{"title":"The role of notification modality in smartwatches: A context of sedentary behavior interventions","authors":"Syafa Thania Prawibowo, Fitri Trapsilawati, Ardiyanto Ardiyanto","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104593","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104593","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sedentary behavior associated with prolonged computer use poses significant health risks. Smartwatch-based stand-up reminders offer a promising intervention, yet the effectiveness of different notification modalities remains unclear. This controlled laboratory study used a within-subject design to compare four notification modalities: visual-only, visual-auditory, visual-tactile, and visual-auditory-tactile, evaluated using metrics including response times, response rates, compliance times, compliance rates, and user preferences. Twenty participants performed computer-based data processing tasks at a sit-stand workstation while receiving stand-up reminder notifications at random intervals every 7–10 min, prompting them to stand. We hypothesized that multimodal notifications would outperform the visual-only modality in terms of user responsiveness and user preferences. The results supported this hypothesis: both bimodal modalities (visual-auditory and visual-tactile) significantly reduced response times and increased response rates as well as user preferences compared to the visual-only condition (p < 0.001), while performing as effectively as the trimodal condition. Furthermore, response rates were positively correlated with two dimensions of user preferences, confirmation (ρ = 0.497, p < 0.001) and continuance intention (ρ = 0.422, p < 0.001), indicating that user trust and willingness to continue using the system were associated to the system performance. These findings suggest that smartwatch developers and manufacturers should avoid using visual-only notifications as the default and instead promote the use of at least bimodal reminders to enhance user responses and preferences.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 104593"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144549812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied ErgonomicsPub Date : 2025-07-02DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104590
Myriam Metzulat , Barbara Metz , Aaron Edelmann , Alexandra Neukum , Wilfried Kunde
{"title":"Sick of being driven? – Prevalence and modulating factors of carsickness in the European population in context of automated driving","authors":"Myriam Metzulat , Barbara Metz , Aaron Edelmann , Alexandra Neukum , Wilfried Kunde","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104590","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104590","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As in automated driving the driver becomes a passenger, carsickness might reduce comfort for susceptible individuals. Insights in the prevalence of carsickness and its modulating factors are considered useful for the development of automated vehicles to mitigate or prevent its occurrence. An online survey was conducted with <em>N</em> = 3999 participants in Spain, Sweden, Poland, and Germany. 30 % of participants reported to have already experienced carsickness as adult. The frequency of carsickness was modulated not only by demographic factors (country, gender, age), but also by frequency of being a passenger, type of non-driving related task, road type, and the seating position in car. Furthermore, the efficiency of applied countermeasures, temporal aspects of carsickness development, as well as the relation of carsickness with the acceptability of automated driving and the effect on subjective fitness to drive was investigated. The results are discussed with focus on automated driving.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 104590"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144523537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied ErgonomicsPub Date : 2025-06-29DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104587
Emma J. Ratke , Dennis J. Larson , Michael W.R. Holmes , Shawn M. Beaudette
{"title":"Adaptations to fatigue during a repetitive multiplanar lifting task","authors":"Emma J. Ratke , Dennis J. Larson , Michael W.R. Holmes , Shawn M. Beaudette","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104587","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104587","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Warehouse workers are often required to perform physically demanding repetitive lifting tasks leading to fatigue. Previous research has primarily focused on constrained lifting tasks when investigating fatigue. The purpose of the current study was to investigate fatigue-based movement adaptations during a multiplanar, ecologically relevant lifting task. Participants (n = 28) lifted, transferred, and lowered a mass continuously for 60 min. Full body kinematics and muscle activity of the lumbar erector spinae, rectus abdominis, external oblique, and anterior deltoids were collected continuously. Results suggest that the load moment arm decreased across the trial (4% decrease), and participants tended to complete movements faster (4% decrease). Further, participants exhibited less variability in thorax-pelvis flexion deviation phase when fatigued (9% decrease). Finally, rectus abdominis activity increased (4%MVIC increase), while anterior deltoid activity decreased over time (2% decrease). These behavioural, coordination-based, and muscular adaptations to fatigue all have potential implications for injury risk in repetitive lifting tasks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 104587"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144510972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied ErgonomicsPub Date : 2025-06-27DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104576
Giovanna Camacho , Matthew L. Bolton , Amanda Watson , Ian Pitt
{"title":"Integrating an intuitive tactical navigation solution to enable situational awareness for people with visual disabilities","authors":"Giovanna Camacho , Matthew L. Bolton , Amanda Watson , Ian Pitt","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104576","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104576","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research designed a wearable vibrotactile display for providing intuitive orientation and communication cues to aid in navigation for the visually disabled. The device’s signals were designed to communicate the three levels of situation awareness (SA; perceive, comprehend, and project) intuitively, as if one was being guided by a partner’s hand. We evaluated the effectiveness of this device in a human subject experiment with fully blind participants. Participants were tested in an open 15 ft x 15 ft space with no objects for reference. Performance with the vibrotactile display was compared against participants’ normal methods of navigation based on performance measures (navigation, accuracy, and time). Subjective measures of mental workload, situation awareness, and usability were collected; as were surveys designed to understand how participants’ categorized tactor signals into SA levels. Results showed that the tactile design enhanced accuracy, but increased navigation time. This design was comparable to participants’ standard methods for mental workload, SA, and usability. The paper discusses the significance of these results for navigation aids for the visually disabled. It also explores the implications for navigation support in other visually challenging environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 104576"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144489351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Novel ergonomics indicator-based approach for evaluating a supplier organization's sustainable process performance","authors":"Asim Amjad , Mujtaba Hassan Agha , Shahid Ikramullah Butt , Andrew Thatcher , Irem Sarbat","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104583","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104583","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ergonomics principles can be crucial in supplier audits by providing an effective framework and continuum ratings, moving beyond check-sheet based dichotomous rating. In contemporary supply chain management practices focal firms –which govern supply chains– are held accountable for product sourcing and transportation deficiencies. This study proposes a novel method for assessing the supplier organization's sustainability performance by integrating twenty-five ergonomics indicators (EIs) across economic, ecological, and social dimensions. Data from 38 Pakistani supplier organizations exporting products to Western firms were analyzed to develop an interval-scale-based evaluation scheme, and aggregated to form an organization's composite sustainable performance score. The results showed that the economic dimension was more frequently measured by the organizations compared to the ecological and social dimensions. Moreover, mapping these EIs onto Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demonstrates their relevance to SDGs broadly. A performance scorecard was also designed to assess suppliers' sustainability practices within the ergonomics paradigm, enabling organization-to-organization comparisons through visual representation. This approach supports focal firms in incorporating sustainable and resilient process performance into their supplier evaluations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 104583"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144501834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied ErgonomicsPub Date : 2025-06-26DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104585
Jia Deng, Maryam Zahabi
{"title":"Analysis of adaptive systems based on Driver's workload","authors":"Jia Deng, Maryam Zahabi","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104585","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104585","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examined workload classification models and their application in adaptive in-vehicle systems. A meta-analysis of 31 studies assessed how predictor types (e.g., physiological data), experimental settings (simulator vs. on-road), and device types (wearable vs. remote) influence model accuracy. Results indicated that incorporating physiological data improved model accuracy, although ensuring generalizability remains a challenge. Random Forest models demonstrated the highest average accuracy for binary classification, while Neural Networks showed promise for multi-class models. Adaptive systems leveraging multi-input models were found effective in dynamically adjusting to workload, enhancing safety and user experience. However, challenges such as system over-reliance and limited system implementation persist. Additionally, this study analyzed the existing adaptive systems in the automotive market and proposed design guidelines and a framework for workload-based adaptive systems. Future research should focus on developing robust, context-aware systems tailored to occupational and real-world driving demands, ensuring reliability and widespread applicability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 104585"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144489352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied ErgonomicsPub Date : 2025-06-26DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104577
Olya Rezaeian , Onur Asan , Alparslan Emrah Bayrak
{"title":"The impact of AI explanations on clinicians’ trust and diagnostic accuracy in breast cancer","authors":"Olya Rezaeian , Onur Asan , Alparslan Emrah Bayrak","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104577","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104577","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Advances in machine learning have created new opportunities to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-based clinical decision support systems using past clinical data and improve diagnosis decisions in life-threatening illnesses such breast cancer. Providing explanations for AI recommendations is a possible way to address trust and usability issues in black-box AI systems. This paper presents the results of an experiment to assess the impact of varying levels of AI explanations on clinicians’ trust and diagnosis accuracy in a breast cancer application and the impact of demographics on the findings. The study includes 28 clinicians with varying medical roles related to breast cancer diagnosis. The results show that increasing levels of explanations do not always improve trust or diagnosis performance. The results also show that while some of the self-reported measures such as AI familiarity depend on gender, age and experience, the behavioral assessments of trust and performance are independent of those variables.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 104577"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144480351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied ErgonomicsPub Date : 2025-06-23DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104584
Thainá de Oliveira Rocha , Carolina Maria do Carmo Alonso , Talita Naiara Rossi da Silva
{"title":"Frontline inclusion Workers' perceptions of employment barriers for people with disabilities in Brazil: Advancing inclusion to leave no one behind","authors":"Thainá de Oliveira Rocha , Carolina Maria do Carmo Alonso , Talita Naiara Rossi da Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104584","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104584","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Work-related issues are included in sustainable development debates, but the participation of people with disabilities (PwD) remains underrepresented. This article focuses on those barriers related to PwD work inclusion in the Brazilian context and how Ergonomics/Human Factors can contribute to lowering the inequalities experienced by PwD.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>This qualitative study was based on 17 semi-structured interviews with frontline inclusion professionals.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Thematic analysis identified interdependent and interconnected barriers to PwD work inclusion, categorized into three levels: contextual, such as insufficient public policies, ableism, and urban inaccessibility; organizational, as communication barriers and companies' resistance to inclusion; and personal, such as qualification.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The scenario of PwD work inclusion could become even worse given the forecasts surrounding future work. E/HF can contribute to the development of accessible work situations as well as transforming representations related to disability. Recommendations were proposed for E/HF to favor inclusion and diversity at work.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 104584"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144338566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied ErgonomicsPub Date : 2025-06-19DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104581
Vanessa Nasr , Mark Benden , Maryam Zahabi
{"title":"An approach for assessing usability and accessibility of assistive technology for persons with disabilities","authors":"Vanessa Nasr , Mark Benden , Maryam Zahabi","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104581","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104581","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Assistive technologies can help persons with disabilities (PWD) gain independence and improve their quality of life. However, for these technologies to be helpful, interface design is important to ensure devices can be seamlessly added to everyday life. This study investigates a novel approach to assess the usability of assistive technologies called SUMA – The Single Usability Metric that Accounts for Accessibility. The model includes 13 common measures used to capture website and app usability with special consideration to measure accessibility. To simplify the model, user testing was conducted with PWD, and principal component analysis of the results revealed a subset of dimensions. The finalized SUMA model includes four usability metrics: satisfaction, efficiency, learnability, and accessibility. The model is coded into an Excel workbook enabling other researchers to easily use SUMA to assess the usability of their technologies for PWD. Findings highlighted the importance of capturing accessibility to ensure inclusive design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 104581"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144313434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied ErgonomicsPub Date : 2025-06-18DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104578
Justin M. Haney , Douglas Ammons , HeeSun Choi
{"title":"Effects of robot arm design and movement speed during human-robot interaction","authors":"Justin M. Haney , Douglas Ammons , HeeSun Choi","doi":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104578","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104578","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effect of robot arm size, movement speed, and degrees of freedom on perceived safety, trust, mental workload, human behaviors, and task performance in a collaborative pick-and-place task. Fifty-six participants completed the experiment in a virtual reality environment where they interacted with a robot manipulator. Robot arm speed had a greater impact on self-reported measures, compared to task performance and human behavior. Overall, mean ratings of surprise and fear significantly increased across speed levels of 60 deg/s (surprise = 1.19/6; fear = 1.18/6), 120 deg/s (surprise = 1.37/6; fear = 1.33/6), and 180 deg/s (surprise = 1.65/6; fear = 1.67/6). Conversely, robot arm size and degrees of freedom had a greater influence on task performance and human behavior than on the self-reported outcomes. These findings may provide insights for robot manufacturers and standard committees to improve perceived safety in the workplace.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55502,"journal":{"name":"Applied Ergonomics","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 104578"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144313430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}