- Author
-
Rubin, A. I.
- Title
- Automated Office: An Environment for Productive Work, or an Information Factory? A Report on the State-of-the-Art.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Sponsor
- General Services Administration, Washington, DC
- Report
-
NBSIR 83-2784-1
November 1983
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
office buildings; environments; design; human factors engineering; acoustics; illuminating; comfort; job analysis; quality of life; automation
|
ergonomics
- Abstract
- The study is a report of research findings and recommendations covering topic which influence automated office design. The subjects covered are: office design, office information systems, organizational factors, ergonomics, technology, and communications. Advances in technology, coupled with the explosive growth of office-based work have resulted in the automation of many offices. To date, technology has provided the major impetus for automation, with mixed results. Systems frequently do not meet the needs of the end-user because of the lack of appropriate planning. Design issues are particularly neglected during planning, resulting in problems with the visual, thermal, and acoustic environment in many offices. These effects are particularly detrimental since many office automation, management, and design experts agree that the quality of the environment is especially important in the electronic office - to offset the impersonality of many office tasks, and changes in work procedures resulting in limited social interaction with colleagues. These issues are discussed as they relate to the development of design guidelines and criteria for automated offices. The report contains an extensive bibliography, dealing with the topics cited above.