Cognitive Ergonomics: What It Is, What It Is For And Areas Of Intervention
Every day, people use all kinds of tools and objects, both in our home and at work. The most everyday objects are easy to use, since through their use we have internalized how they work.
However, there are many times that we make mistakes, such as pressing a button on the remote control that we didn’t want or turning on the wrong kitchen stove. They are not very serious errors, and it is easy to correct them. However, what would happen if, while flying an airplane, we pressed a button that didn’t touch? In this case the problem is very different.
Cognitive ergonomics studies how to enable workplaces and other workplaces with the intention of preventing its users from becoming mentally exhausted and making mistakes in the tasks they have to perform. Let’s take a closer look at what it consists of.
Cognitive ergonomics is the branch of ergonomics responsible for applying the knowledge of basic psychology to the design of work environments, tasks and systems to enable operators to carry out their work activities in the most productive, comfortable and efficient way possible, avoiding human errors. It tries to adapt objects, spaces, systems and even work schedules to the natural functioning of workers’ cognitive abilities, enhancing them and preventing their wear.
Sensation, perception, attention and memory are psychological processes that are strongly conditioned according to the characteristics of the environment. For example, if we see a shiny red button on it, it is quite likely that it will catch our attention more than a small, black button on the side of it would. Although both buttons work the same, they do not attract attention in the same way and, therefore, they will not be pressed the same number of times.
Although cognitive ergonomics can be used in all types of contexts, especially in the design of electronic devices, vehicles and even homes, It is of fundamental importance when designing offices, factories and even the on-call schedule of hospitals
There are many details that, at first, may seem insignificant but that require meticulous design and prior planning, especially in highly stressful professions such as air traffic controllers, airplane pilots and doctors, who have a lot of pressure and their mental fatigue can cause a disaster.
Human errors and interface design
On many occasions, accidents in means of transport, power plants or factories are not due to the inexperience of their operators, since they are prepared to do their job, nor do they occur because the facilities are in poor condition, but rather due to a simple human error. Since cognitive ergonomics specializes in designing spaces and systems that produce the least possible mental fatigue Human errors and ways to predict and avoid them are also the subject of study in this discipline
We understand human error as any failure that occurs when performing a certain task, which cannot be attributed to factors that are beyond the immediate control of the human being (machinery failure) nor be under the influence of any disabling substance or mental and physical health condition. That is, a mistake is made even though everything should have gone well, the person is healthy and it is very unlikely that they made the mistake on purpose.
Human errors occur because there has been a communication problem between the space or the machine and the operator, that is, the operator has not received all the necessary information to know what was the most appropriate action to take at that precise moment. Taking this point of view, everything possible must be done so that the machine has the necessary means to transmit at all times the information required by the operator and, in turn, ensure that the operator can adequately interpret what the system is dealing with. to say.
The device interface must be carefully designed since it is the part of the electronic device or machine with which the user interacts directly. An interface full of options, with buttons that you don’t really know what they are for and that can be confused with each other is a magnet for human errors and, consequently, accidents. For this reason, especially in spaces where heavy machinery is operated, everything possible is done to ensure that the controls are easy to understand and do not exhaust or exceed the cognitive resources of the operator.
Application areas of cognitive ergonomics
Cognitive ergonomics can be applied in endless areas, both aimed at facilitating and making work activities more effective and making daily life more comfortable. Below we are going to see a few of them.
1. Healthcare sector
Health professionals, such as doctors and nurses, work long shifts and shifts which can perfectly be more than 24 hours. This is counterproductive, since a person’s “arousal” or cognitive activation usually drops between 8 and 12 hours after waking up, and even more so if they have been working for many hours in a row.
These professions are especially critical, since a mistake made due to the fatigue of a doctor or nurse can cost a life. It is necessary for health workers to be rested and with full cognitive performance to be able to satisfactorily perform their function because, even if they have great experience and knowledge, if they are exhausted they will make more mistakes. The more tired they are, the worse their decision making will be.
Taking this into account, cognitive ergonomics can be used to design hospital on-call shifts, ensuring that all professionals sleep at least 6 hours a day, having breaks that they can take within the hospital. Correct planning of the toilets that enter and leave the hospital on each shift can save health problems, both physical and mental
The design of electronic devices is not done completely randomly. It is clear that for them to work well, engineers, programmers and electricians will have to be used, but for them to be marketed successfully it is necessary for someone to think about how comfortable and useful they are going to be for the average consumer.
A device that has many buttons, with an overly complex interface that makes us read the instruction manual every time we want to use it, is an appliance that will frustrate us and with which we will not feel very comfortable. For this Ergonomists take into account which functions are necessary and which are not, what the consumer wants and whether or not it will be comfortable for them to use the device
3. Vehicle safety
Related to the previous application area, cognitive ergonomics is widely used in vehicle design. While physical ergonomics is responsible for making it comfortable for our body, such as putting seats that do not hurt our spine or that are pleasant to be in, cognitive ergonomics is in charge of making sure that your driving does not exhaust us mentally
When we talk about vehicle safety we are not only talking about cars, but also planes, trains and ships. These means of transport usually have much more complex control controls than those of the car, which must be designed in such a way that the operator can quickly and easily see which ones are activated and which ones are not. Buttons that control critical functions should be the most visible and easy to access in an emergency.
