The Development and Application of an Ergonomic Database Management System

There exists a voluminous body of human factors literature pertaining to various aspects of human/computer interface design. This literature is frequently reviewed and cited as source documentation by human factors industry professionals. Traditional “hard copy” methods of storage/retrieval of this information are inefficient because of people, resource, and location constraints. The Ergonomics department at Exxon Office Systems has developed a preliminary version of a computerized information storage and retrieval system. Using this Ergonomic Design Guidelines and Rules (E.D.G.A.R.) system, department members develop and maintain a closer working knowledge of the human factors research literature. They are also able to quickly and accurately retrieve and apply guidelines to a variety of human/computer design situations. The design objectives of the EDGAR system, details of the system itself, and a preliminary evaluation are presented in this paper.