Terms

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, readiness or caution of an individual.

Anthropometrics

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

Biomechanics

The research and analysis of the mechanics of living organisms; in human factors, it includes the operation of muscles, joints, and tendons.

Clearance

The physical space between two objects.

Cognitive ergonomics

How mental processes (memory, reasoning, motor response, perception) affect interactions between users and components of a system.

Comfort

A person's sense of physical or psychological ease.

Dynamic data

Human body measurements taken when the subject is in motion related to range and reach of various body movements.

Environmental factors

Psychological factors from the environment that can affect an individual's performance.

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

Measurements related to the performance of tasks, such as reaching abilities and equipment use.

Human error

Mistakes made by users that can result in catastrophic consequences for people, property, and the environment.

Human factors

A scientific discipline concerned with understanding how humans interact with elements of a system.

Human information processing system

An automatic system that a person uses to interpret information and react; includes inputs, processes, and outputs.

Interval data

Data based on numeric scales that show the order and exact difference between values.

Nominal data scale

A classification system used to divide objects into discrete groups without measurement within or between categories.

Ordinal data

Statistical data on an arbitrary scale where the numerical value ranks data points without significance.

Percentile range

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

Perception

The way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.

Physiological factor data

Data related to physical characteristics used to optimize user safety, health, comfort, and performance.

Primary data

Data collected by a user for a specific purpose.

Psychological factor data

Data relating to psychological interpretations caused by environmental stimuli.

Qualitative data

Descriptive data used to understand in-depth the way people think or feel.

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.

Ratio data scale

A scale allowing comparisons between numbers, for example, using a rating scale.

Reach

The range a person can stretch to touch or grasp an object from a specified position.

Secondary data

Data collected by someone other than the primary user.

Static data

Human body measurements when the subject is still.

Structural data

Measurements taken while the subject is in a fixed or standard position.

Workplace environmental factors

Factors that maximize user performance and reduce accident risks in a workplace.

Circular economy

An economy model in which resources are reused for as long as possible, maximizing value and recovering materials at the product's end of life.

Clean technology

Products, services, or processes that reduce waste and minimize non-renewable resource usage.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

A system that simultaneously generates heat and electricity from fuel combustion or a solar heat collector.

Converging technologies

The merging of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information and communication technologies, and cognitive science.

Cradle to cradle

A design philosophy aimed at eliminating waste from production, use, and disposal.

Cradle to grave

A design philosophy considering a product’s environmental effects from manufacture to disposal.

Dematerialization

The reduction of total material and energy throughput of any product or service.

Design for the environment software

Software that allows designers to perform Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) on a product.

Eco-design

A design strategy focusing on materials, energy, and pollution/waste.

Embodied energy

The total energy required to produce a product.

End-of-pipe technologies

Technology used to reduce pollutants and waste at the end of a process.

Energy distribution

The method with which energy is transported from a source to its use.

Energy storage

The method of storing energy for later use.

Energy utilization

The method with which energy is used.

Green design

Designing while considering the environmental impact of a product throughout its life.

Green legislation

Laws based on conservation and sustainability principles followed in designing green products.

Incremental solutions

Products improved and developed over time, leading to new versions.

Individual energy generation

An individual’s ability to create small amounts of energy for low-energy products.

Legislation

Laws considered collectively on a specific topic.

Life cycle analysis (LCA)

The assessment of a product’s environmental impact over its life stages.

Linear economy

An economy model based on the make, use, dispose pattern.

Local combined heat and power (CHP)

CHP plants generating heat and power for a local community.

National and international grid systems

An electrical supply distribution network that can be national or international.

Non-renewable resources

Natural resources that cannot be re-made or re-grown sustainably.

Product cycle

The life cycle that every product goes through, from introduction to discontinuation.

Product recovery strategies

Processes to separate and recover parts and materials from a product.

Quantification of carbon emissions

Defining numerically the carbon emissions generated by a product.

Radical solutions

Completely new products devised by rethinking solutions to problems.

Recondition

Rebuilding a product to bring it back to an 'as new' condition.

Recovery of raw materials

Strategies to separate product components for raw material recovery.

Recycle

Using materials from obsolete products to create new products.

Re-engineer

Redesigning components or products to improve characteristics or performance.

Renewability

The level at which a resource can be replenished.

Renewable resources

Natural resources that can be replenished over time.

Repair

Reconstruction or renewal of any part of an existing device.

Reserves

Natural resources identified in terms of quantity and quality.

Resources

Stock or supply of materials available in a given context.

Re-use

The act of using a product again, either in the same context or a different one.

System level solutions

Solutions implemented to address the whole system, not just components.

The precautionary principle

Anticipating potential environmental impact problems from production to disposal.

The prevention principle

Avoiding or minimizing waste production in relation to a product's life cycle.

Waste mitigation strategies

Strategies to reduce waste produced by a product throughout its life cycle.

Aesthetic models

Models developed to look and feel like the final product.

Animation

Linking graphic screens together to simulate motion or processes.

Assembly drawings

Diagrams showing how components fit together, typically in an exploded view.

Bottom-up modelling

Creating part geometry independent of the assembly, with no information shared beforehand.

Computer Aided Design (CAD)

The use of computers to assist the design process.

Conceptual modelling

A model existing in the mind to help understand ideas.

Data Modelling

A model determining the structure of data.

Digital human

Computer simulations of mechanical and biological aspects of the human body.

Fidelity

The degree to which a prototype resembles the final product.

Finite element analysis (FEA)

Calculating and simulating unknown factors in products using CAD systems.

Formal drawing techniques

Drawing techniques with fixed rules, including isometric projection and perspective drawing.

Fused deposition modelling (FDM)

3D printing technique using melted layers to build up a 3D model.

Graphical models

Visualizations of ideas created on paper or through software, in 2D or 3D.

Haptic technology

Interfacing users via the sense of touch.

Instrumented models

Prototypes equipped to take measurements for accurate quantitative feedback.

Laminated object manufacturing (LOM)

Creating a 3D product by slicing a model into thin layers and gluing them together.

Mock-ups

Scale or full-size representations of a product for user feedback.

Motion capture

Recording human and animal movement by various means.

Part drawings

Orthographic drawings containing details about specific components.

Perspective drawing

Depicting objects as getting smaller with distance, using one, two, or three-point perspective.

Physical modelling

Creating a tangible version of an object for interaction.

Projection drawings

Accurately drawn systems of drawings, including isometric and orthographic projection.

Prototypes

Samples or models built to test concepts or processes.

Scale drawings

Drawings that are proportionate representations of a real product.

Scale models

Physical copies of objects that are larger or smaller in scale.

Selective laser sintering (SLS)

Additive manufacturing technique using a laser to fuse small particles into a desired 3D shape.