World Usability Day - November 12, 2009
The Link between Usability and Sustainable Environments
Celebrating World Usability Day, November 12, 2009
Reprinted from the Association of Canadian Ergonomists web site with the permission of ACE Member and author, Aaron Miller, CCPE, LEED Accredited Professional, in celebration of World Usability Day 2009, themed "Designing for a Sustainable World"
Human-centred or user-centred design is a design method intended to ensure that an object, interface, or physical environment is designed to be easy to use and a good fit for the people who use it. This is often referred to as "usability". User-centred design processes can also result in buildings that are more efficient to operate, healthier for the occupants, and with minimal impact on the environment. These are key aspects of "sustainability".
Unhealthy and inefficient buildings are those that do not meet the physical requirements of the occupants, have inadequate ventilation, are energy inefficient, and are created from unhealthy materials. Furthermore, poorly designed buildings strain both financial resources and the environment through increased operating costs and continual upgrades and renovations in post-construction attempts to meet user requirements.
To improve the health and sustainability of the physical environment, a holistic approach must be taken that involves the user and considers both the usability and sustainability of the environment. An environmentally-friendly building must be designed, built, and operated with the physiology of the user in mind. Therefore, the first step in the design process is to involve representative occupants of the building, including those who will maintain it, in addition to the design team of architects, interior designers and engineers. This participatory, collaborative process must lead to an understanding of who are the end-users, the types of tasks to be completed in the environment, which tasks are most important, and how they will be completed within the space. This understanding allows the architect to design a space that will effectively support the functions to be completed, and allows the engineers to design the systems that will efficiently heat, cool, illuminate, and support the space.
The design stage is an opportunity to ensure that the physical space will be healthy for the occupants, created from environmentally friendly materials, and be efficient to operate. A guide to ensure the sustainability of new construction and renovations is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system. LEED is an internationally recognized green certification system for all types of buildings that aims to improve building performance including energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. There have been numerous LEED certified buildings completed across Canada and the research has demonstrated a positive link between sustainable design and construction practices and the health and productivity of those who live and work in sustainable buildings.
Usability concepts and sustainable design practices such as LEED are inter-related and allow for synergies during the design process to improve the built environment. Thoroughly understanding the end-users, the tasks that they will be required to complete and the requirements of the built environment allow designers to create spaces of the appropriate size and adjacencies, indoor environmental qualities that facilitate performance (light, temperature, noise, etc.), construction and furniture materials that are sustainable and healthy, and may even allow for re-use of building materials and equipment such as desks and furniture systems.
The use of mock-ups or simulation of specific design features as part of a user-centred design process can have an incredible impact on sustainability outcomes. Usability testing within a mock-environment allows occupants to ensure that a proposed space is the correct size and shape to complete the required tasks, and that the selection and configuration of equipment and furniture facilitate rather than hinder performance. Failure to identify issues with space allocation or installations during the design phase results in poorly designed buildings that must be upgraded, redesigned, and renovated to meet user and functional requirements. This results in increased waste, environmental impact and cost.
The inter-relationship between usability and sustainability is important. Many of the key concepts of usability design and planning can have an impact on the choice of materials and the overall design of the built environment. Involving users in the design process enhances an understanding of the end-use of the built environment, and allows decisions that are likely to improve the health and performance of the occupants, which is a necessary component of sustainability in the built environment.
To find out more about World Usability Day, go to www.worldusabilityday.org
