Some Bridging Methods towards a Balanced Design of Human-Machine Systems, Applied to Highly Automated Vehicles

Abstract

Increasingly complex technology offers benefits, but can also bring unintended consequences for users, designers, engineers or society. Most of these risks can be minimized and benefits maximized by using and constantly improving human factors design methods and concepts. In this overview article, a couple of concepts are described that the authors found particularly useful and worth being improved on the job. The concepts of design space, design space maps, design process, system Ergonomic analysis, theatre technique, and evaluation space are sketched and their applications exemplarily described for highly automated air and ground vehicles. These concepts are connected by their ability to bridge opposite aspects in the design and evaluation process, and allow designers, engineers and managers to reach a well balanced design.