1. Ergonomics for interaction designers

    Posted January 26, 2009 in user centred design  |  No Comments so far

    This series of articles from Rob Tannen at Designing for Humans discusses how a knowledge of ergonomics can be increasingly helpful to people working in interaction design.

    Ergonomics considers the suitability of physically extant products to the human form in all its varieties. As a result it’s not historically been very relevant to interaction designers, who have worked in a more abstracted space than those who design chairs, computer mice, monitors and keyboards. But Rob Tannen argues that the advent of ubiquitous computing and the resulting diversity of form factors (netbooks, phones, touchscreens, kiosks, etc) require interaction designers to develop their understanding of this field.

    Overview of Anthropometric Design Types

    The three-part series of articles makes for easy reading, an interesting and engaging introduction to the field. It’s also rich with links to more rigorous and in-depth materials for those who want to explore it further. If you want to be able to talk knowledgeably about anthropometrics, satisficing and the flaws of the Proctrustus approach, you’ll find Rob’s writings more than helpful.