An Ergonomic Approach for Optimized Layout of Training Ship’s Bridge

Abstract

To propose an ergonomic layout on the bridge, this study conducted a usability evaluation on the on-bridge navigational equipment of a college training ship that is in use at present. Through the usability evaluation on the training ship navigators, the possibility of operational errors with navigational equipment, the possibility of readout errors with display devices and even the effect of navigational equipment on navigation were evaluated beyond the scope of existing layouts, which adopt only the importance and usage frequency of navigational equipment. By taking ergonomic variables into consideration, this study suggested an optimized layout for on-bridge navigational equipment using a mathematical programming model.