Work Demands and the Impacts of Current Work Practices

Abstract

The work demands are defined as the fundamental human interactions expected from users when interacting with a product, service, or system in a workplace to perform the desired work. If the human interactions involved in meeting work demands are not managed, they may negatively impact users. In the current evolving society, characterized by technological advancements and changing fundamental needs, tracking human interaction is becoming increasingly complex. The traditional techniques developed to understand user performance are becoming outdated due to new work practices, technologies, digitalization, and customization. This study focuses on developing a concept that maps the user interactions needed to complete the required work with the product, service, or system, as well as the possible adverse reactions that may arise due to the demands of the work. This study involves developing the Work Demands and Impacts (WDI) concept by integrating existing work-demand concepts and relevant models from the literature. The WDI concept illustrates the potential demands and impacts a user may experience in any workplace. The proposed concept is tested on two commonly observed day-to-day tasks to assess its effectiveness in mapping potential demands and impacts in the workplace. The WDI concept can assist designers involved in workplace operations in better managing human interactions. This will provide a new perspective in developing a safe and effective workplace while tracking user performance.

Keywords: Human Interactions, Task, Ergonomics, Human Factors

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007982