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‘The effects of mobile telephoning on driving performance’
ABSTRACTS
paper focuses on the process by which consumer products can be improved. Results showed that a well-designed interface could increase performance and reduce the learning time to use a VCR by 50%. The inclusion of human factors testing and theories is vital to any design process and can provide a powerful means by which to improve products.
Work design and organization 23.4.47 (125273) Rouse, W B Design for success: a human-centered approach to designing successful products and systems John Wiley & Sons, New York (1991) 287 pp This book offers a comprehensive, methodological framework for the human-centred design of complex systems. This new approach to system design includes four phases - naturalist, marketing, engineering, and sales and service - which cover the entire product life cycle, including: understanding users' needs and preferences; concept and market evaluation of alternative ways to satisfy these demands; detailed design and engineering evaluation of products and systems; fielding and ongoing in-use evaluation. A variety of methods and tools are discussed within this methodological framework, and its use is illustrated with case studies of actual applications in a variety of industries. This book attempts to make human-centred design very concrete and readily applicable to practical and realistically complex design problems. Its use of methods is supported by 'howto' guidance in the form of case histories, almost 100 figures and tables, principles and guidelines to provide a 'toolbox' with which to pursue design. The material in this book is drawn from ten years of development, utilization, refinement, and extension of concepts and methods. These efforts have occurred in a variety of fields, from commercial and military aviation, the process and power industries, and manufacturing to the marine industry and communications. 23.4.48 (125298) Pendleton, A 'The barriers to flexibility: flexible rostering on the railways' Work, Employment & Society Voi 5 No 2 (1991) pp 241-257 (32 refs) This paper reports a case study investigation of the implementation of flexible rostering in British Rail. It is found that this initiative did not secure readily identifiable improvements in flexibility or efficiency and indeed resulted in some new rigidities in work organization. The national agreement Vol 23 No 4 August 1992
introducing flexible rostering took a skeletal form, reflecting the priority in the public sector of reducing rather than adding to national level work regulation, and left potential conflicts with other agreements and practices to be resolved at the workplace. Workplace representatives were able to stamp their interests on to outcomes because local managers needed their expertise and consent to implement the scheme. 23.4.49 (125336) Wogalter, M S, Brelsford, J W, Desaulniers, D R and Laughery, K R 'Consumer product warnings: the role of hazard perception' J Saf Res Vol 22 No 2 (1991) pp 71-82 (24 refs) Three studies examined factors ~associated with people's hazard perceptions of consumer products. A specific interest was how these perceptions relate to willingness to read product warnings. In Study 1, 72 generically named products were rated on perceived hazard, familiarity, and several expectations associated with warnings, including willingness to read them. Willingness to read warnings was found to have a strong positive relationship with perceived hazard. Though familiarity was negatively related to willingness to read warnings, it provided little predictive value beyond perceived hazard. In addition, products judged as more hazardous were expected to have warnings, to have them in close proximity to the product, and to be less aesthetically impaired by prominent warnings. Since hazard perception was found to be an important determinant of willingness to read warnings, potential components of hazard perception were examined in Studies 2 and 3. Study 2 showed that perceived severity of injury related more strongly to perceptions of hazard than likelihood of injury. In Study 3, participants generated accident scenarios and rated the severity and likelihood of each scenario. For each product, they also judged overall hazard and their intent to behave cautiously. Results supported the two earlier studies and showed that severity of the first generated scenario was most predictive of hazard perception. Theoretical implications and applications for warning design are discussed. 23.4.50 (125309) Brookhuis, K A, de Vries, G and de Waard, D 'The effects of mobile telephoning on driving performance' Accid Anal Prev Vol 23 No 4 (1991) pp 309-316 (23 refs) The effects of telephoning while driving were studied in three different traffic conditions, ie in light traffic on a
quiet motorway, in heavy traffic on a four-lane ring-road, and in city traffic. Twelve subjects, unfamiliar with mobile telephones, drove an instrumented vehicle for one hour each day during three weeks and, while in each of the three traffic conditions, had to operate the mobile telephone for a short while. To ensure a fixed 'heavy traffic load' in the second condition, the subjects were instructed to follow another instrumented vehicle (at a safe distance). The results showed a significant effect of telephoning while driving as opposed to normal driving (ie, not involving telephone conversation), on the effort subjectively measured by an effort scale and objectively measured by heart rate indices and on some of the measured parameters of driving performance. One half of the subjects had to operate the telephone manually, the other half performed the telephone task with a hands-free mobile telephone set. The subjects who operated the hands-free telephone showed better control over the test vehicle than the subjects who operated the hand-held telephone, as measured by the steering wheel movements. Also, a clear improvement over time in the course of the 15 test days was found for some of the measurements. As a consequence of the results, some advice concerning mobile telephoning can be given to authorities, manufacturers, and users. 23.4.51 (125311) Maline, J and Dorval, P 'Work activity of fishermen and heart rate (activit~ de travail du marin pecheur et fr~quence cardiaque) (in French) Arch Mal Prof Med Tray Secur Soc Vol 52 No 1 (1991) pp 7-15 (7 refs) In a project dealing with crew's load on board an offshore trawler, the fishermen's heart rate was recorded (Holter method) during periods of 24 h. The authors simultaneously analyse the crew's activity. Comparing the heart rate recordings with the working organization on board and the variations due to incidents with fishing gear, they show the close relationship between these variations and cardiac strain. 23.4.52 (125328) Piett, P C and Lester, B T Training for older people. A handbook International Labour Office, Geneva (1991) 217 pp (242 refs) Written for trainers and training institutions of all kinds dealing with the training of older workers or older people in general, this book emphasizes the design of training programmes directed towards placing older people via the labour market. Various international sources have been used to provide 289
paper focuses on the process by which consumer products can be improved. Results showed that a well-designed interface could increase performance and reduce the learning time to use a VCR by 50%. The inclusion of human factors testing and theories is vital to any design process and can provide a powerful means by which to improve products.
Work design and organization 23.4.47 (125273) Rouse, W B Design for success: a human-centered approach to designing successful products and systems John Wiley & Sons, New York (1991) 287 pp This book offers a comprehensive, methodological framework for the human-centred design of complex systems. This new approach to system design includes four phases - naturalist, marketing, engineering, and sales and service - which cover the entire product life cycle, including: understanding users' needs and preferences; concept and market evaluation of alternative ways to satisfy these demands; detailed design and engineering evaluation of products and systems; fielding and ongoing in-use evaluation. A variety of methods and tools are discussed within this methodological framework, and its use is illustrated with case studies of actual applications in a variety of industries. This book attempts to make human-centred design very concrete and readily applicable to practical and realistically complex design problems. Its use of methods is supported by 'howto' guidance in the form of case histories, almost 100 figures and tables, principles and guidelines to provide a 'toolbox' with which to pursue design. The material in this book is drawn from ten years of development, utilization, refinement, and extension of concepts and methods. These efforts have occurred in a variety of fields, from commercial and military aviation, the process and power industries, and manufacturing to the marine industry and communications. 23.4.48 (125298) Pendleton, A 'The barriers to flexibility: flexible rostering on the railways' Work, Employment & Society Voi 5 No 2 (1991) pp 241-257 (32 refs) This paper reports a case study investigation of the implementation of flexible rostering in British Rail. It is found that this initiative did not secure readily identifiable improvements in flexibility or efficiency and indeed resulted in some new rigidities in work organization. The national agreement Vol 23 No 4 August 1992
introducing flexible rostering took a skeletal form, reflecting the priority in the public sector of reducing rather than adding to national level work regulation, and left potential conflicts with other agreements and practices to be resolved at the workplace. Workplace representatives were able to stamp their interests on to outcomes because local managers needed their expertise and consent to implement the scheme. 23.4.49 (125336) Wogalter, M S, Brelsford, J W, Desaulniers, D R and Laughery, K R 'Consumer product warnings: the role of hazard perception' J Saf Res Vol 22 No 2 (1991) pp 71-82 (24 refs) Three studies examined factors ~associated with people's hazard perceptions of consumer products. A specific interest was how these perceptions relate to willingness to read product warnings. In Study 1, 72 generically named products were rated on perceived hazard, familiarity, and several expectations associated with warnings, including willingness to read them. Willingness to read warnings was found to have a strong positive relationship with perceived hazard. Though familiarity was negatively related to willingness to read warnings, it provided little predictive value beyond perceived hazard. In addition, products judged as more hazardous were expected to have warnings, to have them in close proximity to the product, and to be less aesthetically impaired by prominent warnings. Since hazard perception was found to be an important determinant of willingness to read warnings, potential components of hazard perception were examined in Studies 2 and 3. Study 2 showed that perceived severity of injury related more strongly to perceptions of hazard than likelihood of injury. In Study 3, participants generated accident scenarios and rated the severity and likelihood of each scenario. For each product, they also judged overall hazard and their intent to behave cautiously. Results supported the two earlier studies and showed that severity of the first generated scenario was most predictive of hazard perception. Theoretical implications and applications for warning design are discussed. 23.4.50 (125309) Brookhuis, K A, de Vries, G and de Waard, D 'The effects of mobile telephoning on driving performance' Accid Anal Prev Vol 23 No 4 (1991) pp 309-316 (23 refs) The effects of telephoning while driving were studied in three different traffic conditions, ie in light traffic on a
quiet motorway, in heavy traffic on a four-lane ring-road, and in city traffic. Twelve subjects, unfamiliar with mobile telephones, drove an instrumented vehicle for one hour each day during three weeks and, while in each of the three traffic conditions, had to operate the mobile telephone for a short while. To ensure a fixed 'heavy traffic load' in the second condition, the subjects were instructed to follow another instrumented vehicle (at a safe distance). The results showed a significant effect of telephoning while driving as opposed to normal driving (ie, not involving telephone conversation), on the effort subjectively measured by an effort scale and objectively measured by heart rate indices and on some of the measured parameters of driving performance. One half of the subjects had to operate the telephone manually, the other half performed the telephone task with a hands-free mobile telephone set. The subjects who operated the hands-free telephone showed better control over the test vehicle than the subjects who operated the hand-held telephone, as measured by the steering wheel movements. Also, a clear improvement over time in the course of the 15 test days was found for some of the measurements. As a consequence of the results, some advice concerning mobile telephoning can be given to authorities, manufacturers, and users. 23.4.51 (125311) Maline, J and Dorval, P 'Work activity of fishermen and heart rate (activit~ de travail du marin pecheur et fr~quence cardiaque) (in French) Arch Mal Prof Med Tray Secur Soc Vol 52 No 1 (1991) pp 7-15 (7 refs) In a project dealing with crew's load on board an offshore trawler, the fishermen's heart rate was recorded (Holter method) during periods of 24 h. The authors simultaneously analyse the crew's activity. Comparing the heart rate recordings with the working organization on board and the variations due to incidents with fishing gear, they show the close relationship between these variations and cardiac strain. 23.4.52 (125328) Piett, P C and Lester, B T Training for older people. A handbook International Labour Office, Geneva (1991) 217 pp (242 refs) Written for trainers and training institutions of all kinds dealing with the training of older workers or older people in general, this book emphasizes the design of training programmes directed towards placing older people via the labour market. Various international sources have been used to provide 289