Theoretical and Experimental Approaches in Ergonomic Design: Towards a Unified Theory of Ergonomic Design

Abstract

Design is one of the most important issues in ergonomic science and its application. Ergonomics professionals use the term ‘design’ in many different ways. In this paper design is defined as the creation and description of ideal models or images of a new object for the purpose of their materialization in the future. As such the main part of the design process has to be done on the informational level. This paper analyzes the relationship between the theoretical and experimental approaches to ergonomics design, and demonstrates a need for development of a unified theory of ergonomic design.