Mark S. Young

University of Southampton

As the UK's Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) celebrates its 75th anniversary, it is worth reflecting on our discipline's contribution, current state, and critical future endeavours. We present the perspectives of 18 EHF professionals who were asked to respond to five questions regarding the impact of EHF, contemporary cha...

We reflect briefly on the last forty years or so of ergonomics and human factors research in automation, observing that many of the issues being discussed today are the same as all those decades ago. In this paper, we explicate one of the key arguments regarding the application of automation in complex safety-critical domains, which proposes restra...

The importance of Safety Management Systems (SMS) to the railway industry is underlined by the fact that all organisations operating on UK railways are required by law to have one. Analysing SMSs can provide a reliable systemic tool to identify hazards and weaknesses within complex systems like the railway, making it possible to significantly incre...

The control of rail signalling is known to be highly dependent on local knowledge and local factors. It is also known to be highly cognitive in its nature involving a constant balancing of system performance within the constraints of safety. In the current paper, data generated through field work with signallers were used to understand the role of...

In this paper, we discuss the ways in which Neville Stanton has challenged himself, his research colleagues, PhD students, the many co-authors and contributors to his publications, and the entire Ergonomics community to determine what it means for there to be 'consistent standards for how [Ergonomics] methods are described and reported.' Only in th...

The automotive future has always pointed to a world of intelligent co-pilots and robot cars, but perhaps no more so than Knight Rider. In this 1980's television series the fictional Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) was a supercomputer on wheels with 1000 megabytes of memory. The protagonist was Michael Knight, a young loner on a crusade to cha...

This chapter begins with an assessment of the nature and characteristics of mental workload and how people have defined it over the years. It looks at the major techniques, their relative advantages and disadvantages and how they are enacted in practical circumstances in the many operational domains to which they can apply. The chapter examines app...

Rail signalling is known to be highly dependent on local knowledge and local factors. Pickup et al (2013) proposed a Local Knowledge Framework to help determine the contents of and motivations behind local knowledge. In the current paper, the framework is revisited based on eight hours of observations and 15 interviews conducted at four different s...

For human factors researchers and practitioners, mental workload remains both a crucial concept and a nebulous one. After decades of work in this field, there is still no real consensus on the construct of mental workload, although there is wide agreement about its multidimensional nature and the main ways to measure it. With increasing automation...

The last 15 years has witnessed a surge in rail-related human factors research but little has examined the Track Worker role. Track work often takes place whilst trains are running under the protection of Lookouts who provide warning of approaching trains. Despite—or perhaps because of—these measures, there is a notable prevalence of incidents invo...

On a 24/7 railway, managing the risks of operator fatigue is crucial for maintaining the reliability and safety of the system. Whilst there is a substantial body of scientific literature covering the causes and effects of fatigue, a recent accident investigation report exposed gaps in our applied knowledge regarding barriers to reporting fatigue, a...

In-vehicle information systems (IVIS) aimed at supporting green driving have increased in both number and complexity over the past decade. However, this added information available to the driver raises significant ergonomic concerns for mental workload, distraction and ultimately driving task performance. Adaptive interfaces offer a potential solut...

Motorcyclists represent one of the most vulnerable forms of road user. In the UK, motorcyclists are generally considered to be around 51 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured (KSI) than car drivers (Department for Transport 2007). Recent data also indicate that motorcyclists are involved in 9.5% of all recorded collisions (Department...

The investigation and modelling of aviation accident causation is dominated by linear models. Aviation is, however, a complex system and as such suffers from being artificially manipulated into non-complex models and methods. This book addresses this issue by developing a new approach to investigating aviation accident causation through information...

Mental workload (MWL) is one of the most widely used concepts in ergonomics and human factors and represents a topic of increasing importance. Since modern technology in many working environments imposes ever more cognitive demands upon operators while physical demands diminish, understanding how MWL impinges on performance is increasingly critical...

Purpose Cataract is one of the leading causes of visual impairment in Australia. As more older adults are driving, the number of people with cataract on the roads will increase. A greater understanding of the effects of cataract and cataract surgery on driving performance and driver self-regulation is essential to improve road safety. This proposed...

The evaluation and assessment of appropriate design approaches for usable human-machine interfaces is at the heart of ergonomics. A Guide to Methodology in Ergonomics arises from work, carried out by Neville Stanton for the EPSRC/Department of Transport, to compile and review a pool of methodologies currently used throughout the human factors world...

Unlabelled: The use of haptic feedback is currently an underused modality in the driving environment, especially with respect to vehicle manufacturers. This exploratory study evaluates the effects of a vibrotactile (or haptic) accelerator pedal on car driving performance and perceived workload using a driving simulator. A stimulus was triggered wh...

In-vehicle information systems have been shown to increase driver workload and cause distraction; both are causal factors for accidents. This simulator study evaluates the impact that two designs for a smart driving aid and scenario complexity has on workload, distraction and driving performance. Results showed that real-time delivery of smart driv...

Both the environmental and safety costs of road transport are considered to be unacceptably high. The ‘Foot-LITE’ project aims to encourage drivers to adopt greener and safer driving practices, with real-time feedback being given in-vehicle (during driving) and retrospective feedback off-line (pre- and post-driving). This article focuses on the ear...

With nearly 60% of domestic energy consumption relating to space heating, the interaction between users and their heating controls is crucial in reducing consumption. Yet, many heating controls are complex and exclude people due to the demands placed upon their capabilities in terms of vision, reach, dexterity and thinking. This study explores the...

‘Ergonomics: Real Design’ was an exhibition at the Design Museum in London to celebrate the 60th anniversary of UK ergonomics. The aim of the exhibition was to enhance the appreciation of ergonomics in society amongst researchers and the general public; as a public engagement project a key objective was to facilitate two-way dialogue between ergono...

Over the next 25 years, European train drivers will face radical changes in their tasks, as new technologies such as ERTMS, increased harmonisation and higher line speeds become commonplace. The information needs of the future train driver will have a more significant impact upon situation awareness (SA) and hence performance, so it will become inc...

Many tasks in the real world require simultaneous processing of mental information alongside physical activity. Whilst physical workload may have an impact on mental performance and attentional resources, most previous studies in ergonomics have not systematically investigated the impact of interactions between physical and mental demand on individ...

Transport simulators provide the potential to isolate specific variables to test for differences in controlled experiments. If simulators operate on a spectrum from low-end, paper based schematics, through to high-end full replica systems, there are fundamental issues associated with how 'fit for purpose' they might be. The physical and functional...

In-vehicle information systems (IVIS) have been shown to increase driver workload and cause distraction, both of which are causal factors for accidents. This simulator study evaluates the impact that two prototype ergonomic designs for a smart driving aid have on workload, distraction and driving performance. Scenario complexity was also manipulate...

This study puts forward a classification of driver lateral control assistance devices based on distinctions among several cooperative activities between the driver and the assistance devices. The proposed classification is based on prior work by Hoc, Young and Blosseville and Young, Stanton and Harris, who put forward related theoretical frameworks...

This paper describes a user-centred design process that has been used to develop an innovative simulator for research into motorcycle ergonomics and rider human factors. Building on initial user requirements and user experience elicitation exercises, an evaluation was conducted to investigate specific issues associated with simulator fidelity. An e...

This paper describes a user-centred design process that has been used to develop an innovative simulator for research into motorcycle ergonomics and rider human factors. Building on initial user requirements and user experience elicitation exercises, an evaluation was conducted to investigate specific issues associated with simulator fidelity. An e...

The concept of 'pre-loading' is introduced as a potential means of countering mental underload by giving the operator an additional, task-related activity during times of low workload to maintain their attention. A driving simulator study was conducted to evaluate this concept with a view to designing adaptive systems around a preloading activity....

Road transport is a significant source of both safety and environmental concerns. With climate change and fuel prices increasingly prominent on social and political agendas, many drivers are turning their thoughts to fuel efficient or 'green' (i.e., environmentally friendly) driving practices. Many vehicle manufacturers are satisfying this demand b...

Both the environmental and safety costs of road transport are considered to be unacceptably high. The `Foot-LITE' project aims to encourage drivers to adopt greener and safer driving practices, with real-time feedback being given in-vehicle (during driving) and retrospective feedback off-line (pre- and post-driving). This article focuses on the ear...

The rise in the aging driver population presents society with a significant challenge-how to maintain safety and mobility on the roads. On the one hand, older drivers pose a higher risk of an at-fault accident on a mile-for-mile basis; on the other hand, independent mobility is a significant marker of quality of life in aging. In this paper, we rev...

This paper describes the Human Error Identification (HEI) Technique called the Human Error Template (HET). HET has been developed specifically for the aerospace industry in response to Certification Specification (CS) 25.1302. In particular, it is intended as an aid for the early identification of design-induced errors, and as a formal method to de...

Motivation -- Task workload is key determinant of human performance. It may include physical and/or cognitive components, and these can interact to influence operator performance. This research study investigates the interaction of physical workload, mental workload and arousal level on attentional resources in order to predict performance. Researc...

The aim of this workshop is to bring together researchers interested in exploring the state of the art research in relation to human factors aspects of mobile application and service design. The workshop format will allow each member to present a short paper on their current work and open this up to general discussion afterwards. The overall aim of...

Alcohol-induced hangover, defined by a series of symptoms, is the most commonly reported consequence of excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol hangovers contribute to workplace absenteeism, impaired job performance, reduced productivity, poor academic achievement, and may compromise potentially dangerous daily activities such as driving a car or op...

The presented work describes a structured approach for identifying flexible working practices in complex socio-technical systems; further, it presents a framework for the elicitation of design changes capable of increasing system adaptability. The proposed approach uses the first three phases of the cognitive work analysis framework: work domain an...

Management of risk in complex domains such as aviation relies heavily on post-event investigations, requiring complex approaches to fully understand the integration of multi-causal, multi-agent and multi-linear accident sequences. The Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork methodology (EAST; Stanton et al. 200837. Stanton , N. A. and Baber , C. 2008...

New in-vehicle information systems (IVIS) are emerging which purport to encourage more environment friendly or ‘green’ driving. Meanwhile, wider concerns about road safety and in-car distractions remain. The ‘Foot-LITE’ project is an effort to balance these issues, aimed at achieving safer and greener driving through real-time driving information,...

This study evaluates the effects of a vibrotactile (or haptic) accelerator pedal on car driving performance and perceived workload using a driving simulator. The stimulus was triggered when the driver exceeded a 50% throttle threshold, past which is deemed excessive in the literature. Results showed a significant decrease in mean and maximum accele...

Workload is an important factor that affects human performance in an operating system. This research study investigates the interaction of physical workload, mental workload and arousal level on performance and working memory. Fifteen participants (ages 25-35) performed a physical task (pedalling on a bicycle-ergometer) under three different levels...

'Ergonomics: Real Design' was an exhibition at the Design Museum in London to celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Ergonomics Society. The main aim of the exhibition was to enhance the appreciation of ergonomics in society amongst researchers and the general public, and as a public engagement project a key objective was to facilitate two-way dialo...

This paper applies the Event Analysis for Systemic Teamwork (EAST) method to an example of military command and control. EAST offers a way to describe system level 'emergent properties' that arise from the complex interactions of system components (human and technical). These are described using an integrated methods approach and modelled using Tas...

There is growing concern that roadside advertising presents a real risk to driving safety, with conservative estimates putting external distractors responsible for up to 10% of all road traffic accidents. In this report, we present a simulator study quantifying the effects of billboards on driver attention, mental workload and performance in Urban,...

People from different cultures use web interfaces in different ways; they hold different mental models for visual representations, navigation, interaction, and layouts, and have different communication patterns and expectations. In the context of globalisation, web developers and designers have to make adaptations to fit the needs of people from di...

Assessing operator situation awareness is a key component of sociotechnical system design and evaluation. This article describes a study that was undertaken in order to compare two different situation awareness measures (a freeze probe recall approach and a post trial subjective rating approach) when used to assess participant situation awareness d...

Whilst real world data is particularly valuable in understanding complex issues within transport research, it is not always possible to conduct research which may compromise safety. As a consequence, simulators are often developed and employed to bridge the gap between what is possible in the real world and what is not. This paper is presented in t...

The purpose of this paper is to develop a recently proposed framework of human–machine cooperation (Hoc, J.M., 2001. Towards a cognitive approach to human–machine cooperation in dynamic situations. International Journal of Human–Computer Studies, 54, 509–540) and apply it to the domain of in-car automation. Previous models of automation (e.g. Sheri...

Maintaining student concentration in lectures has long been a challenge for lecturers. Pedagogical research consistently finds a drop in attention between 10 and 30 minutes into the lecture, which has been associated with the passive nature of the standard format, and has consequences for learning approaches and outcomes. A similar phenomenon has b...

The environmental and financial costs of road transport are a key issue for governments, car manufacturers and consumers. Alongside these issues remain longstanding concerns about road safety. The `Foot-LITE' project is aimed at designing a `smart' driving advisor to improve safe and eco-driving behaviours. This paper presents part of the human-cen...

In response to increasing political and individual awareness of the need to address the social and environmental costs of unsafe, inefficient and highly polluting driving styles, the Foot-LITE research project seeks to deliver innovative driver/vehicle interface systems and services to encourage and hopefully persuade sustained changes to driving s...

The Human Error Template (HET) is a recently developed methodology for predicting design-induced pilot error. This article describes a validation study undertaken to compare the performance of HET against three contemporary Human Error Identification (HEI) approaches when used to predict pilot errors for an approach and landing task and also to com...

This paper reports on five different models of command and control. Four different models are reviewed: a process model, a contextual control model, a decision ladder model and a functional model. Further to this, command and control activities are analysed in three distinct domains: armed forces, emergency services and civilian services. From this...

The Global Positioning System (GPS) looks set to replace the traditional map and compass for navigation tasks in military and civil domains. However, we may ask whether GPS has a real performance advantage over traditional methods. We present an exploratory study using a waypoint-plotting task to compare the standard magnetic compass against a mili...

The dominant technological trajectory in vehicle design brings with it similarly dominant driver performance issues in regard to vehicle feedback and driver situational awareness (SA). Three experiments are reported in this paper that describe not only the effects on driver SA of manipulations of vehicle feedback but also illuminate issues concerne...

The concept of situation awareness (SA) is frequently described in the literature. Theoretically, it remains predominantly an individual construct and the majority of the models presented describe SA from an individual perspective. In comparison, team SA has received less attention. SA in complex, collaborative environments thus remains a challenge...

Within the European Community both the environmental and safety costs of road transport are unacceptably high. ‘Foot-LITE’ is a UK project which aims to encourage drivers to adopt ‘greener’ and safer driving practices, with real-time and retrospective feedback being given both in-vehicle and off-line. This paper describes the early concept developm...

The objective of this paper is to illustrate the interconnections between the different phases (or tools) within the Cognitive Work Analysis framework; the benefits of extending an analysis across each of the five phases are highlighted through these interconnections. The paper uses a command and control micro-world example to describe how each of...

Cognitive work analysis (CWA) is frequently advocated as an approach for the analysis of complex socio-technical systems. Much of the current CWA literature within the military domain pays particular attention to its initial phases; work domain analysis and contextual task analysis. Comparably, the analysis of the social and organisational constrai...

Previous research suggests that compared to mobile phone use, eating and drinking while driving is more common and is seen as lower risk by drivers. Nevertheless, snacking at the wheel can affect vehicle control to a similar extent as using a hands-free phone, and is actually a causal factor in more crashes. So far, though, there has not been a con...

The Human Error Template (HET) is a recently developed methodology for predicting designed induced pilot error. This article describes a validation study undertaken to compare the performance of HET against three contemporary Human Error Identification (HEI) approaches when used to predict pilot errors for an approach and landing task and also to c...