Legislation/Technical Updates
Improving the usability of building controls
Supported by the Building Controls Industry Association, the Usable Buildings Trust and BSRIA
Usability, or the lack of it, never quite makes the top of the list of horrors reported by occupants of modern buildings. Discomfort, lack of personal control, too much noise and distraction, too little natural light and too much electric lighting with excess glare usually come higher.
When occupants of buildings reach a threshold of discomfort - whether they are too cold, too hot, sitting in draughts or blinded by glare - they will try alleviate their discomfort by using whatever form of control they have to hand. The simplest forms of control understood by most people are windows, blinds and various forms of switches to operate mechanical and electrical systems.
In the workplace particularly, such controls have reached a level of complexity and sophistication that are challenging the comprehension of the average building occupier. Controls may be complicated to use, may display a level of operational information beyond the user's need, or simply be ambiguous in what they do. The link between the operation of a controller and its response may be unclear, possibly inappropriate (too much or too little of what is needed) or it may take too long to respond. It may not even tell the occupier that anything has changed.
The complexity of modern building services also tends towards decisions on ventilation and lighting being removed from the occupier and placed under the control of a building management system, itself controlled by a facilities manager. Occupiers have limited control over their immediate environment, leading to irritation, dissatisfaction, estrangement from the building, harm to health and loss of productivity. In the worse cases frustration with controls can lead to misuse, breakdown, tampering and vandalism.
Project plan
This 12-month Carbon Trust-funded project seeks to produce best practice guidance and training material for manufacturers of controls. The aim is to improve the design and usability of controls, particularly controls provided for occupants of buildings. Building services designers and architects will also be targeted to improve the specifications for controls systems in ways that highlight usability as well as functionality.
The project will involve a survey of building users to highlight areas for improvement in design of controls. The on-line survey can be accessed using the link below. We are seeking responses from ordinary users of buildings, particularly those who work in buildings that rely on occupants to control lighting, heating and ventilation.
www.bsria.co.uk/content/usable_controls
« Back
Supported by the Building Controls Industry Association, the Usable Buildings Trust and BSRIA
Usability, or the lack of it, never quite makes the top of the list of horrors reported by occupants of modern buildings. Discomfort, lack of personal control, too much noise and distraction, too little natural light and too much electric lighting with excess glare usually come higher.
When occupants of buildings reach a threshold of discomfort - whether they are too cold, too hot, sitting in draughts or blinded by glare - they will try alleviate their discomfort by using whatever form of control they have to hand. The simplest forms of control understood by most people are windows, blinds and various forms of switches to operate mechanical and electrical systems.
In the workplace particularly, such controls have reached a level of complexity and sophistication that are challenging the comprehension of the average building occupier. Controls may be complicated to use, may display a level of operational information beyond the user's need, or simply be ambiguous in what they do. The link between the operation of a controller and its response may be unclear, possibly inappropriate (too much or too little of what is needed) or it may take too long to respond. It may not even tell the occupier that anything has changed.
The complexity of modern building services also tends towards decisions on ventilation and lighting being removed from the occupier and placed under the control of a building management system, itself controlled by a facilities manager. Occupiers have limited control over their immediate environment, leading to irritation, dissatisfaction, estrangement from the building, harm to health and loss of productivity. In the worse cases frustration with controls can lead to misuse, breakdown, tampering and vandalism.
Project plan
This 12-month Carbon Trust-funded project seeks to produce best practice guidance and training material for manufacturers of controls. The aim is to improve the design and usability of controls, particularly controls provided for occupants of buildings. Building services designers and architects will also be targeted to improve the specifications for controls systems in ways that highlight usability as well as functionality.
The project will involve a survey of building users to highlight areas for improvement in design of controls. The on-line survey can be accessed using the link below. We are seeking responses from ordinary users of buildings, particularly those who work in buildings that rely on occupants to control lighting, heating and ventilation.
www.bsria.co.uk/content/usable_controls
« Back
Other Updates: