DT Topic 1

Adjustability

The ability of a product to be changed in size, commonly used to increase the range of percentiles that a product is appropriate for

Alertness

The level of vigilance, readliness, or caution of an individual

Anthropometrics

The aspect of ergonomics that deals with body measurements, particularly those of size, strength, and physical ability

Biomechanics

The research and analysis of the mechanics of living organisms.

Clearance

The physical space between two objects

Cognitive ergonomics

How mental processes (memory, reasoning, motor response and perception) affect the interactions between users and other parts of a system

Comfort

A person’s sense of physical/psychological ease

Dynamic data

Human body measurements when the subject is in motion

Environmental factors

A set of psychological factors that can affect the performance of an individual that come from the environment that the individual is situated

Ergonomics

The application of scientific information concerning the relationship between human beings and the design of products, systems, and environments

Fatigue

A person’s sense of physical or psychological tiredness

Functional data

Includes dynamic measurements while performing a required task such as reaching abilities, manoeuvring, and aspects of space and equipment use

Human factors

A scientific discipline concerned with how humans interact with elements of a system It is also known as comfort design, functional design and user-friendly systems

Human information processing system

An automatic system that a person uses to interpret information and react. It is normally comprised of inputs, processes (which can be sensory, central, and motor), and outputs

Interval data

Based on numeric scales which we know the order and the exact difference between values. Organized into even divisions or intervals, and intervals are of equal size.

Nominal data scale

Means ‘by name’ and used in classification or division of objects into discrete groups. Each of which is identified with a name.

Ordinal data

Groups variables into ordered categories, which have a natural order or rank based on some hierarchal scale. Deals with the order or position of items such as words, letters, symbols or numbers arranged in a hierarchal order.

Percentile range

The proportion of a population with a dimension at or less than a given value.

Perception

The way in which something is regarded, understood, interpreted

Physiological factor data

Safety, healthy, comfort, and performance

Psychological factor data

Light, smell, sound, taste, temperature, and texture

Qualitative data

Typically descriptive data used to find out in-depth the way people think or feel - their perception

Quantitative data

Data that can be measured and recorded using numbers

Range of sizes

A selection of sizes a product is made in that caters for the majority of a market

Reach

A range that a person can stretch to touch an object from a specified position

Primary data

Data collected by the user

Secondary data

Data collected by someone other than the user

Static data

Human body measurements when the subject is still

Structural data

Refers to measurements taken while the subject is in a fixed or standard position

Workplace environmental factors

These factors can be considered to maximise performance of a user in a role and reduce the risk of accidents. (Management, Physical environment, Equipment design, Nature of the job, Social or psychological environment, The worker)