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Environmental Psychology

Workplace design based on ergonomic research

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  • Component 03

Overview

Recall questions on workplace design based on ergonomic research, including configural displays in intensive care, display principles, alarm design, workstations, checklists, colour coding, error-tolerant design, lighting, staff consultation, applying design to scenarios, and evaluating redesigns.

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Key term

How would you evaluate whether a workplace redesign has worked?

Key term

An airline is redesigning its cockpit warning system. Suggest two ergonomic principles it should follow.

Key term

How can alarm systems be designed to prevent alarm fatigue?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is meant by a workplace design based on ergonomic research?

    Model answer

    It is a workplace, task or piece of equipment deliberately shaped around evidence about human perception, attention and physical limits rather than around what is technically convenient.

  2. 2

    Describe how a configural display would be used in an intensive care unit.

    Model answer

    Each patient's vital signs are drawn as a single geometric shape that stays regular while the patient is stable and visibly distorts as a sign deteriorates, letting staff scan several patients at a glance.

  3. 3

    Name two general principles that a well-designed display should follow.

    Model answer

    Group related information together, and use a natural mapping between a control and its effect so the user does not have to hold information in memory or translate it.

  4. 4

    How can alarm systems be designed to prevent alarm fatigue?

    Model answer

    Set thresholds so that only clinically meaningful changes sound, grade alarms by urgency using distinct tones, and route non-urgent alerts silently to a handheld device.

  5. 5

    Give two ergonomic features of a well-designed computer workstation.

    Model answer

    The top of the screen at about eye level and roughly an arm's length away, and an adjustable chair that lets the feet rest flat with the forearms level with the keyboard.

  6. 6

    Why are checklists used in high-risk workplaces such as operating theatres?

    Model answer

    They move the steps out of memory and into the environment, so cognitive overload and interruptions cannot cause a critical step to be missed.

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