On psychological data collection methods

-Temperature: Heating conditions in work and leisure, comfort zones e.g. car interior heating systems.

-Sound: Efficiency in exhaust systems for sound deadening (cars). ’Walkman’ – volume ranges for comfort and sound quality (also ‘passive’ listeners). Effect on concentration levels (e.g. machinery noise – safety issues).

-Light: Lighting in workplaces, safety. E.g. effects of florescent lighting and rotating parts on machinery (i.e. strobe effect). Lighting effect on ambience and mood e.g. lighting in restaurants – gentle, calming, stimulating.

-Texture: Appreciation of textile qualities and their applications in design situations. e.g. smoothness of kitchen work surfaces for reasons of hygiene, tiles around a swimming pool (i.e. roughened surface to prevent slipping when wet).

-Colour: Effects on emotions. e.g. sense of ‘warmth’ and ‘coldness’ i.e. ‘warm’ red/orange/yellow, ‘cool’ violet/green/blue. The use and application of such knowledge in the designed environment. e.g. decoration, symbols, artefacts. Colour association used in design: red- danger/stop/beware; green – go/safety; white –cleanliness. (Imagine trying to sell brown nappies or black washing powder!). Also the importance of various colours in certain religions or cultures may be a factor.

-Smell/ Taste: Aroma dispensers to provide an expected smell (e.g. fresh bread, coffee odours in supermarkets) or to mask other odours e.g. cigarette smoke in bars.

-Comfort: What is comfortable for one person may be less comfortable for another.

-Humidity: Individuals can cope/manage different degrees of humidity. Dependent on their acclimatisation, culture, geographical up bringing. Each individual is different.

Effect of environmental factors Environmental factors include, sound, temperature, lighting, air quality (pollutants) and smell. The user responds to different environmental factors, for example, how warm or cold work environments can affect the performance of an individual. Thermal comfort describes a person’s psychological state of mind and involves a range of environmental factors: air temperature, the heat radiating from the Sun, fires and other heat sources, air velocity (still air makes people feel stuffy, moving air increases heat loss), humidity, and personal factors (clothing and metabolic rate). Hopefully in an office environment where a number of people work together, the thermal environment satisfies the majority of the people. Thermal comfort is not measured by air temperature, but by the number of people complaining of thermal discomfort. Thermal comfort affects morale and productivity. ​ Environmental factors can affect different individuals in different ways. Individuals react differently to sensory stimuli. Efficiency and comfort are affected by such factors. It becomes important to optimize environmental factors to maximize workplace performance. This can be challenging as user responses to environmental factors are different, some people will find 22 c perfect while for other it may to be cold!