Identifying the task variables that influence perceived object assembly complexity
- 15 July 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Ergonomics
- Vol. 47 (9), 945-964
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00140130410001686339
Abstract
There is a general lack of understanding as to what issues affect assembly task performance when using diagrammatic instructions because few of the task variables contributing to assembly complexity have been identified. Using a task analysis of a range of self-assembly products, seven task variables hypothesized to predict assembly complexity were identified and studied in the instruction comprehension phase of assembly. Experiment 1 took nine real world assembly instructions and described each in terms of the seven task variables. Seventy-two participants gave a subjective rating of assembly difficulty for each assembly, showing a clear relationship between the task variables and perceived assembly difficulty. As real world assemblies provide little control a second experiment used an orthogonal design to systematically vary the values of each of the assembly task variables in 16 abstract assemblies. Forty-two participants compared the 16 assembly instructions to a final assembly. There was a clear relationship between the task variables and the time taken to view the instructions. Further, it was found that it is possible to predict the complexity of assembly tasks based upon the levels of the task variables identified. The task variables identified are a significant step towards identifying the factors that influence assembly complexity, together with providing progress towards a tool for predicting assembly complexity.Keywords
This publication has 12 references indexed in Scilit:
- Designing effective step-by-step assembly instructionsPublished by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,2003
- Structuring information interfaces for procedural learning.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 2003
- The Integrity of Web-Delivered Experiments: Can You Trust the Data?Psychological Science, 2000
- Cognitive Load and Assembly Tasks: effect of instructional formats on learning assembly proceduresEducational Psychology, 1997
- Understanding instructions.Journal of Educational Psychology, 1996
- A cognitive perspective on manual assemblyErgonomics, 1996
- The effects of grouping parts of ready‐to‐assemble products on assembly time: an experimental studyInternational Journal of Operations & Production Management, 1995
- Effect of product structure on manual assembly performanceInternational Journal of Human Factors in Manufacturing, 1995
- Individual differences in mental animation during mechanical reasoningMemory & Cognition, 1994
- Constructing Mental Models of Machines from Text and DiagramsJournal of Memory and Language, 1993