ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the readers to the concept of systems ergonomics, which is the interplay between the human, the product, and the environment, or the context of usage of any product, space, or communication. The different objectives of the systems ergonomics such as mission and service are discussed. The reader is then taken to different parts of any human product/space/communication system, where the different components are introduced to the readers as the context of usage, task characteristics, user characteristics, etc. Different types of systems such as manual, mechanical, and automatic as well as open and closed systems are discussed. Systems characteristics as well as the reliability of human–machine systems are discussed as they are important in design. The chapter ends with the sharp and the blunt ends of the system and shows where the target users exactly use the design and how designers should address the need of the target users. Ergonomics emphasizes the fact that designers should always leave the base of the pyramid (the blunt end of the system) and put themselves in the feet of the users at the sharp end of the system when aiming for any design intervention and for testing our their new design concepts.
