Human Factors and Ergonomics

IB Design Technology Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes on human factors and ergonomics.

Adjustability

The ability of a product to be changed in size, allowing it to suit a wider range of user percentiles.

Alertness

The level of vigilance, readiness, or caution of an individual.

Anthropometrics

The branch of ergonomics dealing with body measurements—size, strength, and physical capacity.

Biomechanics

The research and analysis of the mechanics of living organisms; in human factors, it examines forces on the body, repetition, duration, and posture.

Clearance

The physical space between two objects.

Cognitive ergonomics

The study of how mental processes (memory, reasoning, perception, motor response) influence interactions between users and system components.

Comfort

A person’s sense of physical or psychological ease.

Dynamic data

Human body measurements taken while the subject is in motion, related to range and reach of body movements (e.g., overhead reach).

Environmental factors

Psychological influences originating from the surrounding environment that affect an individual’s performance.

Ergonomics

The application of scientific information about human interaction with products, systems, and environments.

Fatigue

A person’s sense of physical or psychological tiredness.

Functional data

Dynamic measurements collected while performing specific tasks, such as reaching or maneuvering.

Human error

Mistakes made by users that can lead to serious consequences for people, property, or the environment.

Human factors

The discipline focused on understanding human interactions with system elements and designing products, systems, or processes to suit users.

Human information processing system

An automatic system people use to interpret information—comprised of inputs, sensory/central/motor processes, and outputs.

Interval data

Numeric data with known order and equal intervals between values on the scale.

Nominal data scale

Data classified into discrete, named categories without inherent measurement between them.

Ordinal data

Data on a scale that ranks items in order, where the exact numerical value is not quantitatively meaningful.

Percentile range

The proportion of a population with a specific dimension at or below a given value (e.g., 50th percentile is average).

Perception

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

Physiological factor data

Human factor data concerning physical characteristics used to optimize safety, health, comfort, and performance.

Primary data

Data collected by a user for a specific purpose.

Psychological factor data

Human factor data related to sensory-driven psychological interpretations such as light, smell, sound, taste, temperature, and texture.

Qualitative data

Descriptive data that explores how people think or feel; useful for in-depth or small-group research.

Quantitative data

Data that can be measured and expressed using numbers (e.g., height, shoe size).

Range of sizes

A selection of product sizes intended to accommodate the majority of a market.

Ratio data scale

A numeric scale with equal intervals and a true zero, enabling comparison of differences (e.g., rating 1–10).

Reach

The distance a person can stretch to touch or grasp an object from a given position.

Secondary data

Data collected by someone other than the current user.

Static data

Human body measurements taken when the subject is motionless.

Structural data

Measurements gathered while the subject is in a fixed, standard position (e.g., standing height, arm length).

Workplace environmental factors

Conditions influencing performance and safety, including management policies, physical environment, equipment design, job nature, social/psychological context, and worker attributes.