Ergonomics

Focus:
Interaction of humans with devices

Objective:

To understand, evaluate, and thereby, to improve
the interface between the human and the device
Ergonomics == Human Factors
Outline
1. Examples of product design related to ergonomics issues

2. Case Study: digital images and JPEG

3. Methodology and tools useful for HF
Example 1. Office desk and Chair
Question: How do we decide the height of the desk?
Depends on:

(a) the height of the chair

(b) the size of the person who will use them


Example 1. Chair ergonomics..
LUMBAR SUPPORT
SEAT PAN
CHAIR HEIGHT
CALF CLEARANCE
FOOT REST
LUMBAR SUPPORT
SEAT PAN
CHAIR HEIGHT
CALF CLEARANCE
FOOT REST
(i) Seat pan length
calf clearance (> 5cm) to 95% women
(ii) The chair height
contact lower thigh with both feet on floor
(iii) The seat pan angle: 6
(v) Backrest lumbar support
~15-25 cm above seat level
(iv) The arm rests height elbow height at rest
Example 1. Chair ergonomics...
LUMBAR SUPPORT
SEAT PAN
CHAIR HEIGHT
CALF CLEARANCE
FOOT REST
LUMBAR SUPPORT
SEAT PAN
CHAIR HEIGHT
CALF CLEARANCE
FOOT REST
(i) Seat pan length: calf clearance (> 5cm) to 95% women
(ii) The chair height: contact lower thigh with both feet on floor
IMPLICATIONS
1. Need for adjustability

2. Design of a good chair depends on the statistics of the users
Example 1. Chair ergonomics user statistics
Design of a good chair depends on the statistics of the users
LUMBAR SUPPORT
SEAT PAN CHAIR HEIGHT
CALF CLEARANCE
FOOT REST
LUMBAR SUPPORT
SEAT PAN CHAIR HEIGHT
CALF CLEARANCE
FOOT REST
USA Germany Japan Netherlands
Males 175.5 174.5 165.5 182.5
Females 162.5 163.5 153.0 169.6
Problem 1. What statistics are sufficient?

Problem 2. How to collect such statistics?

Problem 3. Statistics are time dependent:
e.g. height of urban Chinese males: increased by 6 cm over the last 20 yrs
Example 2. Keyboard design
Extended periods of use of a computer in the wrong posture

repetitive stress injury (RSI)
Example 2. Keyboards: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
why
compression of the median nerve as it enters the hand.
symptoms
numbness of thumb and fingers,
pain along the median nerve including hand, wrist, elbow,
weakness of thumb.
treatment
rest, surgery
main cause
flexed or extended wrists when keying!
Example 3. How to turn on the shower
Pull down this ring to turn shower on
tub-faucet
Non-intuitive design wasted time/user-discomfort
Example 4. Toilet flush (airport)
Non-intuitive design discomfort (for next user?!)
Example 5. Is the water too hot? Too cold?
Ergonomics
(i) Understanding of human physiology

(ii) Understanding of human psychology

(iii) Statistical data about populations

Goal:

-- Improve design (more efficient)

-- Improve design (safety, comfort)
Ergonomics Case Study: Improve design
Digital Image Files
What is the data composed of ? The RGB-pixel model
Digital Cameras (digicams) pictures in a digital memory
Digital image files: pixels
An image of a lion fish

What is the image made of ?
Digital image files: pixels
4x
4x
4x
4x
pixel
PI Cture ELements
Digital image files: The RGB model
What is a color?
Store the wavelength, intensity at each pixel

Problem ? (Technical: how to display?)
The primary color theory: any color combination of primary colors (R, G, B)

at each pixel, decompose into primary color values, store R, G, B.
Digital image files: The RGB model
R = Red level: 8 bit number = 1 byte
G = Green level: 8 bit number = 1 byte
B = Blue level: 8 bit number = 1 byte
Original lionfish file: 1920x2560 = 4,915,200 pixels ( 5 Megapixel digicam)

1 Byte per color per pixel 4,915,200 x 3 x 1= 14,745,600 ~= 15 Mbytes
PROBLEMS:
1. Large memory requirement

2. Slow transfer speed
need for COMPRESSI ON
Digital Image Files: compression
Strategy 1. Compress data without losing any information
LOSSLESS compression No need to understand human vision
Example: run-length-encoding
raster model: each pixel: 0 or 1
run-length-encoding: 0
203
,1
4
0
3
,
203x191 pixels
Digital Image Files: compression
How we compress image files depends on how we see images

Understanding of human vision

more efficient compression technique
Strategy 2. Compress data by throwing away parts that we cannot see

Needs a good understanding of human vision
Digital Image Files: compression
Uncompressed: BMP (bitmap) 14 MByte
Lossy compression: JPG (JPEG)

High quality 3.67 MByte
0.8 quality 0.83 MByte
0.6 quality 0.5 MByte
0.2 quality 0.2 MByte
Lossless compression: PNG 7.9 MByte
http://iesu5.ieem.ust.hk/dfaculty/ajay/courses/ieem101/lecs/hf/lionfish.html
JPG: How do we see
Do you believe what you see?
The Koffka ring
JPG: How do we see..
Do you believe what you see?
JPG: How do we see
Do you believe what you see?
JPG: How do we see -- the eye
RODS: scotopic vision (in dark)

only on in darkness

only distinguish lightness
CONES: photopic vision
JPG: How do we see -- the eye..
Trichromacy theory:
different intensities of R- G- B- cones allows brain to estimate
frequency of the spectral light striking a zone
JPG: How do we see -- the eye...
Hue discrimination:
ability to distinguish between two different wavelengths of light


Lightness discrimination:
ability to distinguish between two different levels of lightness

Lightness ~~ grey level
Lightness discrimination is MUCH more sensitive than Hue discrimination
Reasons:
(a) lightness is estimated by (R+G) response of cones, and also from RODS
(b) many more rods than cones
JPG: How do we see -- the eye.
Webers law:
Our ability to discriminate levels of lightness depends n the ratio of lightness
Shades that are in geometric series look equally spaced in lightness.
arithmetic
geometric
JPG: How do we see -- the eye..
Hue discrimination vs Lightness discrimination
n

c
y
c
l
e
s
n cycles
u
both patterns are n/u cycles per degree
eye
n

c
y
c
l
e
s
n cycles
u
both patterns are n/u cycles per degree
eye
JPG: How to eliminate what we cannot see?
1. Intensity changes are much more significant than hue changes
2. Intensity change steps are logarithmic
PROBLEM: Technically, it is easier to handle R- G- B- shades
Why ?

(a) Recording instruments (digicams) sensors can sense colors

(b) Display instruments can handle RGB values better
JPG: How to eliminate what we cannot see..
Converting R G B Y Cb Cr
Luminance
(lightness)
Chrominance
(chroma) components
must be invertible mapping
Y
Cb
Cr
0.299 0.587 0.114
-0.169 -0.331 0.5
0.5 -0.419 -0.0813
R
G
B
=
JPG: How to eliminate what we cannot see
Y
Cb
Cr
0.299 0.587 0.114
-0.169 -0.331 0.5
0.5 -0.419 -0.0813
R
G
B
=
JPEG compression:

Step 1. Convert RGB data into YCbCr data
Step 2. Sub-sample and quantize Cb and Cr data
Step 3. Compress resulting stream (run-length encoding)
file-size reduction
Higher compression: Step 2 sub-sample more, sub-sample Y also
JPG: Details -- How to Sample, Sub-sample?
Break the image into tiles of NxN pixels.

Store data of each tile
8
10
6
4
7
7
7
7
Example:
2x2 tile: 4 values average = 7 combine tiles into block with value 7.
JPG: Details -- How to Sample, Sub-sample..
Sub-sampling and quantization basics
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
4
5
0 2 4 6 8
y1=2
y2=cos(x)
y3=.5cos(2x)
y4=.25cos(4x)
y5=.125cos(8x)
T=y1+..+y5
T2=y1+..+y4
How Fourier analysis works for 1-D functions
JPG: Details -- The Discrete Cosine Transform
DCT function:
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
.
|

\
|
+ =

=
) 2 / 1 ( cos ) 2 / 1 ( cos ) , ( 4 ) , (
1
0
1
0
j
n
q
i
n
p
j i A q p f
n
i
n
j
t t
8x8 pixel blocks
rows

0
1



7
columns: 0 1 7
DCT
DCT
DCT
Quantization
(Larger lookup)
Quantization
(Sub-sampled)
Quantization
(Sub-sampled)
run-length-encoding
(lossless compression)
JPEG
JPG: Details -- Quantization and encoding
JPG: Conclusions
1. Understanding of human sensory system is important for
better product designs

2. Levels of adjustability useful for variations among users

-- older person with poor sight might prefer higher compression
NOTE:
You dont need to know details of DCT, and the exact mathematics
of the transformation

Important ideas:
sub-sampling: ignore some data, or replace multiple values by the average
quantization: instead of storing exact value, round up/down to nearest step
Methods and tools in Ergonomics
The study of measurement of human body is called anthropometry.
Product design must consider: ease of use, comfort and safety in use
Optimization for ergonomics understanding how human body works
Design parameters = f( physical measurement)
e.g. Chair seat height
LUMBAR SUPPORT
SEAT PAN CHAIR HEIGHT
CALF CLEARANCE
FOOT REST
LUMBAR SUPPORT
SEAT PAN CHAIR HEIGHT
CALF CLEARANCE
FOOT REST
Human size variations need to know the statistics of anthropometric data
Ergonomics: methodology
1. Optimal product is designed based on anthropometric measurements;
2. Statistical variations of expected users are estimated;
3a. Design is modified to allow critical parameters to be adjusted by user
so as to fit the individual need
3b. Size variations are provided to cover estimated market (e.g. shoe sizes)
or
Next: Quality control