Year XLV
ricostruire
No. 1/2022
magazine ISSN 1593-4535 www.italiandesignschool.it Two projects presented at the Venice International Architecture Biennale in 2018 and 2021 …..……..……………...…………...…….…..Page 2 An Innovative Methodology of Teaching for the Inclusive Education……...…………...Page 2
The distinctive features of artisanal design and industrial design…………………….Page 7
Learning a Language by Immersion in Virtual Reality……………………………………...Page 12
Introduction to Ergonomics Applied to Industrial Design…………...………………...…Page 15
Toyism, pure expressive art of free imagination………………………………………….Page 22
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RICOSTRUIRE (Реконструировать, Rebuild), is a non-periodic magazine. Its mission is to spread out the "Culture of Rebuilding", concerning: Architecture, Applied Ergonomics, Design, Communication, Green & Smart Towns. Editor-in-Chief: Prof. Franco C. Grossi, reg. journalist in Italy no. 141055.
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Academic Journal on the Internet Two documents on the Internet are linked here: They are published by the University of Trieste, Italy, concerning the projects made with some architecture students of mine and presented at the Venice International Architecture Biennale in 2018 and 2021. The journal of the University of Trieste is named: “QuaderniCIRD”, Journal of the Interdepartmental Center for Educational Research of the University of Trieste - ISSN: 2039-8646. Here the links to the two papers: 1. Biennale Architecture, Venice 2018 - DOI: 10.13137/20398646/32083 Here the abstract of the paper in English, Italian and Russian https://www.openstarts.units.it/handle/10077/32083 Here the paper, only in Italian https://www.openstarts.units.it/bitstream/10077/32083/3/Grossi.pdf 2. Biennale Architecture, Venice 2021 - DOI: 10.13137/20398646/32083 Here the abstract of the paper in English, Italian and Russian https://www.openstarts.units.it/handle/10077/33408 Here the paper, only in Italian https://www.openstarts.units.it/bitstream/10077/33408/3/Grossi_CIRD22.pdf *************************************************
An Innovative Methodology of Teaching for the Inclusive Education presented at the IX International Scientific and Practical Conference, invited by the Kazan Innovation University (Research Institute of Pedagogical Innovation and Inclusive Education) Public Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, Russia, on March 13rd 2020. Abstract:
This contribution tends to highlight a new methodology of education for inclusion. It is a matter of identifying, from time to time, a common denominator, which allows the working group to give value to the peculiar aspects of different cultures and idioms in the context of social and working life, in order to achieve a shared result. A first theoretical and practical example, which I have used several times during Erasmus incoming mobility projects, has been to take into consideration the rules of conduct of managers, regardless of their country of origin and that have a universal value. Each of the students, who came from different foreign universities, enriched the "basket" of the communication skills with their own personal experiences. So, everyone could share information, feeling an integral part of a group that had a common goal, as a manager must behave for represent his company worthily. The same methodology can be used for immigrant students or students from different social backgrounds. A second example refers to a project developed by a working group including also students with disabilities, concerning the design of a “barrier-free” boat. 1. Planning the educational path for inclusion From a methodological point of view, in the design of the theoreticalpractical educational path for inclusion, we used the methods proper to the ergonomic discipline. In particular, the field of investigation of Applied Ergonomics (User-Centered Design, Interaction Design, etc.), [GROSSI, 2011] deals with the activities aimed at practical realizations and is that type of project that is preferable to apply in the educational process, in order to make it more usable and more enjoyable even by disadvantaged students. The ergonomic principles [GROSSI, 2007] impose, in fact, a systemic approach for an evaluation according to the communicator, the message to be sent and the "media" of transmission, for the purpose of optimal interaction between the various elements that make up the system. From a philological point of view, it is immediately to point out that the fact that the ergonomic quality of a training system does not exist, as it refers only to a specific class of users, for a
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particular topic and in a specific environment. Instead, we can speak of ergonomic quality related to a training approach within a given subject, referring to well-defined subjects and in a specific socio-cultural context. That is, ergonomic quality is not an attribute of the educational action, but is an attribute of the use of this action towards a certain class of users (students), for a particular training course and within a specific environment. In particular, the ergonomic qualities of the training methodologies are the answers to the ergonomic characteristics, which derive from the real use of the educational action, verifying its effects; where by ergonomic characteristics we mean the aspects that influence the quality of the relationship between the chosen teaching and the generality of users, by ergonomic parameters, the criteria for evaluating or judging objectively the ergonomic characteristics of the training courses. Therefore, characteristics and parameters refer to the types of training courses, while the ergonomic qualities refer to the courses themselves. In order to test the ergonomic qualities relating to the use of a specific educational course for inclusion (for a class of users and in a specific environment), the formulation of ergonomic characteristics is used, such as, for example, the length of the course, the difficulty of the proposed topics, the background of the students, the audiovisual aids used, the usability of the application software used and the pleasantness of the presentation, which must be assessed, respectively, with the following ergonomic parameters: number of lectures and exercises, cases examples exposed in order to mitigate the difficulty of the issues, initial verification test of the initial level referred to the listeners, determination of the audiovisual media to be used in the lessons, evaluation of the usability of the software [NIELSEN, 2000] with experts and with volunteers. We must also take into consideration the fact that the ergonomic design must comply with well-defined principles [BANDINI BUTI, 2008], such as globality, which implies an overall (holistic) attention to the problem, leaving subordinate the particular aspects, the participation intended as recovery, already in the conception, of all the "actors" pertaining to the communication process (therefore, besides
the teachers, also the researchers and the students themselves) and interdisciplinarity in order to guarantee a convergence of knowledge, necessary to positively achieve the communication objective. Proceeding, then, in the qualitative analysis of the training process, in addition to the analysis on usability, it is also necessary to analyze other indicators, such as, for example, usefulness, or to what extent a didactic path allows the user to achieve his / her training objectives, learnability, i.e. the achievement of acceptable learning levels within acceptable times, flexibility, in other words, the possibility of accessing a range of notions besides the main ones, correspondence to the task, or the correlation between the training offered and the user's needs. In order to have evaluations (possibly "a priori") on the educational path, the following survey techniques can be used: user workshop, with very few users, focus groups, with few users, surveys, with many users, usability assessments, with experts in the sector, usability checks, with specialists equipped with pre-packaged check lists, usability tests with users in the laboratory, field studies, with users in action in the field and follow up studies, subsequent to use. Among the evaluation methods, we can briefly mention the simple rating scales, Thurstone's paired comparisons, Likert's summated ratings, semantic differences and field observations (where students are observed "in action" in descriptive, evaluative mode or diagnostics). 2. First theoretical-practical example, intended for the inclusion of foreign/disadvantaged students. The project focuses on identifying the rules of conduct for managers in the global society. It was first of all to study the man-man communication process, and then to propose a series of behavioral rules with generally accepted value. Human communication, in other words the transmission of meaning between man and man, takes place through the socalled symbolic interaction, an exchange of signs that are part of the complex system of verbal language. But the meaning can be transmitted even without having to resort to the use of the word, just think of the
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expression of the face, the gestures, the looks. Behavior (and clothing) therefore affects "communicating" [MATSUMOTO ET AL., 2012]. In this context, Etiquette is taken into consideration as a form of corporate communicative expression mediated by managers. The manager, understood as a corporate resource, therefore represents the interface between the company itself and the customer, helping to increase its added value in terms of relational capital. In today's society of weak and ambiguous behaviors, therefore, Etiquette is a way of presenting yourself (i.e. presenting the company you belong to) in a precise and transparent way and, above all, a way of being. Good manners are not included in the job description of new hires, but they certainly play a considerable role in carrying out the company career [RUCKER, 2019]. Knowing how to behave properly has a greater weight than the technical skills themselves. Collaborators and colleagues will feel more valued, customers more "pampered" and even creating close-knit teams becomes easier. Therefore, the ability to know how to "behave well", to weave relationships, and therefore to encourage integration, will increasingly be considered a winning "trump card". It is also worth considering the fact that Etiquette is far from a useless legacy of the past, also because its rules can easily be adapted to changes in society and customs. An example is the application of Etiquette in the context of mobile and flexible work, which forces the manager to nomadic activity in a globalized world, with a continuous need to solve a whole series of problems deriving from the encounter with different cultures business, idioms and different lifestyles [BRETT, 2015]. Another important factor concerns the communication aspects of the new media, where, for example, messages sent and posts on social media can be misinterpreted and follow up on unpleasant consequences. Often, in fact, the fact of not being able to associate non-verbal communication with verbal communication can create misunderstandings among the interlocutors that generate discontent and interruptions in personal relationships. It should also be remembered, moreover, that the impact of written words is different from the impact that the same words can have in a
face-to-face communication. With the spread of these new forms of communication, the need has been felt to share a code of conduct with other users, which can avoid incorrect behavior and unpleasant consequences. Netiquette (Network Etiquette) is the analogue of Etiquette for new media and indicates what can and should not be done in the context of correct behavior [BERLATSKY, 2013]. 3. Second theoretical-practical example, intended for the inclusion of disabled students. The second example of theoretical-practical inclusion considered, relates to a project carried out by a working group which included both able and disabled students. The idea is always to make all the actors of the "inclusion" participate in the design activity, without whom it would not be possible to imagine the needs and needs of all those who use the "product". In this case the "boat" was taken into consideration, which is not an artifact that intervened afterwards in human needs; it has always existed and, even before the appearance of man on earth, some piece of floating trunk will surely have transported some animals from one bank of a river to another in occasional ferries. But it is with the appearance of homo sapiens, that the tree trunk was made suitable for navigation, starting an uninterrupted sequence of technological innovations aimed at making the marine vehicle increasingly safe and usable [COMSTOCK, 1967]. The study of the boat thus undertakes a continuous and incessant evolution of form and use, also as a consequence of historical, political and socio-economic factors. In particular, we took into consideration the hull, and its evolutions of shape and size, which condition the design of the spatial configurations and the study of the internal subdivisions, involving a conditioning dictated by the structural and movement constraints with respect to the liquid medium. The needs expressed by a disadvantaged user mainly concern the enhancement, implemented by means of special technological interfaces, precisely as regards the specific "residual skills" [GROSSI, 2006].
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In more general terms, it is necessary to reduce the so-called "physical divide" to a minimum, with a design that takes the form of filling motor or sensorial deficits by means of devices expressly designed and manufactured in a specific and sometimes artisanal way. As far as standards are concerned, reference was made to current legislation "on land" and on cruise ships. In order to have spaces suitable for staying on board, the design idea referred to a catamaran, with a specific study for people with disabilities, seeking an optimal combination of the suitable dimensions of the boat and a habitability capable of allow a comfortable stay on board, for several people (up to four disabled people in a wheelchair) and for a period of approximately two to seven days. For optimal comfort, navigation must be safe and stable, thus representing a pleasant and easy relationship experience, therefore perfectly usable with the sea. Precisely to allow the disabled to be able to easily use the external and internal spaces of the boat, a design activity was implemented using the rules of Ergonomics applied to industrial design [GROSSI, 2007b]. In particular, the spaces have been designed to be used by four disabled people, reserving each of these a single cabin, with shared toilets, two by two, equipped with automatic opening and closing of the doors, using the dictates and the indications promoted by home automation.
Fig. 2. Transversal Section
Fig. 3. Main Deck
Fig. 1. Longitudinal Section
In addition to the four guests, space has been provided inside the two hulls suitably prepared: • for the crew (two, maximum three people), who will be accommodated in two single cabins equipped with toilets, one of which with a bunk bed;
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• and for four companions arranged in two double cabins also with toilets. It is desired to specify that the cabins for disabled people are located on the main deck, while those intended for the crew and accompanying persons can be reached by stairs, located just above the waterline. The main bridge, that is the one where disabled people stay, also consists of a large central public area divided as follows: • relaxation area (reading, TV, Hi-Fi, DVD, LCD, computer, etc.); • kitchen area, designed as a peninsula and serving as a bar service • dining area, consisting of a table that can seat 8-10 people. • corridor for the distribution of services, which extends from stern to bow. The command bridge with chart room is equipped with a suitable cover and is accessible from the main deck both by means of a hydraulic lift and by means of the internal staircase. 4. Conclusions With this paper, is pointed out the fact that the best method to implement an educational inclusion strategy is to experiment with team projects, where each participant can express their ideas and provide their contribution. Thus, everyone will feel part of the working group and will be proud to achieve the set objectives together with the others. All participants will acquire new cultural inputs and will be able to share their socio-cultural experiences and problems arising from any disabilities. Each course of study should, therefore, implement a specific testing project to encourage educational inclusion. 5. References Bandini Buti L. (2008), Ergonomia olistica. Il progetto per la variabilità umana, Franco Angeli, Milano Italy, 2008. pp. 56-60.
Berlatsky N. (2013), Netiquette and Online Ethics, Greenhaven Publishing, Farmington Hills MI U.S.A., 2013. Brett D. (2015), Digital Nomad, Createspace Publishing, Scotts Valley, CA U.S.A., 2015. Comstock J. P. (1967), Principles of Naval Architecture, Published by The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, N. Y. N. Y. U.S.A., 1967. Grossi F. C. (2006), “A New Ergonomic Healthcare Logistical Model Based on ICT Systems”, presented at the International Symposium ICOH 2006: Shiftwork and Ageing in Health Care and Community Services, 8-10 June 2006 – Venice, Italy. Grossi F. C. (2007a), “What Ergonomics is”, BY Innovation, Year 1, Vol. 1, Enrico Rainero & Partners, Milano Italy, 2007, pp. 26-27. Grossi F. C. (2007b), “Applied Ergonomics”, BY Innovation, Year 1, Vol. 2, Enrico Rainero & Partners, Milano Italy, 2007, pp. 62-64. Grossi F. C. (2011), Geografie, Le sfide dell’innovazione didattica permanente, Vol. II, Le Lettere, Florence Italy, 2011, pp. 175-180. Matsumoto D., Frank M. G., Hwang H. C. (2012), Nonverbal Communication: Science and Applications, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks CA U.S.A., 2012. Nielsen J. (2000), Web usability, Apogeo, Milano Italy, 2000, pp. 2809281. Rucker D. (2019), Workplace Etiquette: Tips on How to Stay Employed and Have a Successful Career, Newman Springs Publishing Inc., Red Bank NJ U.S.A., 2019. Author: Prof. Franco C. Grossi
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Las características distintivas del diseño artesanal y el diseño industrial The distinctive features of artisanal design and industrial design “A3MANOS” The Academic Journal of the University of Havana, Cuba, VOL. 9 NÚM. 16 (2022): NO. 16 - ENERO - JUNIO / 2022 (Author: Prof. Franco C. Grossi) Abstract The theme of design is here addressed, understood in its broadest sense, therefore neither only aesthetic nor exclusively technical-productive. The intent is to privilege the point of view of the "design project" and to describe its connotations of implementation both in the craft and in the industrial activity. Then, there is the dichotomy between craftsman and artist, both linked to the anthropic factor of the place and its ‘genius loci’. In other words, there has always been that distinction between arts and crafts, where the latter, typical of craftsmanship, require manual practice like the former, but are aimed above all at the manufacture of objects with intrinsic functionality. The figure of the designer puts an end to this distinction. At last, an enunciation of the distinctive features of "industrial design" is provided. Resumen Aquí se aborda el tema del diseño, entendido en su sentido más amplio, por lo tanto no solo estético ni exclusivamente técnico-productivo. La intención es privilegiar el punto de vista del "proyecto de diseño" y describir sus connotaciones de implementación tanto en la actividad artesanal como industrial. Luego, está la dicotomía entre artesano y artista, ambos vinculados al factor antrópico del lugar y su "genius loci". Es decir, siempre ha existido esa distinción entre artes y oficios, donde los segundos, propios de la artesanía, requieren una práctica
manual como los primeros, pero están dirigidos sobre todo a la fabricación de objetos con funcionalidad intrínseca. La figura del diseñador pone fin a esta distinción. Al final, se proporciona una enunciación de las características distintivas del "diseño industrial". THE ARTISAN DESIGN Before the advent of the industrial revolution, that is, of mass production, the only productive mode for the realization of objects of use, in other words of useful objects, which served for the life of everyday relationship, was only craftsmanship. For example, a whole series of products, even partially mass-produced, which were considered to be of lower aesthetic value than the “pure" Arts, with their consequent categorization into "Manual Arts", belonged to craftsmanship. On the other hand, an artist is still an innovator, who does not repeat past formulas, but who uses the manual practices of the Craftsman. In ancient Greece, aesthetics stood out, in ancient Rome art became celebratory, in the Middle Ages it performed didactic and explanatory functions and in Renaissance developed aesthetic/cognitive values. The Artist identified himself more and more with a Craftsman, Michelangelo was a painter and sculptor, but also a craftsman/architect and so was Leonardo da Vinci. And already in 1919 Walter Gropius, first director of the Bauhaus in Weimar, asserted that "The artist is merely an inspired craftsman". There is, therefore, no qualitative difference between artist and craftsman. The artist is only an "augmented" craftsman. In the Bauhaus teachers were artists, craftsmen and architects and it is precisely by setting up this forge of intent that Gropius asserted: "Let us create a new guild of craftsmen without the class distinctions that raise an arrogant barrier between craftsman and artist". Around the middle of the nineteenth century, then, it was attempted to designate as artistic objects also objects of which an aesthetic value was recognized, despite having been produced with industrial systems (industrial art). Summarizing various definitions, the handicraft work belongs to the person who carries out an activity, both artistic and common, for the production of
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goods and services, organized mainly with the manual work of his own and of the members of the family (or of a number limited number of workers), without the use of machinery for complete production in series, carried out in a shop, in one's home, in the place intended by the client or in the form of an itinerant or stall. Therefore, the artisan activity is by its very nature a work that must be "done with the hands" and this even if there is a partial intervention of the machine. Some works, since ancient times, are carried out with the help of special mechanical equipment, such as the lathe, the drill, the wheel, but it is still the hand of the craftsman that brings the work to completion.
skill in something, field or sector. The term mastery derives from master [lat. Magister], or one who fully knows some discipline, so as to possess it and to be able to teach it to others. Well, the Universe of artifacts is the main reference for the study of the evolution of human culture. Another prerogative of artisanal production, as already mentioned, has always been that of the creation of objects of use, that is, products with a limited aesthetic autonomy, but intended for a specific use, which differentiates their classification from that of "objects of Artistic craftsmanship". THE INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
Figure 1. An artisanal producer of Balalaika (Image taken by the author). What distinguishes the "master craftsman" is mastery, that is, excellent
Industrial design, on the other hand, is oriented towards the production of objects that are independent of functional and/or artistic problems and that are expressly designed for their execution in series with the support of machines. In short, the unsolved relationship and dialogue between art, crafts and industry, between spatial form and productive concreteness, make it necessary to overcome the dichotomy between the artistic value of the artifact and the concrete needs of the productive world. Quite different (from art and crafts) is instead the genesis and function of industrial design, which was born, precisely, in conjunction with the appearance of the Industrial Revolution and which refers to the production of specific objects (and services). From the etymological point of view, if we are going to investigate the genesis of the verb "to design", from which the word "design" originates, we can appreciate the Latin derivation from "signum", sign, with the prefix "de-", therefore, in a wider meaning, "to design", has the meaning of “conceiving a project, an action plan, a purpose, an intention”. In fact, it is precisely the design action that differentiates the artistic executive or ideational design, from that intended for the realization of an industrial product.
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The designer has the task, not only of conceiving the object to be produced, but also that of "engineering it", that is, to make it suitable for mass production, so, he must provide the manufacturer with executive drawings that, as well as product innovation, shall take into account the characteristics of the production process used too. The designer must always be an innovator and this both in regards to the product and in those relating to the production process, guaranteeing greater results or benefits and consequently providing social progress.
Figure 2. The Olivetti P101, known as “Perottina”, the first PC in history, designer Mario Bellini;, year 1965 (Image taken by the author).
According to Joseph Schumpeter, innovation can take place in the following forms: • The introduction of a new good - that is one with which consumers are not yet familiar - or of a new quality of a good (product innovation). • The introduction of a new method of production, that is one not yet tested by experience in the branch of manufacture concerned, which need by no means be founded upon a discovery scientifically new, and can also exist in a new way of handling a commodity commercially (process innovation). Unlike art, which "tries to give shape to a value that escapes into perpetual becoming, but which the artist has foreseen and wants to subtract from history", as Albert Camus asserts, design wants to give shape to things to make them "to live "in a historical and socio-economic context. Thus, with the advent of design, also the panorama of what were called Applied Arts, or Decorative Arts and, moving from a market of "monopoly" to that of competition, also take hold the issues related to Safety and Quality, expressly requested by the consumer. In particular, while the Safety requirements are directly regulated by specific laws, in relation to Quality it is possible to objectively verify only the production process, leaving to usability and pleasantness tests (subjective) the examination of the possible satisfaction by the 'user. In the latter case it will be a new discipline, Ergonomics, that will equip the designer with a formidable "toolbox", that is, that extra "gear" absolutely necessary to be able to compete successfully in the global market, furthermore minimizing the risks relating to the offer. THE DISTINCTIVE CONCEPTS OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN In order to identify a possible gnoseological interpretation of the term "Industrial Design", we would refer to the math concept of "Set", which is considered primitive and intuitive, and for which it can be stated, tautologically, that "a set is composed of elements, which belong to that ". As we can immediately understand, it is not so important to seek a definition of "Set", as to determine whether an element belongs to it or
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not. The difficulty of providing an unambiguous definition of "Industrial Design" as a "Set" can thus be overcome by specifying the characteristics of industrially produced objects and highlighting whether or not they belong to that set. After all, it can be stated that, in order to consider a product as the result of an industrial design, it must meet the following requirements: I. Be "reproducible in series" The design of the industrial product must necessarily provide for its iterability, an indispensable feature for its mass production. Only a seriality study, allows the possibility of reproduction, or iteration in series of the parent model or “standard”.
taken by the author). Therefore, Industrial Design must, first of all, guarantee the design of a standard model, taking into account both the specific requirements that guarantee excellent reproduction fidelity, and the production process itself. This takes place in product engineering, in the design phase and in that of process engineering, in the production phase. II. Be mechanically produced The second requirement of the "industrially" designed object is to be produced exclusively by the machine and, therefore, equipped with special tricks, which allow it to be automatically "treated" by specific equipment. III. Have a certain aesthetic quotient Styling became popular in spoken language especially in conjunction with the American Great Depression of 1929, when in the United States it was necessary to resort to any useful gimmick to overcome the crisis of demand. In other words, it was a question of making products that were now obsolete and no longer available to potential buyers more attractive. Thus, the first studies were born, which set themselves the goal of creating and developing new charms and new elegance for objects, regardless of any real technical and functional motivation. IV. Not necessarily having a practical function The unnecessary disquisition on whether the industrially made object must have, or not, a practical value, absolutely does not affect the essence of an industrial product. It is for this reason that it is not considered necessary any functional component for an object “belonging” to those conceived with the methodologies of industrial design. Indeed, many times useless objects are expressly designed, such as, for example, ornaments, artistic and decorative objects, so as to be made in series
Figure 3. FIAT 500, designer Ing. Dante Giacosa, year 1957 (Image RICOSTRUIRE - YEAR XLV - No. 1-2022 – Page 10
and with the exclusive intervention of machines, which are, to all intents and purposes, to be considered part of this category. Conclusions: We started from the differences elapsing between artist, craftsman and designer and we noticed that the latter is able to summarize the skills of the first two, giving the correct importance to each component of the object to be designed, especially because the final shape of the object designed, both for appeal, for affordance, and for the satisfaction of the fashion of the time, is essential in the purchase decision by the buyer. It should also be noted that, in the third millennium, there has been a shift from mass production to one oriented towards the consumer, who has thus become a “prosumer”, also and above all due to the great persuasive power of social media. Here then, is that the designer will have to try to acknowledge the wishes of potential customers 'a priori' and in this he will have the support of a highly innovative discipline, Ergonomics. Finally, a definition of the characteristics of the object to be industrially produced was provided, punctually connoting its specificities. References: Bayer, H. Gropius, I. and Gropius, W. 1938. Bauhaus 1919-1928. Museum of Modern Art, New York; First Edition (January 1, 1938). ASIN B000NS1QTI. Camus, A. 1951. L'Homme révolté. Essais. Éditions Gallimard, Paris, France. Réimpression de 1985. ISBN 9782070323029. Gregotti, V. 1986. Il disegno del prodotto industriale. Reprint 1998. ISBN 88-435-1209-9. Grossi, F. 2003, Comunicazione ed Ergonomia, i nuovi strumenti di lavoro per l’imprenditore artigiano, dallo “sboom” della New Economy alla condivisione delle risorse. Confartigianato cultura, Pordenone, pages 74-104.
Munari, B. 1971. Artista e Designer. Giuseppe Laterza & Figli Spa, Roma-Bari. Reprint 2008. ISBN 978-88-420-6439-8. Munari, B. 1977. Fantasia. Giuseppe Laterza & Figli Spa, Roma-Bari. Reprint 2005. ISBN 88-420-1197-5. Norberg Schulz, C. 1979. Genius loci. Paesaggio ambiente architettura. Mondadori Electa, Milano. EAN 9788843542635. Pansera, A. 1993. Storia del disegno industriale italiano. Giuseppe Laterza & Figli Spa, Roma-Bari. ISBN 88-420-4316-8. Papanek, V. 2005. Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change, 2ª ed., Academy Chicago Publishers. ISBN 0-89733-1532. Grossi, F. 2003, Comunicazione ed Ergonomia, i nuovi strumenti di lavoro per l’imprenditore artigiano, dallo “sboom” della New Economy alla condivisione delle risorse. Confartigianato cultura, Pordenone, pages 74-104. Munari, B. 1971. Artista e Designer. Giuseppe Laterza & Figli Spa, Roma-Bari. Reprint 2008. ISBN 978-88-420-6439-8. Munari, B. 1977. Fantasia. Giuseppe Laterza & Figli Spa, Roma-Bari. Reprint 2005. ISBN 88-420-1197-5. Norberg Schulz, C. 1979. Genius loci. Paesaggio ambiente architettura. Mondadori Electa, Milano. EAN 9788843542635. Pansera, A. 1993. Storia del disegno industriale italiano. Giuseppe Laterza & Figli Spa, Roma-Bari. ISBN 88-420-4316-8. Papanek, V. 2005. Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change, 2ª ed., Academy Chicago Publishers. ISBN 0-89733-1532.
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Learning a Language by Immersion in Virtual Reality
idioms, as well as the uses and customs relating to that foreign language. The same should happen for young and old, who should interrelate as much as possible with people who speak that language as their mother tongue.
Abstract. The purpose of this work is to investigate which innovative learning methodologies can be used for the study of a foreign language and this to support the training given by the teacher. In particular, it will be a question of using hybrid technologies of "ex cathedra" education for theory and virtual reality for the practice of language. Thus, symbolic-reconstructive learning will return to being of a perceptual-motor type, thanks to virtual reality, which allows the expansion of our extended senses in the global village of McLuhan.
The new technologies of hybrid education
Key words: Hybrid Education, Language Learning, Virtual Reality, Human Communication, Embodiment.
Currently the largest global players in communication and ICT, propose innovations in teaching / learning methodologies, assisted by new ICT technologies and this also from the point of view of the interior design of the classrooms. This, by structuring an "intelligent" classroom, which is networked with other locations, with students who learn at a distance and with external realities. All this is made possible using a remote interactive network system, thus allowing the sharing of teaching resources between different study rooms, different academic campuses and different regional realities. [5]
Premise Around 7.140 known “living” languages [1] have been counted in the world, of which the majority are not even codified in written form [2]. From the point of view of the relational and working advantages of those who speak several languages, there is no need to pause, given their clear evidence. For children, bilingualism has a beneficial effect on their cognitive development. For the elderly, the benefit derives from continuous mental gymnastics, which is stimulated by switching from one language to another [3], increasing their neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity [4], which is implemented through new neuronic interconnections. A foreign language should be learned as soon as possible, possibly in preschool age and this through an "immersive" methodology, as happens in the learning of the mother tongue. In other words, the little learner should be "immersed" in the context of the place where that specific language is spoken, in which the child can experience that environment in an empathic way and appreciating all the sounds, tones,
Figure 1. An example of a hybrid network classroom. The goal is to design an "intelligent" type of teaching, capable of responding to those needs of effectiveness, efficiency and pleasure,
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which are also typical of ergonomic design and which will make teaching easier and more usable. The innovative teaching classrooms, always in the key of "smart & hybrid education", aim to provide an interactive space for educational activities, through the combination of physical space and digital space, and combination of local and remote. In this case, a "contamination" is established between tangible physical space and immaterial digital space, proposing the representation of didactic contents through different intelligent devices, which help to facilitate learning and favor the sharing of contents and group interaction in the classroom. All this is implemented using large interactive touch screens and devices for virtual reality and augmented reality.
rative VR, etc.). A non-immersive virtual reality is about a virtual experience through a computer, with which it is possible to master some characters or activities, but, nevertheless, it is not possible to interact with the surrounding environment [6]. A semi-immersive virtual reality is a blend of non-immersive and fully immersive virtual reality. This often consists of a large concave screen, a projection system and a monitor, or a VR headset box, which is capable of allowing the experience of a 3D space or virtual environment in which you can move [7]. A completely immersive virtual reality, in the other hand, provides a completely immersive virtual technology and guarantees a total experience within the virtual world, in other words an "incarnation", with the technological support of helmets, gloves and body connectors, utilizing sensors for all five senses [8].
Figure 2. Virtual reality and augmented reality. Types of Virtual Reality Virtual reality refers to the generation of a virtual environment that creates a realistic experience but does not exist in reality. Ergonomics comes into play here, whose task is to study the interactions between man, what man realizes and the surrounding environment, then conceiving appropriate interfaces "oriented towards man". These interfaces have also become the subject of specific international standards (ISO, EN, etc.). From the point of view of virtual reality, we can classify the main current technologies as non-immersive, semi-immersive and immersive (there are also other types, such as augmented reality, collabo-
Figure 3. The EADI Lab, of which I was academic director when I was teaching at the University of Trieste in Italy Language education by "immersion" with virtual reality In the introduction I highlighted the fact that the best strategy for learning a language is to "immerse yourself" in the environment in which this [9] idiom is used. This is evident from the personal experiences of the students, who use a foreign language to travel and communicate and are therefore actively involved in the authentic use of the specific language. [10]. However, since travel costs are not always sustainable, the idea is to use virtual reality equipment in which this "immersion" can
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be implemented at low cost. The speculation on virtual reality undertaken in the twentieth century initially evoked fantastic worlds and was the object of attention especially from writers, directors and artists. During the third millennium the sense of this technology has instead consolidated and leads us to a more scientific epistemological position, which arises from the consideration of how the perception of the virtual environment is acquired by the mind through the interface of the extended body. In the perspective of this external-internal passage, the subject implements the so-called "embodiment", that is, he uses the technological artifacts to increase his possibilities of action in the virtual environment, also summarizing the spatial perception with the psychomotor action in this specific area. From full immersion virtual reality, we are completely transported to a virtual place that seems indistinguishable from reality, it's like something out of science fiction novels.
the cognitive system, is perceived thanks to a continuous "mapping", which merges with the interactivity favored by the "affordances" of technological artifacts. One final note concerns the use of chatbots. A Chatbot (audio and video) is a bot (Robot) designed to converse with humans [12]. In other words, Chatbots are computer programs created to simulate human conversations on virtual reality, messaging app, or virtual assistant. In its simplest form, chatbots can be programmed to answer specific and frequently asked questions, providing an easy way to interact with students. Here, then, that with the contribution of virtual reality that allows immersive education, language learning becomes “alive”, since the interaction is implemented, albeit in virtual mode, both with the native interlocutors and with the environment of that place. Conclusions Human communication, understood in its broadest sense as sharing of knowledge by means of a coded symbolic interaction [13], today takes on a new value, thanks to virtual reality, which allows the expansion of our extended senses in the global McLuhanian village. In particular, the learning of a foreign language could be carried out by "immersion", without having to physically transfer to the place where this language is used and this through an "embodiment" facilitated by new technologies for information and communication. The learner will thus be able to interrelate with the natives' avatars through audio and video chatbots integrated in the semi-immersive or immersive virtual reality system. References
Figure 4. Immersive VR, the embodiment and the cybersphere [11] Furthermore, with virtual reality, the model of learning changes, which from symbolic-reconstructive mediated by writing, the press and "old media", returns to being of a perceptive-motor type, borrowing its approach from ethology and developmental psychology, in an anthropocentric vision. The virtual environment, which becomes transparent to
1. Eberhard, D.M., Simons G.F., and Fennig C.D. (Eds.)., Ethnologue: Languages of the World. / Dallas, Texas, USA, SIL International, Twenty-fourth edition 2021, 248 pp. 2. Anderson, S. R., & Anderson., Languages: A very short introduction / London, UK, Oxford University Press 2012, 152 pp.
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3. Bialystok E., Craik Fergus I. M., Luk G., Bilingualism: consequences for mind and brain // Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2012, Volume 16, Issue 4, Pages 240-250 4. Goldberg E., The New Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes in a Complex World / New York, Oxford University Press, 2009, 352 pp. 5. Grossi, F. C., Hybrid Education & Smart Learning, Innovative Teaching in the Post-Coronavirus Era // IV Convention KIU “Digital transformation as a vector for sustainable development, Kazan, Russian Federation, РИНЦ -Russian Science Citation Index, 2020. 6. Pleyers G., Poncin I., Non-immersive virtual reality technologies in real estate: How customer experience drives attitudes toward properties and the service provider // Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services Elsevier, 2020, Volume 57/102175. 7. Jacho L., Sobota B., Korečko Š., Hrozek F., Semi-immersive virtual reality system with support for educational and pedagogical activities // 12th IEEE International Conference on Emerging eLearning Technologies and Applications (ICETA), 2014, Stary Smokovec, Slovakia. 8. Ffiske T. P., The Immersive Reality Revolution: How virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) will revolutionize the world / Independently published, 2020, 141 pp. 9. Cummins J., “Bilingual and Immersion Programs”, in Long M. H., Doughty C. J. The Handbook of Language Teaching / Malden, MA, USA, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009, 824 pp. 10. Ronald C., David N., The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages / Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, 2001, (Chapter 24 - Language learning strategies), pp. 294. 11. Fernades K. J., Raja V., Eyre J., Cybersphere: the fully immersive spherical projection system // Communications of the ACM, 2003, Volume 46, Issue 9, pages 141-146.
12. Batish R., Voicebot and Chatbot Design: Flexible conversational interfaces with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Facebook Messenger / Birmingham, UK, Packt Publishing, 2018, 296 pp. 13. Grossi F. C., Human Communication, Lecture held at the Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering on April 4, 2014, https://www.academia.edu/6654760/GROSSI_Franco_Human_Communication
Introducción a la Ergonomía Aplicada al Diseño Industrial Introduction to Ergonomics Applied to Industrial Design “A3MANOS” The Academic Journal of the University of Havana, Cuba, VOL. 9 NÚM. 18 (2022): JULIO - DICIEMBRE / 2022 (Author: Prof. Franco C. Grossi) Abstract Ergonomics (or Human Factors) is the scientific discipline that deals with the understanding of the interactions between humans, other elements of a system and the environment. The ergonomist applies theories, principles, data and methods of all sciences, with a holistic systemic approach, in order to optimize the design for human well-being and overall system performance. All industrialized nations today refer to Ergonomics as an indispensable "tool" for the design of any product and more than 100 ISO-EN ergonomic standards have been promulgated to which any product and production process must comply. The purpose of Ergonomics is to identify a user-oriented design and, to this end, to provide the designer with guidelines to proceed in compliance
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with the constraints imposed by the physical and psychophysiological characteristics of the human being. Resumen La Ergonomía (o Factores Humanos) es la disciplina científica que se ocupa de la comprensión de las interacciones entre los seres humanos, otros elementos de un sistema y el medio ambiente. El ergonomista aplica teorías, principios, datos y métodos de todas las ciencias, con un enfoque sistémico holístico, con el fin de optimizar el diseño para el bienestar humano y el rendimiento general del sistema. Todas las naciones industrializadas hoy en día se refieren a la Ergonomía como una "herramienta" indispensable para el diseño de cualquier producto y se han promulgado más de 100 normas ergonómicas ISO-EN que deben cumplir cualquier producto y proceso de producción. El objetivo de la Ergonomía es identificar un diseño orientado al usuario y, para ello, proporcionar al diseñador pautas para proceder en el cumplimiento de las limitaciones impuestas por las características físicas y psicofisiológicas del ser humano. Premise This contribution is merely a preliminary treatment and aims to provide the basic elements for a subsequent study of the discipline of Ergonomics. In particular, from a practical point of view, we want to underline the fact that, through the use of methodologies inherent to ergonomic design, we are now able both to anticipate the needs of the user and those relating to the innovation of the process and of the product and both to combine the designer's needs for freedom of expression with those imposed by standards and functional and production constraints. Etymology, Birth and Definition of Ergonomics The noun Ergonomics comes from the ancient Greek “ἔργον“(ergon: work, work, task) and “νόμος” (nomos: use, custom, custom, custom, law, rule, lexical cognate of: “νέμω” (nemo: to govern, way of administering, way of distributing orderly).
So, how to "govern" the work activities. Ergonomics was created to study and enforce a series of rules in the design that protect the life of the worker and increase the efficiency and reliability of man-machine systems in matters of health and well-being. The current objective is to contribute to the design of objects, services, living and working environments, so that they respect human limits and enhance their operational capabilities. Ergonomics is nourished by scientific and technological acquisitions that allow to improve the quality of living conditions, in all daily activities. But let's try to illustrate the path that led, in 1949, to the birth of ergonomics, as a scientific discipline. The Encyclopedia Britannica states that “diseases directly related to occupations were recognized by early Egyptian and Roman physicians. Modern occupational medicine may be said to have started with Bernardino Ramazzini”. In 1700, in fact, Bernardino Ramazzini, professor of medicine at the University of Modena and Padua was the first to deal with problems relating to work and published the text "De Morbis Artificum Diatriba" (dissertation o the diseases of artisans, published in 1713), in which he analyzed and associated about forty diseases with the work duties, especially artisanal ones, of that period. In 1774 William Buchan took care of the uncomfortable job position of craftsmen and tailors and, in 1830, Charles Turner founded Occupational Medicine in England. In 1949, in order to analyze the problems that arose in adapting the equipment and operating speeds of war machines and related industries to human possibilities, K.F.H. Murrell (1908-1984) gathered a group of scholars at Oxford and with them founded the Ergonomics Research Society. Murrell’s new theory referred to the machine as a work tool and to man as the user of this medium, in the context of a man-machine-environment system.
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Each work organization system is therefore made up of a human operator, the means and methods he possesses and uses, all in the environment in which he operates. "Fitting the job to the worker" is the slogan adopted by the same inventor of the term "Ergonomics", K.H.F. Murrell, in total antithesis with the theory of the "Scientific organization of work" expounded in the early 1900s by Frederick Winslow Taylor and Henry Ford, who, on the other hand, wanted to "adapt man to work". Studies in this new branch of science then had a further development with the establishment, in Stockholm in 1959, of the International Association of Ergonomics (EIA). Figure 1. The IEA logo IEA, defines Ergonomics (or Human Factors) as “the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data, and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. The terms Ergonomics and Human Factors are often used interchangeably or as a unit (e.g., human factors and ergonomics – HFE or EHF)”. A Symbol that Connotes Ergonomics This famous representation of the ideal proportions of the human body tries to demonstrate how it can be harmoniously inscribed in the two "perfect" figures of the circle, which symbolizes Heaven, the cosmos, the divine perfection and the square, which symbolizes the Earth, the earthly world.
Figure 2. The drawing taken as a symbol of ergonomics
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From a philosophical point of view, tracing this vision back to Platonic, Aristotelian and Neoplatonic philosophy, man is considered a "mirror of the universe". It is a pen and ink drawing on paper, measuring cm. 34.4 × 24.5, executed in 1490 by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and kept in the Cabinet of Drawings and Prints of the Galleries of the Academy of Venice. It was entitled "the Vitruvian man", or "man as the measure of all things", in which the proportions of the human body are analyzed according to the writings of the Roman architect Vitruvius (Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, ca. 80 b. C.–15 b. C.). Applied Ergonomics Applied Ergonomics deals, in a systemic way, with the methods and specific phases of any project, in order to lead to the anthropocentric realization of an optimal adaptation of the system "man, what man builds and the surrounding environment" to the capabilities and psychophysiological limits of the human being, through the study of specific interfaces. Moving from artisanal production, which is mainly expressed in the limited production of objects of use, to industrial production, which is instead oriented towards mass production, other problems arise. First of all, it can be said that, in order to consider an object as the result of an industrial design, in addition to having the intrinsic characteristics of safety and quality, it must possess the requisites to be "reproducible in series", to be "produced exclusively with factory systems", to "have a certain aesthetic quotient "and" not necessarily to have a practical function". Furthermore, to stand out from the "mass", an object must have an aesthetic factor, which is the operational basis for the work of a "designer", then it must be expressly conceived for mass production and therefore must be the subject of product engineering and of process. Moving from an essentially monopolistic market, such as that of craftsmanship, to that of competition, up to the global market, the canons of design must be radically revisited. First of all, it is a question of responding to the needs of safety and quality, expressly requested by consumers.
Figure 3. Maslow's pyramid Safety The concept of safety, positioned in second place in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, after that of physiological needs, is of an ancestral nature, belongs to our "reptilian" brain and has always been linked to our instinct for fear of survival. In more recent times, further issues are being developed regarding safety in the workplace, safety in communications and Information Technology, environmental and national safety and so on, continuously fueled by the development of the "risk society". Even for production and service companies, the issues relating to safety are today extremely topical and relevant, especially for national and international legislative interventions, aimed at regulating sectors that until a few years ago were left to the almost total discretion of the parties. Quality As regards Quality, the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) defines it as "The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs”, in other words the set of intrinsic properties and characteristics of a product or service, that allows to satisfy declared or implicit needs, with full customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the quality of a good or a service is the perception that a customer has of it. The needs regarding
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Quality arose at the beginning of the 1900s, coinciding with the birth of industrial mass production, as competition and growing competitiveness led companies to place on the market products suitable to meet the needs of consumers. Initially, the operating mechanism was identified in "testing", which was able to allow the differentiation between valid products and allow the rejection of unsuitable ones. Subsequently, control techniques were used to be carried out during the production process but without real planning of the acceptance tests. In the year 1920 the Western Electric Company created a Quality Department to resolve telephone exchange failures. The birth of total quality in the world was in direct response to a quality revolution in Japan following World War II, as major Japanese manufacturers converted from producing military goods for internal use to producing civilian goods for trade. It was therefore the Japanese who made it a pillar of their post-war industrial revival and, at the end of the 1960s, they presented their model under the name of “Company Wide Quality Control”. Today, the ISO 9000 standards are in force for the certification of the quality process. The Ergonomic Approach We have seen that, in order to effectively implement the ergonomic approach, safety and quality requirements must first be met. Then we need to think about the fact that, today, the consumer wants to contribute to the project, wanting to buy a product with some characteristics expressly made for him. For this purpose, the term "prosumer" was coined, composed of the English words producer (producer) and consumer (consumer). Finally, in the global market, it is necessary to subject design to the canons of modern social media stakeholders, called "influencers", or people who are able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting it on social media. The ergonomic approach, being essentially methodological, lends itself to being applied in a wide range of human activities.
As regards the areas of expertise of Applied Ergonomics, a first subdivision into three typologies can be attempted, which have undergone an important anthropocentric evolution over time: the Biomedical Area, the Polytechnic Area and the Psychosocial and of the Organizations Area. Typologies and Principles of Ergonomics From a typological point of view, the ergonomic intervention can be classified as of conception or of correction. The ergonomic conception intervention is characterized by the fact that it is programmed in the phase prior to the project and therefore tends to minimize design errors. The ergonomic correction intervention, on the other hand, is characterized by the fact that it takes place on existing products and processes, allowing for limited and increasingly more expensive modifications than the previous one. Among the fundamental principles on which the ergonomic project is based we include: anthropocentrism, i.e. the man at the center of the project and the technique at his service; global approach, implemented through interdisciplinarity, since it makes use of the contribution of all scientific and humanistic disciplines; group activity, since the project is the result of the contribution of all the participants; participation, as sharing with all interested parties as well as with direct and indirect users is essential; breadth of application, because the principles of ergonomics can be extended from design, to production, to the organization of work, to the production process, up to the final product; advantages for the company, since the company that makes use of the contribution of Ergonomics can obtain more competitive production costs and a higher quality and innovation of the product and the production process. Axiom It is important to point out that the ergonomic quality of an industrial product (or process) is an attribute concerning the use of the product and not an attribute of the product itself.
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In fact, based on the principles of Ergonomics, the ergonomic quality of an industrially produced object does not exist, but instead, we can speak of the ergonomic quality of the use of an object by a well-defined set of users for a specific use and in a certain environment. Let's take a chair for example. We can verify its ergonomic quality, based on its use, will be different related to the user (i.e., a child, an elderly person, an obese person, etc.), to its specific use (i.e., a chair for bars, dentists, cars, aircraft, etc.) and inside the environment in which it is used (i.e., a restaurant, on the beach, on the snow, etc.). Ergonomics and Human Limits Since ergonomic design always has anthropocentric characteristics, designers must take into account three aspects of the user before considering the creation of a product, system or service and this is what the user can do (basic skills and competences), what the user cannot do (limits) and what will the user want to do (what will he be motivated to do). It is also necessary to be aware that man has impassable limits, which can be divided into three categories: 1. Sensory limits, for which it is necessary to quantify the threshold limits of the five senses, qualify and quantify the sensory deficiencies and analyze the consequent performance.
Figure 4. Data representing the height of a population of high school students in the Gaussian bell-shaped curve.
2. Physical limits, divided into static and dynamic anthropometric ones, as well as limits of satisfaction also by disadvantaged users. As regards the anthropometric limits, it is necessary to identify the "limit users", that is all the individuals who have one or more anthropometric characteristics that can be placed at the extremes of the Gaussian curve, where, depending on the design problem, we must consider the frequency with which data relating to the measurements and physical capabilities of the human body are presented. This makes it possible to identify the thresholds below or above which it is impossible or impracticable to respond to user needs and to define the thresholds within which the solutions adopted guarantee adequate levels of accessibility and safety. 3. Cognitive limits, which are the most difficult to identify and are associated with cognitive processes. The most interesting from an ergonomic point of view are the threshold limits, response times and relative accuracy. The Ergonomic Project The ergonomic project uses a methodology capable of evaluating the needs of users a priori and this by "extracting" a significant sample of users, using the typical systems of inferential statistics and administering the tests to them. In fact, it would be almost impossible to administer tests to the entire universe of users. But let's get to the "toolbox" available to the ergonomist. The main evaluation method concerns the so-called “Usability” which is a quality attribute that evaluates the ease of use of the user interfaces. The ISO defines usability as " the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use". This definition derives from ISO 9241 Part. 11: Usability Guide, to be used in its broadest sense and in all contexts. The word "usability" also refers to methods of improving ease of use during the design process. The ISO standard shows that products have inherent
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usability and that usability is determined by the characteristics of the user, the tasks they perform and the environment in which they are performed. The ergonomist can then use the following tools to measure the usability of a product (or system, or service): • effectiveness measures (objective), i.e., relating to the accuracy and completeness with which specific users reach the set objectives; • efficiency measures (objective), concerning the number of resources committed in relation to the accuracy and completeness with which the specific users reach the set objectives; • satisfaction measures (subjective), which are identified in the assessment of the comfort and acceptability of use by the user. Ergonomics for a Circular Economy Another important aspect of Ergonomics is its close relationship with Design for Sustainability, which is expressed through the evaluation of the product life cycle. Unlike the "linear" model, in which a product is placed on the market and then eliminated at "end of life", in the circular model, on the other hand, starting from the design phase of the product, its restoration, or that of the materials of which is established, for the purpose of its replacing on the market. In other words, the product life cycle in the circular model is traceable to the life cycle of nature and, also in this case, the end for one product represents the beginning of a new cycle for another. The ergonomic design is therefore carried out in a sustainable and circular key of the product, considering its durability, the modular and decomposable parts, the biodegradability, replacing virgin raw materials with recyclable raw materials and biomaterials, up to the management of production waste and subsequently to analysis of return flows of returns and products at the end of their life, up to providing solutions for their final management. Conclusions
In this brief description of Ergonomics Applied to Industrial Design, we wanted to give some indications on this design method, its peculiarities and the need for its use, also to comply with the dictates of the ISO standards. We have seen that this discipline is very complex, because it involves a systemic intervention of a holistic type in compliance with the principles of interdisciplinarity, participation and globality. Finally, to illustrate its advantages, let us consider two cases according to whether or not the principles of this discipline are used. Without the ergonomic design, the company produces a product or service and launches it on the market. There is a risk of non-acquisition by the user, as well as that of recall for manufacturing defects, safety and design quality. The ergonomic design, on the other hand, provides the right tools for testing objections and marketing issues in advance. The final result will be a document with specific prescriptions and guidelines for the designer, who at this point will have real indications on his work, with very few possibilities of making mistakes and all with a real economic saving of time and costs by the production company. References A list of 111 ISO/EN/UNI Standards regarding Ergonomics. Published by “Società Italiana di Ergonomia e Fattori Umani”, Milano, Italy. http://www.societadiergonomia.it/approfondimento_norme/#norme Alexander, D. and Rabourn, R. 2020. Applied Ergonomics. CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA. ISBN 978-03-674-5523-1. Arellano, J. L. H., Macías A. A. M., Martínez J. A. C. and Coronado P. P. 2018. Handbook of Research on Ergonomics and Product Design. Engineering Science Reference, an imprint of IGI Global, Hershey, Usa. ISBN 978-15-225-5234-5. Bandini Buti, L. 2001. Ergonomia e prodotto, Il Sole 24 Ore, Milano, Italy. ISBN 978-88-324-4433-X.
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Grossi, F. C. 2006. L’imprenditore artigiano nella società digitale, dal modello socioeconomico post-industriale all’artigianato del “villaggio globale”. CNA Cultura, Udine, Italy. Grossi, F. C. 2022. The Distinctive Features of Artisanal Design and Industrial Design. A3manos, Revista de la Universidad Cubana de Diseño, Universidad de la Habana, Cuba, n. 16 enero - junio 2022. Pages 13-16. ISSN 2412-5105.
Indeed, there is a great elective similarity to this movement. Even in our age, in fact, as then, there is a great evolution in the world of art and culture, determined by globalization, wars, but above all else by the new information and communication technologies, which contribute to eliminating the factors of "space-time".
Harrison, J. S., Barney, J. B, Freeman ,R. E. and Phillips, R. A. 2019. The Cambridge Handbook od Stakeholder Theory, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. ISBN 978-11-081-2349-5. Meister, D. and Enderwick T. P. 2001. Human Factors in System Design, Development, and Testing. CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA. ISBN 978-08-058-3206-8. Norman, D. A. 1988. The Design of Everyday Things. Basic Books, New York, USA, ISBN 978-0-465-06710-7. Salvendy G. and Karwowski W. 2021. Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics, Fifth Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, USA. ISBN 978-11-196-3608-3. Stanton, N. A., Young M. S. and Harvey C. 2017. Guide to Methodology in Ergonomics: Designing for Human Use, Second Edition. CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA, ISBN 978-11-384-3472-1.
Toyism, pure expressive art of free imagination The "Toyism" movement is a typical expression of the visual arts, so called, as they are perceived mainly through the sense of sight. In particular, in my opinion, this movement of free expression can be traced back to the revolution of the arts launched by Futurism, born in Italy at the beginning of the twentieth century. RICOSTRUIRE - YEAR XLV - No. 1-2022 – Page 22
Figure 1- Girlfriends
Figure 2. De Stip - Live with energy situata at Dordsestraat in the town of Emmen (Nederland)
Other references are found in Indian mandalas, in murals in Cuba, in the album covers of the "Beatles in India". In short, it is an innovative art form, which could be defined as shamanic; since, with the images, a real ritual, a spiritual practice, is created through the emotion of the observer. In this case Toyism turns out to be a real "interface" between man and the metaphysician, which materialises, gives substance, reveals and celebrates the invisible. The visual sensation, mediated by the attention to aesthetics, leads to an abstract perception, which feeds pleasure, fun and "play". On another hand, Toyism represents a synthesis of globalization in the visual arts, as it is independent of the artist's location and his socio-cultural origins.
Figure 3 - Life's Intrinsic
In 1935 Kurt Koffka, Gestalt (shape, figure) psychologist, thus defined the goal of the psychology of perception "to explain why do things appear as they do". Hence, visual perception is not completely resolved by RICOSTRUIRE - YEAR XLV - No. 1-2022 – Page 23
the images collected by the eyes. Indeed, identical stimuli sometimes produce different perceptions. In perception, the culture, the environment and the experiences of the individual are decisive, also because perception is not an immediate process, but leads to the interpretation of signs, to which a meaning is attributed.
translates into a mode of communication full of "free associations", without any logical connection, in which reasoning shifts from one idea to another; making a reliable reconstruction of the reasoning almost impossible. Bruno Munari stated that children explore the world through drawing; they are used to imagining, fantasising and being creative with elastic thinking, before being trapped by experience and knowledge. Thus, an anonymous artist becomes a child again to ignore the constraints of the mind. This is the great magic of Toyism, by representing the world with the innocent gaze of children. (Author: Franco Claudio Grossi)
Figure 4 - Nature Goes Crazy
Koffka also argued that regularity, symmetry, cohesion, and maximum simplicity allow us to better perceive the structure of an element of reality. Our perceptive system, when faced with a set of objects, tends to focus on the enclosed shapes and designs. In mathematics Euler Venn graphically represented sets by means of closed lines. The outlines belong to the figures and define their shape, this is the value of the Toyist representations, which are enclosed by well-defined contours. Jean Piaget explained that, since the age of 2-3, children are able to use symbols. This Figure 5 - The Cat who Saw the World.
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