What is 'equipment layout'?
equipment layoutEquipment layout is just that - where pieces of equipment, such as displays and controls, are laid out in relation to everything else around them, including the person using them. It's important to get this layout right - imagine trying to drive safely if you couldn't reach the steering wheel or see the speedometer, for example.
Good equipment layout helps to ensure that:
Equipment can be clearly identified;
Equipment is easy and efficient to use;
Errors are avoided, especially under emergency conditions.
The equipment itself maybe well designed, but if it is not positioned well, then you may be confused and make mistakes in reading an instrument or controlling the equipment. Some examples of bad control placement are:
Picture adjustment controls for televisions are often placed at the back of the set which makes it impossible to see the screen properly at the same time as manipulating these controls.
Some printers have on-off switches that may be difficult to find or identify, even though this might sometimes be the only way to clear a print job!
Some sound systems need you to place speakers and then adjust sound qualities, but the controls may not be within reach of your position in front of the speakers, where you need to check sound quality.
Good equipment layout means working out what should go where, considering the size of the work place and the size and position of the user, including their optimum viewing angles and reach. Even if the equipment is itself well designed, its position may be confusing unless certain principles are applied in its arrangement. These principles can be applied after examining the tasks that the equipment is used for. This can be done by:
1. Observing the user's body movements, including their eye movements, during all tasks;
2. Analysing links between the user and their equipment, the user and other people, and the user and any other tool or job aid that they might use during the task;
3. Carrying out interviews with the user to get information about the sequence of their activities, the characteristics of the tasks, and the overall nature of their job. This will also help to find out about the frequency and importance of critical or infrequent activities which might not be found out during observations of 'normal' activities.