By Eric F. Shaverand Curt C. Braun

Thebusinesscommunity isacutelyawareof the impact theeconomicdownturnishavingonprofits. In these leantimes,companiesmustdecidewhat tocutandwhat tokeep inan

effort toremaincompetitive,or insomecases, solvent.Giventhat thesedifficult timeswillnot last forever,businessesshouldworktocontrolcostswithaneyeonbrighterdays.Withwhatresourcesremain, busi-nesses shouldconsiderendeavors thatwill increasecustomervalueand/oremployeesafety,productivityandsatisfaction.Oneapproachistomakeuseof the innovativeconcepts,methodsandtools fromthe fieldof humanfactorsandergonomics.Human factors and ergonomics is a scientific disciplinewhose

goal is to optimize the interaction between people and the sys-tems they use to enhance safety, performance, and satisfaction.In simpler terms, it focuses on designing the world to betteraccommodate the needs of people.In the United States, the discipline of human factors and

ergonomics started in earnest duringWorldWar II and continuestoday. What startedwith addressing the specific needs of themil-itary has expanded into all areas of business, including emergingcutting-edge domains like neuroergonomics and nanoergonom-ics.Today, the term ergonomics is often associated with the physi-

cal design of products like office workstations or automobiles.Human factors and ergonomic professionals have made consid-erable contributions to the design of objects. They have alsomade significant contributions to many other everyday activi-ties, products andmethods. Professionals in this field have influ-enced everything from the high-tech world of software develop-ment to life- saving medical devices. Some of the varied domainsin which human factors and ergonomics initiatives have success-fully demonstrated a positive return on investment include:• Greater usability of Web sites and computer software

through improved interaction between the average user and thetechnology.• Designing and/or redesigning tasks and jobs to increase

employee safety, productivity and satisfaction.• Determining the appropriatemedical technology to integrate

in a health care environment to minimize the potential for errorand to maximize patient and staff safety.• Using evidence-based architectural design to develop solu-

tions that meetusers needs fromthe built environ-ment.A p p l y i n g

human factorsand ergonomicprinciples andpractices benefitscustomers andbusinesses.These princi-

ples have been shown to decrease development costs, minimizeredesign, reduce time tomarket, increase sales andmarket share,decrease customer support and service costs, and improve userexperience. Specifically, the potential benefits of human factorsand ergonomic initiatives to customers, employees, and compa-nies include:• Increased safety and health; productivity; reliability and

quality; comfort; satisfaction; ease of learning and use; and loy-alty.• Decreased accidents, injuries and illnesses; fatigue and phys-

ical stress; absenteeism and turnover; training needs; liabilityissues; maintenance costs; and time-to-market.Appropriately implemented human factors and ergonomics

initiatives can result in a positive return on investment whenperformed by individuals who have an understanding of theinherent complexity of people – especially as it pertains toenhancing the design of technology, systems and environmentsfor safe and effective use.This is especially important in a tight economy where limited

resources must result in solutions that are more acceptable, lesscostly and require less training and support.

***Eric F. Shaver is a senior consultant and Curt C. Braun is the president and

founder of Benchmark Research & Safety Inc. Benchmark is a human fac-tors and ergonomics consulting firm that specializes in user-centered design,usability, product and occupational safety, research and training. If you havequestions regarding this article, you may contact Shaver ateshaver@benchmarkrs.com or (208) 407-2908.

– © 2009 Idaho Business Review. All rights reserved. Originally pub-lished in Idaho Business Review, January 5, 2009.

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Human Factors and Ergonomicsinitiatives make good business sense