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S. Sharma, M. Filzmoser, S. Köszegi:
"Gender-specific requirements for the design of human-machine interfaces";
Talk: International Joint EASST/4S Conference, Copenhagen; 10-17-2012 - 10-20-2012; in: "Program of the Joint EASST/4S International Conference", Copenhagen, Denmark (2012), 288.

Gender-specific requirements for the design of human-machine interfaces

For the commercial success of goods, ergonomics and design are key product differentiators. Specifically, gender - a core user characteristic - is already gaining attention in the development of consumer goods to improve product positioning and sales. However, to date, the design and development of machinery and human-machine interfaces often lack gender-specific characteristics.
In this paper we present the scope and first results of the research project Ge:MMaS1, which focuses on gender aspects in the design and development of machines and their user interfaces. The research question and aspired ultimate result of this project is to develop general guidelines for the gender-aligned design of machines and their control devices. The empirical study focuses on laser engraving systems by Trotec GmbH. This industry exhibits comparatively low gender segregation and consequently, a high share of female operators.
Based on expert interviews, we developed a questionnaire addressing general, ergonomic and gender-specific customer satisfaction topics plus future design requirements for the human-machine interface of the laser engraving systems. The resulting responses do indicate a number of gender-specific topics concerning the machine speed and initial training. The next step is to connect research methods from ergonomics (workflow and function analysis) and the social sciences (focus groups) to further refine the problem definitions and, to develop solutions for this particular application. The latter will also form the basis for the deduction of general guidelines for gender-aligned machine and control device design.

http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/PubDat_212905.pdf