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The study investigated the extent to which electronic voting is accessible to Dutch voters, especially the visually impaired, those with low literacy, and the elderly. Together with the different user groups, a series of electronic interfaces were developed and simulations of a vote-printer were built to run tests on large numbers of participants. The interface consisted of a card reader, a touchscreen and a printer; audio support was available via a headset. For participants with disabilities, the independent variables were visual impairment and low literacy. For elderly participants, the independent variable was age. All participants were asked to make specific choices on the screen and to check the printed result for their choice. As reference, they were asked to vote using the current Dutch ballot paper/red pencil system. The criteria used to determine the accessibility of both systems was: does the printed ballot match the intended vote? The vote-printer significantly increased independent voting by the visually impaired, however this was not seen for the low-literacy group. For the elderly, the use of a vote-printer with electronic interface is equally as accessible as the current paper ballot. All three groups reported using a vote-printer with electronic interface to be easier than the current paper ballot. The study confirmed that co-creating with intended users in the early conceptualization phase is key.

Non-pharmacological interventions have been applied to manage Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). However, these interventions have not been assessed from an ergonomics perspective. Ergonomics has investigated the age-related capability changes in terms of sensory, cognition and movement aspects. This study aims to review the existing non-pharmacological interventions for BPSD targeting nursing home residents and generate design recommendations based on the domain of ergonomics in ageing. The electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO were searched for studies which applied non-pharmacological interventions for treating BPSD in nursing home residents. A total of 67 studies met the inclusion criteria; from which 16 types of interventions were identified. Within these intervention types, the main capabilities required from the interventions for People with Dementia (PwD) were identified. The interventions were then categorized into sensory-, cognition-, and movement-oriented according to the main capabilities. Design recommendations were then generated for the interventions with knowledge from the domain of ergonomics in ageing.

Obesity is a growing issue in western societies with consequences for the field of human centered design. Most anthropometric data sources assume the data follow the Gaussian distribution, with population data symmetrically distributed above and below the mean value. This assumption is often true in length measurements like body heights, but may not be true for measurements more sensitive to body mass, like body weight, hip width, elbow-to-elbow width, and body depth. While length measurements have remained relatively stable over time in western societies, mass related measurements are increasing. The authors have experience in providing data via an interactive website DINED, which seeks to make anthropometry accessible without requiring expert knowledge about anatomy and statistics. Currently all DINED dimensions are assumed Gaussian, including those related to body mass. This might not work when designing for plus size people. Future additions in DINED will be about design for obesity and about how to implement 3D scanning into the design process in order to redress these defects.

This paper presents an embarking and disembarking process for the hyperloop, a future high-speed transportation of passengers and goods in tubes. A concept of the (dis)embarking process has been designed and tested with two experiments. The first experiment was performed to compare the new concept to one that is more similar to the current embarking setup of trains on the aspects of efficiency and experience. Participants were asked to (dis)embark in the test settings that simulate the new concept and the conventional situation with luggage. As a result, new passenger flow saves 40% of the time for vehicles to stay on the platform. Follow-up questionnaires and interviews with the participants show that the proposed passenger flow gives a better experience in terms of efficiency, seamlessness and friendliness. The new solution increases the number of doors, which increases the manufacturing complexity and the chance of failure. Narrowing the door size minimizes this effect. Subsequently, a second experiment has been carried out to study the influence of door width on (dis)embarking efficiency and passenger experience following a similar method. It turns out that narrowing the door width does not noticeably influence the embarking time, but the disembarking time does increase. Interviews show that half of the participants sense a negative experience with narrower doors, while the other half do not notice a difference.

The social dimension of design

This contribution moves from the definition of design put forward by Kees Overbeeke (2007) to discuss the social dimensions of design. In the first part, social aspects in design (such as the intimacy relationship with the client) will be described, by focusing on the work of the artisan, intended as a profession in many ways very similar to that of a designer. In the second part, the social dimensions of body and action, which play fundamental roles in knowledge acquisition and use, are discussed by briefly illustrating the embodiment approach, seen as a main asset in building a design theory. In its third part, the contribution will focus on discussing how one can teach design, i.e., on how the student-teacher didactic relationship is currently taking place, thus bringing attention to another social dimension of design.

An in-depth assessment of work-related stress was conducted in a major national telecommunications company undergoing major changes. The assessment was made on three homogeneous groups of workers and covered a large representative sample of the corresponding populations.To identify the main sources of stress for the three populations of workers, stimulate a discussion on the possible corrective actions, and assess the impact of the on-going organizational changes on workers' health.The assessment started with an analysis of the objective stress indicators listed in the INAIL (National Insurance Institute for Occupational Diseases and Accidents) Checklist. This was followed by a combination of qualitative and quantitative investigations on work context and tasks and on the subjective perceptions of workers, which were carried out by using: semi-structured interviews with management, field observations of work tasks, focus groups and questionnaires (GHQ-12, HSE Indicator Tool, ad-hoc questionnaire).The assessment allowed identification of the critical areas to be addressed with specific interventions: relationship with the company, work performance, work organization, and equipment.the investigation allowed to identification of specific practical actions (improvement of technological tools; professional development through training courses) as well as strategic actions ( re-establish relationship of trust with the company) so as to mitigate the workers' level of stress. Analysis of the results also showed that the three targeted populations differed in the degree of acceptance and understanding of the organizational changes.

Since a few years, a number of academic papers have been proposing to shift from user-centered design to human-centered (or person) design. In this contribution, we discuss as the common thread underlying these works the idea that design should also address the reflective part of our human experience and not only aim to maximize the experiential aspects. Our review is complemented with examples derived from the Internet world and from ICT consumer products. The main research areas we see as promising for the approach of “design for reflection” are design for pauses, design for detachment, design for serendipity, and design for action.

disabilità e lavoro, un binomio non semplice. Dare indicazioni pratiche su come comportarsi è di fondamentale importanza per il lavoro quotidiano di RSPP e MC, per il bene del lavoratore disabile e dell'organizzazione in cui è inserito.

Restructuring has become a daily practice in both private and public sectors in the EU. But often restructuring processes fail to produce the intended effects of secured or increased organizational profitability. On the contrary restructuring puts the physical and psychosocial health of all organizational members at risk. To limit the risks of enterprise restructuring effectively, several groups of actors at the individual, enterprise and societal level have to collaborate towards the implementation of healthier change procedures and to create a “social convoy” in occupational transitions for workers affected by dismissal. The European Expert Group HIRES on Health in Restructuring was coordinated by Prof. Dr. Thomas Kieselbach from the University of Bremen and supported by DG Employment of the European Commission. It presented with its report a concise overview of the effects of enterprise restructuring and the social frameworks and change procedures that should be considered for “healthier restructuring”. With its policy recommendations and the case studies of innovative approaches on a company and regional level the report addresses policy makers, governmental structures like labour inspectorates or federal institutes, unions, managers, occupational health and safety personnel, shareholders and workers alike. The public reception of the HIRES recommendations on Health in Restructuring was impressive all over Europe and across different institutions, stakeholders and professions. They were conceived before the economic crisis started but the development of the economies increased public awareness for the problems addressed in the HIRES report. It was disseminated on an international level within several scientific communities as well. The success of HIRES led to the follow-up project HIRES Plus (co-ordinated by Dr. Claude Emmanuel Triomphe (ASTREES, Paris) and Prof. Dr. Thomas Kieselbach, Bremen), which organized in 13 EU countries national workshops in order to increase awareness of main actors, discuss HIRES conclusions and to test them in the light of the national consultation process, discuss possible ways to include health as an issue when restructuring takes place and to develop networks at national and European levels.

The health dimension of enterprise restructuring is a widely neglected area of research, intervention and public concern. Restructuring is taking place in every competing organisation and is therefore affecting all European societies. With restructuring is meant an organizational change that is much more significant than commonplace changes and affecting at least a whole organizational sector or an entire company in the forms of closure, downsizing, outsourcing, off shoring, sub-contracting, merging, delocalisation, internal job mobility or other complex internal reorganizations. Besides or through its effects on employment restructuring also has vast impact on the health of employees, organisations and communities. A concept of enterprise restructuring, that aims at preserving certain features of a European social model of employment relations with the new demands of a globalised competition has to take into account not only economic indicators of the health of a company but also the individual effects of restructuring on the workforce which will show a considerable long-term impact on the competitivity of the economy as well. This new understanding broadens the perspective from a uni-lateral shareholder perspective often pursued in the restructuring efforts to a more balanced view on the interests of all stakeholders involved in the full process of company adaptation and accommodation to the globalised economy with the goal of socially responsible restructuring.