Designing Service Excellence

65

5

People, Technology, and Usability:

An Ergonomic Perspective

In this chapter we exemplify and discuss a macro-perspective of people in

nature and people and technology. We emphasize the need for service design

to strive toward a model of harmony or balance between people-activity and

the natural world. We feel this is a reasonable proposal. After all, nature

itself is founded on a system in balance. Ancient so-called primitive societies

lived, to a large extent, in balance with nature and its ecology. In our own

understanding of the concept of ergonomics, we look simultaneously at ecol-

ogy in nature and its inherent balance. The science of ergonomics focuses

on human intervention often to the detriment of a natural balance. This is

ergonomics from a macro-perspective. A more general understanding of

ergonomics aims to create a balance between people as individuals or as

groups on one side and on the other, technology from simple work tools

to complex large technological systems. We take ergonomic theories and

concepts as our springboard for service design.

Ergonomics: A Brief Overview

Ergonomics is a cross- and interdisciplinary science covering all different

areas of human sciences, including some aspects of social science, as well

as different areas of technology and technological applications.

1

Ergonomics

can be subdivided into many different areas. We focus on four distinct areas:

power ergonomics, informational ergonomics, environmental ergonomics,

and organizational ergonomics. Power ergonomics deals with humans as an

energy/power resource. From this point of view, ergonomics is related to

the design of simple tools, for example, knives and forks, hammers, saws,

screwdrivers, hand drills, and axes. In this category, we also include simple

electromechanical hand tools, such as electrical hand drills, and household

tools, such as vacuum cleaners and dish washers. Informational ergonomics

is related to psychology, pedagogics, and sociology. But we emphasize that

here there is only a relationship, and informational ergonomics is not a direct

part of the overall discipline (as, for example, a university department of

psychology). Practitioners of informational ergonomics (called ergonomists)