Topic:Human Factors and Ergonomics
Abstract:Dr. Kolar’s undergraduate work in mechanical engineering and Ph.D. in Industrial Psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology gave him the ability to understand how things work, and how people interact with those things. Clever designs do not equate to usable products. We have all bumped our heads into “pull to open” doors expecting them to be “push to open” doors. Bumping one’s head is a minor embarrassment. However, when ego driven designers choose to use introspection, rather than consult a human factors professional, things can go very wrong very quickly. Not understanding the behavioral characteristics of the consumer audience can result in death and destruction. Tonight’s presentation will show many examples of how and why Human Factors is so important to our safety and sanity.
Speaker:Dan E. Kolar, Ph.D. CHFP, Manufacturing Procedures Analyst and Consultant
Speaker’s Bio:Dr. Kolar started with IBM in Chicago as a Customer Engineer, maintaining electro-mechanical banking machines. After completing his PhD. he worked in Austin’s Product Test Department when the technology was changing from Mag Card typewriters to electronic word processors. He conducted human factors usability tests by hiring potential users of the products and watching how they interacted with the machines. In the Product Development Laboratory responsibilities included testing, evaluating and creating new procedures to overcome usability problems. Two human factors based procedures resulted in a $30 M cost avoidance. He is the author of several IBM Technical Reports, user documentation and “How to Love Your Computer without Cursing the Cursor.”
Date & Time:Wednesday, April 23, 2014 : networking at 6:00 p.m., business and program from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Location:PoK-e-Jo’s, 2121 W. Parmer Lane at Lamplight Village, Austin, TX 78727
Map:map
Cost:$5.00 minimum charge for the restaurant. Supper is at optional extra cost.
Reservations:Not required. All interested parties are invited to attend.
Registration:https://meetings.vtools.ieee.org/meeting_view/list_meeting/