User-Centered Systems Design: A Brief History - Foundations for Designing User-Centered Systems - page 35

Fig. 2.2 An example interface that attempts to ''fit the user to the machine''. In the top entry field
the user is expected to remove the domain rather than have the system do that (many sites, including
GMail, will let users login with either user-name or user-name@domain, this one does not)

they do not care about dates when there are no flights—but the web site only works
in terms of calendar dates.

2.2.1.1 Classical Ergonomics

Classical ergonomics has also been called interface ergonomics. The interface
referred to is the person/machine interface of controls and displays, and the
principle contribution of the designer is the improved design of dials and meters,
control knobs, and panel layout. Notably people are usually referred to as users or
operators in this literature. The expert's concerns can extend beyond the design of
chairs, benches, and machinery to specify at least partly the optimum physical
work

environment, including temperature, humidity, and location of work

surfaces.
This classical approach started with the design of military equipment, but now
considers the design of items and workspaces in civilian contexts. This approach
often takes a consultancy mode, with advice usually being delivered in the form of
principles, guidelines, and standards. This can cause problems for two reasons:
(1) classical ergonomists are only called in at the end of development and asked to
advise on the final product, rather than being involved throughout the development
process—this means that ill-thought out design decisions with poor rationale may
already be ''baked into'' the design, and no easy fix (or no fix at all) is possible;
and (2) guidelines and prescriptions for design activity are usually generic, and
lack context specific details. We return to this issue in Sect. 2.3 .