40 Inventive Principles with Examples:

  Human Factors and Ergonomics

 Jack Hipple

Innovation-TRIZ, Tampa, FL

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www.innovation-triz.com

Stan Caplan

Usability Associates, Rochester, NY

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Abstract :  

Human factors and ergonomics is the area of science that applies to the physical, perceptual, and cognitive interactions of people with things, systems, and environment. This can be as simple as how a person uses a tool or as complex as how an operator manages the control room of a nuclear power plant. There are some inherent contradictions involved in the design of systems such as displaying of needed information and the mental overload created by the display of too much information. There is the concern about making a pill bottle easily accessible to elderly arthritics and totally inaccessible to young children. These types of contradictions are increasing because of factors such as our population becoming more elderly (their needs differ from that of a more agile younger population) and products/systems becoming more feature rich and complex. TRIZ uses the resolution of contradictions as a key problem solving principle. The various tools and principles used in TRIZ to resolve contradictions can be grouped in many different ways.  Recently, 40 Principles for Human factors and Ergonomics were published in the TRIZ Journal. This presentation will update this publication with examples of TRIZ principles and the use of separation principles to resolve conflicts in product designs that relate to human factors. A participative case study will also be used in the presentation.

 

 




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Jack Hipple is Principal with Innovation-TRIZ, a consultancy focused on breakthrough innovation and problemm solving using TRIZ/Inventive Problem Solving and organizational innovation assessments. Jack is the TRIZ instructor for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and does frequent workshops for PDMA chapters, the Altshuller Institute, and the World Future Society. He is a chemical engineering graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and was Director of Discovery/Innovation Research and corporate chemical engineering director for Dow Chemical. He has also served as project/NPD/New Business Development manager for the National Center for Manufacutring Sciences, Ansell Edmont, Cabot Corporation, Ideation International, and Idea Connections prior to starting his own innovation and TRIZ consultancy in 2001.

Stan Caplan is President of Usability Associates in Rochester, NY. Stan has 27 years in various Human Factors roles at Kodak including management of a staff group providing usability services to several business units. He is a Board Certified Human factors professional and a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), a Board Member of the Western NY Product Development Management Association, and a member of the Usabiility Professionals Association. He has over 25 publications and presentations and also chaired Fifth Symposium on Human Factors and Industrial Design in Consumer Products, regularly reviews papers and serve as session chair for HFES Annual Meetings. He specializes in designing usability into consumer, business, health and government  products and systems and is an adjunct professor teaching graduatge coursework in human factors engineering.