Cost effectiveness of operator features in equipment design

Area of Science:

• Human Factors Engineering
• Product Development
• Operations Research

Background:

• Engineers and product planners require precise data on human factors' impact on design and operational performance.
• Current methods lack quantitative metrics for evaluating design features' effects on productivity and service costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for assigning credible economic values to operator features during product design.
• To enable rational assessment of human factors recommendations based on potential cost implications.

Main Methods:

• Utilizes measured and synthetic data, learning theory, and Markov processes to determine operator task failure likelihood.
• Applies the Nominal Groups Technique to derive filter factors for failure rates.
• Integrates service call costs with overall product life cycle costs.

Main Results:

• Establishes a method to calculate the likelihood of operator failure leading to unscheduled service calls.
• Enables the quantification of design features' impact on manufacturing costs and overall economic viability.
• Provides a tool for human factors practitioners to support design negotiation on a sound economic basis.

Conclusions:

• The described technique offers a valuable tool for the economic assessment of human factors in product design.
• It facilitates informed decision-making by quantifying the financial implications of design choices.
• Future developments aim to extend this technique to evaluate training programs and job aids.