Chapter 7: Ergonomics

by Carla J. Blackman

OVERVIEW

If you ask several people what ergonomics is, you are likely to hear a variety of descriptions. You are also likely to hear it called human factors; the two terms are synonymous. The short definition that is easy to remember and explain to others in conversation is “the process of designing for human use.”

The comprehensive definition from Chapanis (1985) is “Ergonomics discovers and applies information about human behavior, abilities, limitations, and other characteristics to the design of tools, machines, systems, tasks, jobs, and environments for productive, safe, comfortable, and effective human use.”

Both definitions share that all-important element: human use. The user is the focal point ...

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