1,720,982 research outputs found
An approach in integrating safety and usability into an automotive navigation interface
Get PDFAutomotive navigation interface designs have the potential to cause distractions to drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash data showed that 17 percent (an estimated 899,000) of all police-reported crashes involved some type of driver distraction in year 2010. Of those 899,000 crashes, distraction caused by instrumentations residing in the vehicle was reported in 26,000 crashes. It is important to address the issue of safety and usability in multimedia and navigation systems, in order to reduce the problem of driver’s distraction. Common usability problems with automotive navigation user interfaces are legibility, cluttered interfaces, and the map design in general. This study contains three major components, namely to ascertain the automotive navigation user interface design elements, to integrate the needs of Malaysian drivers into the automotive navigation interface design and lastly to evaluate the proposed automotive navigation interface design for Malaysian drivers. Relevant design elements for an automotive navigation interface were studied using content analysis of an online Malaysian GPS forum. As many as 235 comments were analyzed. Following the conclusion of the content analysis method, the Kansei Engineering approach was utilized to integrate safety and usability in an automotive interface design, after which a new prototype of an automotive navigation interface was developed. A usability testing was conducted to evaluate the new automotive navigation interface prototype. Results from the content analysis showed that several important design elements were noted such as “Points of Interest”, “3D Buildings”, “Maps” as well as “Driving Safety”. In the second phase of the study, the Kansei Engineering results were analyzed with Principal Components Analysis (PCA) as well as Partial Least Squares (PLS) method. Equations relating Kansei words of safety and usability were obtained. A finalized list of design specifications was developed and the design specifications were then used to develop a new automotive navigation interface design, in the form of an animated prototype. During the usability testing, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that the newly proposed automotive navigation interface design performed better than the existing automotive navigation interface design in terms of the Kansei usability survey (Z=-2.386, P=0.017), number of driving errors (Z=-4.989, P <0.00), and task completion times (Z=-3.015, P=0.003) whereas the System Usability Scale (SUS) scores showed no significant difference (Z=-0.990, P=0.322), although the SUS score for the new automotive navigation interface design was slightly higher (66.625) compared to the existing automotive navigation interface design (62.625). As a conclusion, the Kansei Engineering approach worked very well in integrating the safety and usability requirements for an automotive navigation interface design
Ergonomics Assessment Of Tin Snips
Get PDFTin snips are widely used for sheet metal cutting, mesh wire screening, leather, asphalt roof shingles and many more. Depending on the design of the tin snips, the design may contribute to various ergonomic risk factors, such as excessive forces and awkward postures of the upper limb. An ergonomics assessment was conducted for 3 different tin snips (XI, X2 and X3).Hand tool comfort assessment questionnaire designed by Kuijt - Evers et a1 f2004) was utilized in this study. Eighty participants rated the tin snips. Results indicated that tin snip x3 (55.94%) gave the best score for ergonomics compared to XI (51.48%) and x2 (54,06%).Participants were able to estimate certain ergonomic features such as good posture, absence of peak pressures on the palm and good friction force during the evaluation
Kansei Engineering Implementation on Car Center Stack Designs
No full textEmotionally appealing designs are currently the norm for consumer products which also
includes interfaces like mobile phones and tablets. In car interior designs, designers are following
the same trend of incorporating emotional aspects of design as a competitive edge for their cars.
Various tools and techniques have been researched and applied; and Kansei Engineering is one of
the techniques. Kansei Engineering tries to capture the customer’s emotional needs in product
design and translates those needs into tangible design requirements which are understood by
engineers and designers. In this study, Kansei Engineering was applied to determine tangible design
needs of young Malaysian adults for car center stacks. Ten car center stack design samples from the
B segment cars and 12 Kansei words were used in this study. As many as 30 young Malaysian
adults between ages of 18 to 30 took part in the Kansei evaluation study. Data was analyzed using
Partial Least Squares in MINITAB software. The results showed that the Chevrolet Aveo center
stack design was the most preferred by both male and female participants, while for the least
preferred design it was Honda Fit for the females with a rating (3.75/10) for the while for the
males the Volkswagen Polo received the lowest rating at (4.06/10). Further analysis for Chevrolet
Aveo was done and the highest rated Kansei were “exclusive”, “elegant” and “high tech”. The
responsible design elements positively related to “exclusive”, “elegant” and “high tech”, were
“Glossy Black”, “LCD 1” (large and bright screen), “LCD 3” (large with dark screen). Design
elements which were negatively associated with “exclusive”, “elegant” and “high tech” were
“Black” and “LCD 2” (small rectangular screen)
The Perception of Usability, Ergonomics and Aesthetics for Three Different Types of Tin Snips
No full textUpper limb disorders are frequently caused by excessive forces and awkward postures of the upper limbs.
Improperly designed hand tools may lead to the application of excessive forces and awkward postures. Along with
ergonomic and usability features, hand tool aesthetics might influence buying decisions. In this study, assessment
of the perception of ergonomics, usability and aesthetics were taken for three different tin snips (x1, x2, and x3).
Ninety two subjects (n=92) participated in the perception assessment. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)
was utilized in order to assess usability, while the hand tool comfort descriptors were used to assess ergonomics.
Results indicated that participants strongly preferred tin snip x3 over x1 and x2. In addition, tin snip x3 was
rated as the most visually appealing hand tool. However, the correlation between perceived ergonomics, usability
and aesthetics is very weak (r=0.09). Potential ramifications for users and designers are discussed
The Influence of Different Hand Tool Designs on the Perception of Aesthetics, Ergonomics and Usability
Get PDFThe perception of products in terms of ergonomics, usability and beauty remains to be important issues in product
design. A positive impression must be made for consumers. A product must be ergonomic and visually appealing
in order for the product to be used safely and effectively. Therefore, understanding the perception of ergonomics,
usability and aesthetics is an important issue for product designers. Apart from being visually appealing, the
product must be perceived as ergonomic and usable, as the ergonomic design of hand tools may alleviate the
occurence of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders. In this study, the perception of ergonomics, usability and
aesthetics were evaluated for an existing hand tool (R1) and a proposed design (R2). Questions related to
ergonomics, usability and aesthetics were combined to form a survey. A sample of 50 undergraduates were
chosen as the respondents. The results indicated that R1 was rated less visually appealing than the new design,
R2. Participants perceived the new design, R2 to be more ergonomic and usable than R1. Furthermore, a weak
correlation between perception of ergonomics, usability and aesthetics were observed for this study. In general,
ergonomic design factors are hard to be perceived by consumers. Possible ramifications of this relationship are
discussed in this paper
An Overview of Ergonomics Problems Related to CNC Machining Operations
No full textIn the new era of advanced manufacturing technology, machine tool design plays an
important role in maximizing productivity and occupational health of industrial workers. However,
the machine tool manufacturers face difficulty in designing an ergonomic machine tool that can be suited to Malaysian industrial workers because almost all machine tools were designed according to physical dimensions, capabilities and limitations of European or American populations. This
mismatch between machine design and worker abilities may eventually lead to occupational injuries. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to disseminate information on ergonomics problem,assessment methods, and control measures associated with CNC machining operation. Published articles related to CNC machining operation have been reviewed. Based on published researches,work-related musculoskeletal disorders such as low-back pain, neck and shoulder problem have been identified as common health problems associated with the machine operation. Engineering and administrative controls have been proposed to minimize the health problems
Managing Risks in a Manufacturing Environment : A Perspective from Reason’s Accident Causation Model
No full textRisk management in manufacturing industry can be an arduous task for employers. Statistics have shown that
thousands of lives have been claimed by industrial accidents worldwide. In this study, a hazard identification
and risk assessment exercise was conducted for lathe and welding machines in a manufacturing laboratory
located in a public university in Malaysia. The hazards were then further analyzed with James Reason Swiss
Cheese model for accident causation in order to identify probable latent causes of accidents. Hazards for both
welding and lathe machines were quantified in order to determine their risk levels. Probable latent causes for
accidents for both lathe and welding machines were identified as lack of resources for individual monitoring,
lack of safety culture, and lack of resources for cleaning maintenance. Further potential actions were discussed
in this paper
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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