Here are 5 very common reasons why Human Factors is often not considered in the design of workplaces, products and services:
1. “This design is satisfactory for me – it will, therefore, be satisfactory for everybody else.”
2. “This design is satisfactory for the average person – it will, therefore, be satisfactory for everybody else.”
3. “The variability of the human beings is so great that it cannot possibly be catered for in any design – but since people are wonderfully adaptable it doesn’t matter anyway.”
4. “Ergonomics is expensive and since products are actually purchased on appearance and styling, ergonomic considerations may conveniently be ignored.”
5. “Ergonomics is an excellent idea. I always design things with ergonomics in mind – but I do it intuitively and rely on my common sense, so I don’t need tables of data.”
Pheasant, Stephen: Bodyspace, Taylor & Francis, 1986
