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Human decision making in computer-based scheduling within a flexible manufacturing system: An experimental study
Abstracts To provide readers of Applied Ergonomics with a selection of current ergonomics literature likely to be of direct practical value, abstracts are published selected from the collection held at the Ergonomics Information Analysis Centre. These abstracts are classified in a similar manner to the main articles in the journal; for easy reference, the code number at the head of each abstract (eg 1.1.21) consists of the volume number, part or issue number and a sequential abstract number. The published abstracts are oniy a selection of the Centre's material and readers concerned with specific areas are invited to contact the Centre for further information. Those readers unable to obtain copies of the original articles abstracted here through their usual sources, such as company librarian, may obtain photocopies from the Centre. Details of this service are available from The Ergonomics Information Analysis Centre, Department of Engineering Production, University of Birmingham, POBox 363, Birmingham 15. Tel- 0 2 1 - 4 1 4 4239.
General ergonomics 20.2.1 (110012) Russell, A.J., and Galer, M.D. Designing human factors design aids for designers. In: Cognitive engineering in the design of human-computer interaction and expert systems, G. Salvendy (Ed). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1987, pp 2 8 9 - 2 9 6 . A great many human factors design guides have been produced by wellmeaning ergonomists. Many of these design guides gather dust because they are unusable, often because the ergonomist did not follow his/her own advice and apply user-centred design principles. A study as part of the ESPRIT-HUFIT project has investigated the role of hnman factors in the IT product development process. The study is identifying the potential users of human factors design aids, the tasks the potential users are performing and the constraints under which the design aids .would be used. Human factors appear informally throughout the development process and are applied by marketing, design, development and training staff. Formal human factors is mostly concerned with hardware design and only rarely with software design. The design aids produced by the ESPRIT-HUFIT project are for use by designers rather than human factors experts and will address issues such as the analysis of users and tasks, specification of usability criteria and methods of usability testing, and interface design. The design aids will take a number of forms including guidelines, checklists, question and answer routines~ using media such as CAI, interactive video, paper and others. A Decision Support System, INTUIT, will be an integral part of the delivery mechanisms and will provide human factors knowledge and skilled context-driven advice. These human factors design aids wilt be intro-
duced into organisations and developed in collaboration with the end users, the designers. They will be accompanied by awareness seminars for managers and training for designers. User support and field monitoring of the early use of the design aids will help to ensure that continued usefulness. 20.2.2 (110034) Association for the Advaneement of Medical Instrumentation. Human factors engineering guidelines and preferred practices for the design of medical devices. The Association, Arlington, Virginia, USA, Publication No AAMI HE-1988, 1988, 35 pp. The purpose of this recommended practice is to provide ergonomics information and human factors engineering guidance so that optimum user and patient safety, system safety and performance, and operator effectiveness will be reflected in medical device design. 20.2.3 (110036) Human Factors Society. American National Standard for human factors engineering of visual display terminal workstations. The Society, Santa Monica, California, USA, ANSI'/ HFS Standard No 100-1988, 1988, 90 pp. This technical standard specifies requirements for visual display terminals (VDTs), sometimes called visual display units (VDUs), the associated furniture, and the office environment, where the use of a VDT is a required and substantial part of the work performed. This standard is for seated operations. Applications considered include text processing, data entry and data inquiry. The information in this standard may, however, provide guidance for other workplaces and tasks in which visual display terminals or their components
are used. Many topics related to VDT workstations are specifically not covered by this standard; they are the subjects of other standardisation efforts, or there are insufficient empirical data on which to base requirements. These topics include software, work practices and nonkeyboard entry devices.
Human characteristics 20.2.4 (110121) Barber, P.J. Applied cognitive psychology: An information-processing framework. Methuen, London, 1988, 223 pp. The author focuses on processes involved in selecting simple actions, face perception, reading, and tasks requiring attention skills. Practical problems are used as the starting points for discussion, including mental overloading in air traffic controllers, cooker hob design, the use of Photokit/ Identikit, and reading from computer screens. Also examined are the strengths and limitations of the basic analytical approach of informationprocessing psychology. 20.2.5 (110138) Nakamura, N., and Salvendy, G. Human decision making in computerbased scheduling within a flexible manufacturing system: An experimental study. In: Cognitive engineering in the design of human-computer interaction and expert systems, G. Salvendy (Ed). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1987, pp 257 264. This paper describes a study which explores human decision-making abilities in scheduling and dispatching of a flexible manufacturing system (FMS). An experiment is described, using an FMS, in which subjects make scheduling and dispatching decisions using a real-time interactive computer simulation-based system. The experimental results demonstrate that human decision-making is superior to general dispatching rules. An explanation of these results and an analysis of subjects' behaviour are presented in the light of information obtained from verbal protocol data. 20.2.6 (110156) Ben-Ezra, V., and Verstraete, R. Stair climbing: An alternative exercise modality for firefighters. J Occup Med, 1988, 30.2, 103-105. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the maximal cardiorespiratory responses of firefighters to stair-climbing work and to compare these responses with maximal treadmill exercise. Thirty-eight firefighters
Applied Ergonomics
June 1989
145
General ergonomics 20.2.1 (110012) Russell, A.J., and Galer, M.D. Designing human factors design aids for designers. In: Cognitive engineering in the design of human-computer interaction and expert systems, G. Salvendy (Ed). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1987, pp 2 8 9 - 2 9 6 . A great many human factors design guides have been produced by wellmeaning ergonomists. Many of these design guides gather dust because they are unusable, often because the ergonomist did not follow his/her own advice and apply user-centred design principles. A study as part of the ESPRIT-HUFIT project has investigated the role of hnman factors in the IT product development process. The study is identifying the potential users of human factors design aids, the tasks the potential users are performing and the constraints under which the design aids .would be used. Human factors appear informally throughout the development process and are applied by marketing, design, development and training staff. Formal human factors is mostly concerned with hardware design and only rarely with software design. The design aids produced by the ESPRIT-HUFIT project are for use by designers rather than human factors experts and will address issues such as the analysis of users and tasks, specification of usability criteria and methods of usability testing, and interface design. The design aids will take a number of forms including guidelines, checklists, question and answer routines~ using media such as CAI, interactive video, paper and others. A Decision Support System, INTUIT, will be an integral part of the delivery mechanisms and will provide human factors knowledge and skilled context-driven advice. These human factors design aids wilt be intro-
duced into organisations and developed in collaboration with the end users, the designers. They will be accompanied by awareness seminars for managers and training for designers. User support and field monitoring of the early use of the design aids will help to ensure that continued usefulness. 20.2.2 (110034) Association for the Advaneement of Medical Instrumentation. Human factors engineering guidelines and preferred practices for the design of medical devices. The Association, Arlington, Virginia, USA, Publication No AAMI HE-1988, 1988, 35 pp. The purpose of this recommended practice is to provide ergonomics information and human factors engineering guidance so that optimum user and patient safety, system safety and performance, and operator effectiveness will be reflected in medical device design. 20.2.3 (110036) Human Factors Society. American National Standard for human factors engineering of visual display terminal workstations. The Society, Santa Monica, California, USA, ANSI'/ HFS Standard No 100-1988, 1988, 90 pp. This technical standard specifies requirements for visual display terminals (VDTs), sometimes called visual display units (VDUs), the associated furniture, and the office environment, where the use of a VDT is a required and substantial part of the work performed. This standard is for seated operations. Applications considered include text processing, data entry and data inquiry. The information in this standard may, however, provide guidance for other workplaces and tasks in which visual display terminals or their components
are used. Many topics related to VDT workstations are specifically not covered by this standard; they are the subjects of other standardisation efforts, or there are insufficient empirical data on which to base requirements. These topics include software, work practices and nonkeyboard entry devices.
Human characteristics 20.2.4 (110121) Barber, P.J. Applied cognitive psychology: An information-processing framework. Methuen, London, 1988, 223 pp. The author focuses on processes involved in selecting simple actions, face perception, reading, and tasks requiring attention skills. Practical problems are used as the starting points for discussion, including mental overloading in air traffic controllers, cooker hob design, the use of Photokit/ Identikit, and reading from computer screens. Also examined are the strengths and limitations of the basic analytical approach of informationprocessing psychology. 20.2.5 (110138) Nakamura, N., and Salvendy, G. Human decision making in computerbased scheduling within a flexible manufacturing system: An experimental study. In: Cognitive engineering in the design of human-computer interaction and expert systems, G. Salvendy (Ed). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1987, pp 257 264. This paper describes a study which explores human decision-making abilities in scheduling and dispatching of a flexible manufacturing system (FMS). An experiment is described, using an FMS, in which subjects make scheduling and dispatching decisions using a real-time interactive computer simulation-based system. The experimental results demonstrate that human decision-making is superior to general dispatching rules. An explanation of these results and an analysis of subjects' behaviour are presented in the light of information obtained from verbal protocol data. 20.2.6 (110156) Ben-Ezra, V., and Verstraete, R. Stair climbing: An alternative exercise modality for firefighters. J Occup Med, 1988, 30.2, 103-105. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the maximal cardiorespiratory responses of firefighters to stair-climbing work and to compare these responses with maximal treadmill exercise. Thirty-eight firefighters
Applied Ergonomics
June 1989
145