A Study of Human Factors and Ergonomics in the University of Pretoria's InformatoriumThis is an introductory study focusing on human factors and ergonomics in relation to the design and use of computers in a university setting. The study will be conducted at the Informatorium which is the main computer lab, at the University of Pretoria. Two broad areas will be covered, namely ergonomics in relation to computers (covering the physical human and environmental factors), and aspects of HCI (covering psychological aspects and software interfacing). The study will examine factors that influence the usability of a workstation, and will attempt to identify if these factors are being sufficiently satisfied in order to achieve the outcomes of use of that workstation. The study will utilise a case study which will investigate the usability of workstations at the Informatorium. The study will follow the guidelines for the diagnostic evaluation of a work system as described in ISO 9241-11 (1998: 7). ProgressThus far, I have completed documentation for the proposal of the study, as well as a literature review that identifies and discusses information regarding the fields of HCI and ergonomics and its application to this study. Both documents have been linked to this page and are available for perusal below. View Research Proposal Further Progress The next stage of the research will be composed of a web survey that will
be posted on the computers at the Informatorium at the University of Pretoria,
which will attempt to determine students' general opinion of the facilities
offered by the Informatorium. Simultaneous to this will be a conduction
of the diagnostic evaluation of the Informatorium, which will investigate
the various aspects of the context of use of the work system. The final report should be available on the CHI-SA web site by November 2004. |