Thesis-1988-Garner.pdf (2.32 MB)
Towards a new paradigm: an examination of the interface between design and ergonomics through the use of case-study methods
thesis
posted on 2018-01-26, 15:01 authored by Steven W. GarnerBoth the designer and the ergonomist occupy important positions
within our industrial society. Traditionally their contribution to
this society has suffered from both public and professional
misunderstandings regarding the role of each. To compound this issue
both professions are undergoing radical changes in the light of a
developing sociological, technological and commercial environment.
This research is focussed on one aspect of this change; that is, the
nature of a developing relationship between design and ergonomics.
It presents this relationship as an interface and attempts to
illuminate the richness and variety of design/ergonomic activity at
this interface.
Chapter Two presents an overview of what has been termed the
'parent' domains of design and ergonomics, while Chapter Three seeks
to establish the validity of employing case-study methods for an
illumination of the interface. This dwells upon the work of Thomas
Kuhn and uses his notion of 'paradigms' to assist in the definition of
a contemporary relationship. Chapters Four and Five present a
thorough analysis of the sixteen case-studies used for the research.
They provide evidence for viewing design/ergonomic activity as a
widespread and increasingly independent phenomenon. This is shown to
have implications for higher education as well as the professions of
design and ergonomics.
History
School
- Design
Publisher
© Steven W. GarnerPublisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 2.5 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.5) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/Publication date
1988Notes
A Master's Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Philosophy at Loughborough University.Language
- en