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Reports, documents, information...
  1. Applied psychology, human factors, and ergonomics
    1. Do displays in museums and historic sites speak or are they mute? A coast-to-coast study of period rooms and historic sites for Parks Canada led to these conclusions. 11pp.
    2. Energy conservation based on feedback is one of the great ideas from psychology. The power utility of Portland, Oregon, tried an experiment with this technology. 30pp.
    3. What's the best way to present weather information? This large study with a national sample investigates how people understand public weather forecasts. Sadly, the "wind chill" concept, among our recommendations, has been widely abused. 37pp.
    4. This is the Jitter Factors List. Got a new device, system, program, vehicle, food.... Wondering if your new users and customers will be jittery about trying it? Have a peek at how people reckon risk, that is perceived or subjective risk. 2pp.

  2. Communications, electronic and otherwise
    1. Telidon and similar graphics-oriented transmission systems were the forerunner of the Internet. About 25 years ago, we conducted a mammoth evaluation of the usability of these systems and found the human problems also were the forerunners of the Internet problems. 10pp.

  3. Safety and survival
    1. Arctic survival for sailors, a cold test of survival gear during February on Resolute Bay. 15pp.
    2. High-voltage powerline maintainers have a culture that leads to risky behaviour. 25pp.
    3. Nuclear safety and building construction defects(report to a commision on nuclear safety, 15 pp.) So I said to my client, "We ought to have a control group of buildings that have zero defects... like nuclear power plants." Funny thing, we were delighted to find that general construction buildings had no more defects than nuclear power plants. And that's also the bad news, eh.  A better formatted but condensed version of the original National Research Council report is also available, 6 pp.
    4. "Pre-literate" kids need to understand signs and warnings on high-voltage locations. Kids were tested for their understanding of the warning. 12pp.
    5. Stair accidents. This is a summary of one of the largest studies ever conducted into the causes of accidents in private, public, and commercial spaces. The causes of falls are explained. 6pp.


  4. Transportation and accessibility
    1. Airplane passenger safety briefings. This study greatly improved the ability of people to understand and remember safety briefing instructions. Also, briefings were made better for people with disabilities. 62pp.
    2. An accessible train station. The features that make a train station accessible are outlined. 35pp.
    3. Bicycle route guidance and tests of signage. We showed that young bicyclists as well as experienced licensed drivers confuse a significant percentage of traffic safety signs and graphic symbols. The study was designed to formulate guidelines, including devices and systems, for the operation and design of bicycle facilities. This study was selected at best study of 1998 by the ITE. 26pp.
    4. Bus design for transit should be based on the wishes of customers. We conducted focus groups across the country. 65pp.
    5. Can blind pedestrians benefit from spoken orientation directions in public places? This report addresses that question. 29pp.
    6. Car pooling. ride sharing, and hitch-hiking. What are the factors that lead to setting up a car pool and to the longevity of it? Also, hitch-hiking, a special case of ad hoc car pooling is tested. This is a Transportation Research Board paper. 9pp.
    7. Inter-city bus travel accessibility. This is a presentation for the Transportation Research Board of a major study to enlarge bus travel access for riders with hearing, vision, and cognition impairments. 12pp.
    8. Pedestrian movement. As the biggest pedestrian event ever held in Canada, about a million guests attended the mass conducted by Pope John Paul II as part of World Youth Day. 12pp.
    9. Smart vehicle and highway systems can benefit elderly and disabled drivers. Drivers were interviewed for Transport Canada and several presentations were made. 45pp.

All our past reports are archived in our library. Not all reports can be shared with all parties but many can be. If you have seen another report referenced, we may be able to print, duplicate or scan it for you and at a nominal cost.


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