To support the basic principles of the Miami Plan for Liberal Education (critical thinking, understanding contexts, engaging with other learners, reflecting and thinking).
To provide undergraduate and graduate students with team-oriented practical experiences in ergonomic problem solving within a variety of applied environments.
To enhance productivity in local and regional organizations--including Miami University-- by providing ergonomic solutions to identified problems.
Within the framework of courses in the Thematic Sequence: Ergonomic Design for People, Capstone, [PSY 410-Ecology of the Workplace], Directed Study in Psychology [PSY 277,377,477], and/or graduate seminars, student problem-solving teams are organized around the solution of specific real-world usability and design projects. The typical focal points of team efforts is on assessing usability of an existing product or process, designing a product, or product interface [e.g., instruction sheet/diagram] which meets usability needs, or a combination of both. Students gain experience with usability analysis, applications of anthropometry to design, and computer simulation tools (MicroSaint).
Graduate student team developed an overview and user checklist for operating the multimedia audio/video system in the main lecture room in Benton Hall, where the Psychology Department is located.
Graduate student team developed a user manual for a complex video-based postural analysis system (PEAK system). The system is located in the Department of Physical Education, Health and Sports Studies (PEHSS), but employed in multidisciplinary research by students and faculty from the Center for Ergonomic Research as well as in PEHSS.
The Center for Ergonomic Research received a contract to assess the usability of an ergonomic chair with an adjustable armrest. An assessment battery was developed which included both questionnaire approaches and direct observation.
For her dissertation research, Carol Merry examined the effects of user’s expectations on their evaluation of the effectiveness of ergonomic chairs. This research required an elaborate data management and analysis effort. An undergraduate team performed a task analysis, and developed a computerized data base and information management system, which greatly increased the efficiency with which the research could be completed.
(Citation: Merry, Carol, and Dainoff, Marvin. (1996) Role of Expectancy Effects in Ergonomic Training. In: Özok, A.F, and Salvendy, G. Advances in Applied Ergonomics. Lafayette, Ind., USA Publishing.
During the initial year of installation of university voice mail system, there was no integrated information regarding user options and use of the system. A team of graduate and undergraduate students developed a user-guide. This guide was utilized in the subsequent revised manual produced by Miami University.
As his dissertation research, Wei Xu developed two hypertext systems for presenting ergonomic information regarding VDT workstations such as can be found in ANSI-HFES 100: the American National Standard on Human Factors Engineering of Video Display Terminal Workstations. He compared the effectiveness of a traditional hypertext-based presentation vs. a presentation based on principles of ecological interface design proposed by Jens Rasmussen and Kim Vicente. The latter was found to be superior for solving complex ergonomic problems.
(Vicente web site: http://www.ie.utoronto.ca/IE/HF/CEL/eid.html)
(Citation: Xu, Wei, and Dainoff, M. (1997). Comparative hypertext approaches to ergonomic training. In: Smith, M.J., Salvendy, G., and Koubek, R.J. (Eds.) Design of Computing Systems: Social and Ergonomic Considerations. Advances in Human Factors/Ergonomics, 21B. Amsterdam: Elsevier
Within the last year, Miami University completed an extensive high capacity networking of campus dormitory rooms, classrooms, and faculty offices (MUnet). The effect of this is to give students and faculty high-speed accesses to the Internet and electronic mail. In order to provide naïve users with rapid access to MUnet, parallel teams of graduate and undergraduate students developed a "Survivor’s Guide" which provided an integrated introduction to the system; including Internet resources, passwords and connectivity, and electronic mail. A second team is presently engaged in a usability assessment of the guide.
(The Guide may be viewed or downloaded at: www.muohio.edu/resnetservices)
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