Background
Chapanis, Alphonse was born on March 17, 1917 in Meriden, Connecticut, United States. Son of Anicatas and Mary (Barkevich) Chapanis.
(Human Factors in Systems Engineering shows how to integra...)
Human Factors in Systems Engineering shows how to integrate human factors into the design of tools, machines, and systems so that they match human abilities and limitations. Unlike virtually all other books on human factors, which leave the implementation of general guidelines to engineers and designers with little or no human factors expertise, this unique book shows that the proper role of the human factors specialist is to translate general guidelines into project specific design requirements to which engineers can design. Again, while other human factors books ignore the standards, specifications, requirements, and other work products that must be prepared by engineers, this book emphasizes the methods used to generate the human factors inputs for engineering work products, and the points in the development process where these inputs are needed. Comprehensive in its scope, Human Factors in Systems Engineering uses the systems engineering process to provide a broad understanding of the way human factors are used in the development process. It describes the full cycle of a design and shows what human factors inputs engineers and designers need at each stage of development. Well-organized and clearly written, this invaluable text is fully supported by over a hundred illustrations, thirty tables, handy appendices, and extensive bibliographies. Its practical, hands-on approach makes it an indispensable resource for professionals and advanced students in human factors, ergonomics, industrial engineering, and systems engineering. A unique, step-by-step guide to the application of human factors in the system development process Human Factors in Systems Engineering Unlike most current texts which provide general human factors recommendations but leave their interpretation to designers who are usually not trained for it, this book shows the reader how to prepare project specific system requirements that engineers can use easily and effectively. In addition, it fully explains the various work products--the standards and specifications--that engineers must produce during development, and shows what human factors inputs are required in each of them. Focusing on the entire systems engineering process, Human Factors in Systems Engineering offers professionals and advanced students a fresh, much-needed approach to the role of human factors in the design of tools, machines, and systems.
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(The Chapanis Chronicles: 50 Years of Human Factors Resear...)
The Chapanis Chronicles: 50 Years of Human Factors Research, Education, and Design, is the professional autobiography of Alphonse Chapanis, a pioneer and articulate promoter of human factors and ergonomics in design. Starting with the Second World War, Chapanis describes, first-hand, his applied research at the Aero Medical Laboratory at Wright Field, his studies of new problems with high-altitude military aircraft, and the development of solutions for design-induced pilot error. He chronicles his evaluation of “wheels-up” crashes of B-17s and describes the simple changes to cockpit controls that immediately solved this major problem. Recounting the rapid development of human factors as a design discipline in the post-war era, Chapanis recollects his early work at the Systems Research Laboratory and Johns Hopkins University and his preparation, with Garner and Morgan, of the first text book in the field - - Applied Experimental Psychology: Human Factors in Engineering Design. The Systems Research Laboratory, perhaps the most prolific human factors laboratory of the time, was followed by the Communications Research Laboratory and a litany of projects on evolving technologies including push-button telephone keysets, teleconferencing, voice interaction, oil exploration techniques, commercial shipping operations, and Phonemail™. His 36-year relationship with IBM and the introduction of human factors and ergonomics to literally thousands of IBM engineers and managers is a valuable case study in and of itself. He also publicly reveals, for the first time, his intelligence gathering activities behind the Iron! Curtain during the height of the Cold War. After his retirement from Johns Hopkins, Chapanis embarked on an expansive consulting career. He assesses the business of human factors, working with industry, and expert witness testimony, all with an eye on the future and the importance of trying to make our material world safer, more comfortable, and easier to cope with.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963617893/?tag=2022091-20
ergonomist human factors engineer
Chapanis, Alphonse was born on March 17, 1917 in Meriden, Connecticut, United States. Son of Anicatas and Mary (Barkevich) Chapanis.
Bachelor, U. Connecticut, 1937; Doctor of Science, U. Connecticut, 1998; Master of Arts, Yale University, 1942; Doctor of Philosophy, Yale University, 1943; Doctor of Science, U. Connecticut, 1998.
He was notably active in improving aviation safety around the time of World World War II, although his career covered a wide range of domains and applications. One of his major contributions was shape coding in the aircraft cockpit. After a series of runway crashes of the Boeing B-17, Chapanis found that certain cockpit controls were confused with each other, due partly to their proximity and similarity of shape.
Particularly, the controls for flaps and landing gear were confused, the consequences of which could be severe.
Chapanis proposed attaching a wheel to the end of the landing gear control and a triangle to the end of the flaps control, to enable them to be easily distinguished by touch alone. Thereafter for that aircraft there were no further instances of the landing gear being mistakenly raised while the aircraft was still on the ground.
This particular shape-coding of cockpit controls is still used today. In 1949 he published the first textbook on the subject of ergonomics, "Applied Experimental Psychology: Human Factors in Engineering Design."
In the 1950s, Chapanis worked with Bell Labs on the design of push-button telephone handsets, conducting experiments that led to the present layout of the keys.
(The Chapanis Chronicles: 50 Years of Human Factors Resear...)
(Human Factors in Systems Engineering shows how to integra...)
Captain United States Army Air Force, 1943-1946. Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science, Society Engineering Psychologists (Franklin V. Taylor award 1963), Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (Paul W. Fitts award 1973, President' Distinguished Service award 1987), Ergonomics Society (honorary), International Ergonomics Association (Outstanding Contribution award 1982).
Married Marion Amelia Rowe, September 23, 1941 (divorced 1960). Children: Roger, Linda Chapanis Fox. Married Natalia Potanin, March 25, 1960 (divorced 1987).
Married Vivian Woodward, November 24, 2001.