griggs Katherine R. , Pinales Rosalinda , Amos April N.
Published: January 2012

Software efficiency may be important for employees who want to be viewed as valuable assets in a company. One efficient method people can employ is the use of the keyboard to issue commands (KICs) because KICs are faster than other methods, e.g. menus or icons. Furthermore, using KICs may reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries (RSIs). This paper examines the question of whether KIC users utilize different types of interaction techniques more quickly than non-KIC users. Participants were exposed to five conditions, each consisting of different computer tasks. One condition was used to determine KIC usage, the independent variable. The other four conditions were used to objectively measure performance in time (i.e., efficiency), one of the dependent variables. After each condition, participants completed the NASA-TLX survey, which was used as a subjective measure of workload, the second dependent variable. Task performance correlated strongly or moderately with KIC usage for all conditions, which indicates that KIC users finished all tasks more quickly than other users—even when they used other techniques than KICs to accomplish those tasks. There was no relationship between KIC usage and subjective workload.
Human Factors Applications in Academic Settings
Authors: Alfred Petra , Devilbiss Carita , Headley Donald , Rice Valerie , Bazley Conne , Jacobs Karen , Vause Nancy , Vause Nancy
Published: January 2012

Members of this panel will discuss their work in applying Human Factors/Ergonomics in a unique field of application: Academia. Each panel member will give a short presentation describing how they have applied Human Factors/Ergonomics within academia to include: ensuring an adequate auditory environment, safety and injury prevention, office ergonomics, reducing attrition, examining backpack weight and laptop computer use of students, and “brain training” to reduce the effects of stress and improve academic performance. Each panelist will also talk about the role they envision for Human Factors/Ergonomics professionals within academic settings, from kindergarten through university level programs.
A Sociotechnical Systems Model of Organizational Complexity and Design and its Relation to Employee Cognitive Complexity
Authors: Hendrick Hal W.
Published: January 2012

The Sociotechnical model of organizational complexity is described, including its implications for organizational design, based on the Macroergonomic Analysis of Structure method. The nature of cognitive complexity and the relationship of employee complexity to organizational complexity are summarized, including stratified systems theory and empirical examples from the author's consulting and research.
Ergonomics Programs: A Case Study in Complexity
Authors: Hendrick Hal
Published: January 2012

Global companies are more complex and variable than any combination of complexity models can describe or explain. The reality is that today's global companies must operate utilizing multiple business strategies at the same time, adjusting in response to increasing external and internal variables. According to Websters' World Dictionary, “complexity is that which is made up of many elaboratively interrelated or interconnected parts, so that much study or knowledge is needed to understand or operate it.” This case study describes how one health and safety ergonomics program operates within global business complexity.
Critical Care Technology – Can't Live with It…Can't Live without It
Authors: Alvarado Carla J. , Carayon Pascale , Fairbanks Rollin J. (Terry) , Perry Shawna J. , Sittig Dean F. , Karsh Ben-Tzion
Published: January 2012

The proposed Macroergonomics and Patient Safety panel will address the particular challenges of technology in critical care and emergency medicine and patient safety. Critical care technology remains a driving force in American health care facilities, yet little human factors and systems engineering information is available to improve the design and implementation of these technologies. Given the complexity of the clinical technology and the intricacy of modern critical and emergent medical care, human factors (HF) and macroergonomic analysis (MA) are especially important in the design, implementation, and use of the various technologies. HF and MA should be used to better understand the challenge of developing multi-perspective evaluations for this technology. The panel of experts' presentations and the discussion to follow will address current problems and patient safety and integration of critical technologies.
“Spindex”: Accelerated Initial Speech Sounds Improve Navigation Performance in Auditory Menus
Authors: Jeon Myounghoon , Walker Bruce N.
Published: January 2012

Users interact with mobile devices through menus, which can include many items. Auditory menus can supplement or even replace visual menus. Unfortunately, little research has been devoted to enhancing the usability of large auditory menus. We evaluated a novel auditory menu enhancement called a “spindex” (i.e., speech index), in which brief audio cues inform the user where she is in a long menu. In the current implementation, each item in a menu is preceded by a sound based on the item's initial letter. 25 undergraduates navigated through an alphabetized contact list of 50 or 150 names. The menu was presented with text-to-speech (TTS) alone, or TTS plus spindex, and with the visual menu displayed or not. Search time was faster with the spindex-enhanced menu, especially for long lists. Subjective ratings also favored the spindex. Results are discussed in terms of theory and practical applications.