Ergonoomia

Ergonoomia is a term used in design theory and organizational studies to describe a framework for organizing work systems in accord with human capabilities and limits. Derived from the Greek ergon, "work," and nomia, "governing principles," the term signals an approach that treats work as a governed system rather than a collection of isolated tasks.

Overview: It emphasizes designing tasks, tools, and environments to align with human cognitive and physical capacities, as well as social and organizational constraints. Core concerns include task decomposition, interface design, workload management, safety, and well-being, with an emphasis on usability, reliability, and resilience.

Methods and status: Practitioners use task analysis, ethnographic observation, cooperative design, simulation, and iterative prototyping to evaluate and improve work systems. In research, Ergonoomia is often positioned as a bridge between ergonomics, cognitive engineering, and systems design.

Applications and criticism: It finds application in product development, software interfaces, industrial operations, and organizational policy, aiming to enhance safety, productivity, and employee satisfaction. Critics caution that the term can become vague without clear metrics and contextual definitions.

See also: Ergonomics, Human factors, Systems engineering, Usability engineering.