Alphonse Chapanis
Encyclopedia
Alphonse Chapanis was a pioneer in the field of industrial design
, and is widely considered one of the fathers of ergonomics
or human factors
- the science of ensuring that design
takes account of human
characteristics. Chapanis was notably active in improving aviation safety around the time of 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.
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
, and is widely considered one of the fathers of ergonomics
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:...
or human factors
Human factors
Human factors science or human factors technologies is a multidisciplinary field incorporating contributions from psychology, engineering, industrial design, statistics, operations research and anthropometry...
- the science of ensuring that design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
takes account of human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
characteristics. Chapanis was notably active in improving aviation safety around the time of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, although his career covered a wide range of domains and applications.
One of his major contributions was shape coding
Shape coding
Shape coding is a method of design of a control that allows the control's function to be signified by the shape of the control. It was used successfully by Alphonse Chapanis on airplane controls to improve aviation safety.-External links:*...
in the aircraft cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
. 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
Flap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
and landing gear
Landing Gear
Landing Gear is Devin the Dude's fifth studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was his first studio album since signing with the label Razor & Tie. It features a high-profile guest appearance from Snoop Dogg. As of October 30, 2008, the album has sold 18,906 copies.-Track...
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.
Further reading
- The Chapanis Chronicles (1999 autobiography)
- The Human FactorThe Human Factor (book)The Human Factor: Revolutionizing the Way People Live with Technology is the title of a book by Kim Vicente that Routledge published in 2004. Vicente asserts technology in such constructs as hospitals, airplanes, and nuclear power plants have significant room for improvement...
by Kim VicenteKim VicenteKim Vicente is a professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto. He is researcher, teacher, and author in the field of human factors. He is best known for his two books: The Human Factor and Cognitive Work Analysis....