Search

This paper discusses a successful attempt to improve the design of a communications terminal for professional applications involving significant improvements to customer and operator contact, and improving the level of operator focus during the design phase. This included visits to sites to capture requirements through interview and observation of working practices, and to get insight into typical communication tasks. A clear task focus was maintained during the design phase by using a dialogue description tool, the Task Action Description, developed in-house to support the integration of the dialogue specification, the graphic design and the software design. Customer and operator feedback on the design was obtained. The value of team work is also discussed. The success of the design can be attributed to a direct involvement of users in the development process and to the integration of human factors specialists, graphic designers, software engineers and marketing experts in the development team. The conclusions drawn highlight: (1) the importance of direct first hand exposure to the daily working environment of the operators by the team as a whole; (2) the problem of how to articulate operator requirements in such a form that they are taken into account in the design development; and (3) the progressive evolution of organisations and changes in work practices.

This paper reviews the relationship betweenergonomicsand industrial designbased on papers presented at the ‘Marketing Ergonomics’ conference. The discussion is organized under the sections: know your user, what should we influence? use of basic data and information, research methods and techniques, concluding remarks. The main conclusions are that the effective application of ergonomics willdepend on the ergonomist being an active participant in the design process. The ergonomists must also see their role in strategic terms in relation to the objectiveof synthesizingappropriate designsolutions. The demand that high levelsof usability are designed into products must be placed on the design process as much as on the individual designer.It is argued that influencingthe attitudes and skillsof individual designers is necessary but not sufficient to ensure that ergonomics issues receive appropriate attention during product development.

This paper outlines my professional background and interests in the 'user-experience' field. I summarise my current relevant responsibilities related to my employment as a specialist in 'user experience' design and my SIGCHI activities. I also summarise some observations on the emergence of 'user experience' as a focus for the professional practice of interactive system design and observations on some directions for the future.

At the current level of membership examination fees at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, a resident in psychiatry who passes every part first time pays a total of £2136.[1][1] These costs are intended to cover only expenses rather than to generate profit, a message which many of us have accepted

Each year, the Development Consortium sets out to look at the issues and directions that the HCI community and SIGCHI should develop in the coming years. For CHI 2000 the theme is "Beyond the Desktop"; the extraordinary growth of computer based devices and services world-wide that are becoming embedded in the way we live:• telecommunications and portable computing aids• home entertainment and automation• e-commerce and the networked home• personal and public transport systems• financial services• community health servicePeople wishing to participate were invited to submit position papers that were reviewed. Sixteen position papers were accepted and can be found in this volume.

Due to the rapid development of information and multimedia technology, the information and services available within a Public Library are changing. This design project, executed by Philips Corporate Design in cooperation with the Public Library of Eindhoven, approached the library not as a digital catalogue but as the center of a community, a place to gather, communicate with others, and a place to obtain and exchange information with anybody about anything. Library (non) -users investigations provided information regarding the current state and perception of the library, the catalogue, as well as to desired improvements, services and tools. The design process and the initial designs of these services and tools are presented.

This study was conducted in order to obtain basic anthropometric data, not available elsewhere, on the human body with respect to the use of w.c. seats. The method used was an adaption of the somatotype photographic technique and relevant body dimensions were measured from tho photographic prints. The subjects were recruited from the general public, and consisted of able-bodied adult men and women within the age group 18 to 81 yr Measurements of 10 body dimensions of 140 subjects adopting three postures appropriate to w.e. pan use are given, together with the implications thereof for w.c. seat design. Comparison is made between measurements so obtained and these of currently recommended w.c. pan dimensions.