Design in extreme environments must be functional, reduce risks, and promote wellbeing.These topics were discussed in a seminar hosted by the University of Bologna, within a project aimed at developing space modules, in collaboration with Deep Blue, specialists in Human Centred Design.
What similarities exist between an astronaut and a Concordia Station researcher in Antarctica? Both face significant stress due to personal and shared responsibilities, the knowledge of the potential risks from operational errors, and the hostility of the environments in which they live and work. These environments are devoid of “escape routes”: spacewalks are neither a relaxing nor routine activity (they are risky and require months of preparation); on the other hand, stepping out to stretch one’s legs in temperatures of 50 to 80 degrees Celsius below zero while breathing ice crystals is far from a pleasant experience.
In these contexts, the design of interior spaces, whether in extraterrestrial living modules or polar research stations, is crucial for enhancing safety and psychological well-being: from an aesthetic element, design becomes a means to reduce risks and stress.
This was discussed in the seminar “Living on the Edge,” organised by the University of Bologna as part of the Beyond the Space Life project. Digital Living Lab for Human Life in Space by MICS (Made in Italy Circular and Sustainable).
The MICS project is an interdisciplinary research effort aimed at designing space habitats with a human-centred approach, focusing on the individuals’ needs, wellbeing, and experience (comprising physical, sensory, and perceptual interactions). Deep Blue has been collaborating with the University of Bologna to develop new methodologies and best practices for incorporating Human Factors into the design and development cycle of space modules. Indeed, Human Centred Design has proven highly effective at reducing both operational and strategic risks, as well as stress in complex contexts, like those beyond Earth. Angela Donati, Psychologist and Consultant at Deep Blue, and Simona Turco, Engineer and Corporate Development Manager at Deep Blue, discussed stress and user-centred design in extreme and high-risk environments during the seminar.
What Stress Is, Its Effects, and How to Counter It
From a biological standpoint, stress is the body’s response to cognitive, emotional, social, or physical stimuli perceived as excessive or due to prolonged exposure. This is an adaptive process, yet it cannot be sustained for long as it affects both psychophysical well-being and, in high-risk environments like space, safety as well. “On the International Space Station, astronauts face prolonged stress from lack of sleep, disrupted daily rhythms (they see the sunrise every 90 minutes!), and microgravity, which can impair health, decision-making capabilities, and emotional regulation, impacting individual well-being and interpersonal relations,” explained Donati. This comes with a significant side effect: the personal safety of the entire crew. “Perception and response to stress vary individually and can be trained, particularly to enhance the management of unexpected events (Deep Blue collaborates with the European Space Agency on training new astronauts with a course specifically dedicated to stress management, communication, and collaborative skills). In general, specific tools and strategies are being developed to reduce it. For example, using technology to enhance well-being (such as augmented reality visors that simulate natural environments to enhance the enjoyment of activities such as meditation or physical exercise), and designing spaces and systems to make interactions easier, more effective, pleasant and safe. How is this achieved? By starting with the identification of the users’ requirements and needs. This approach embodies Human Centred Design.
The “Beyond the Space Life” Project
When applied to the design of a physical environment, user-centred design addresses needs that vary from context to context and are shaped by the characteristics of the characteristics of each setting. As Chiara Montanari, an engineer with decades of experience managing polar missions (and the first Italian woman to lead one), points out, making a stay in a cramped environment like the Concordia research station more functional and pleasant can be as simple as choosing soothing colours and warm, intimate materials like wood; adopting a flexible, modular design; and planning spaces for individual use.
And for an astronaut? How can the design of a space module help to manage the workload and stress of long-duration missions such as those planned for the Moon or Mars? As part of the Beyond the Space Life project – thus the design of the interiors of space habitation modules – Deep Blue with its high experience in Human Factors will focus on characterising personas and their needs, as well as validating the design of the spaces with an associated ergonomic validation. “The ergonomic and cognitive optimisation studies of space module interiors are aimed at supporting the design of habitation modules to be used in future lunar missions, starting with those currently under development at Thales Alenia Space, an industrial partner of MICS: HALO, I-HAB and ESPRIT,” explains Simona Turco. Indeed, the ambitious Artemis programme (a collaboration between NASA and international partners, including the European and Italian space agencies) plans to build the Lunar Gateway, a cislunar station from which missions to explore and colonise the Moon will be launched. The habitation modules will be part of this station.
Human Centred Design
Simona Turco elaborated on the topic of Human-Centred Design of complex systems – characterised by a high level of technology – and in high-risk environments such as space or polar regions, where a mistake could be life-threatening. First and foremost, she highlighted the value of the user-centred approach, which stands out in terms of safety (both personal and environmental) and usability because it considers the operator’s interaction with the system from the very beginning of the design. In this way, there’s no risk of producing a technology to which the end user has to adapt, as has happened in the past and still happens today. The principle is simple: you shouldn’t have to learn how to use the button, but the button should be designed so that you can use it easily, efficiently and safely.
Traditionally, technological innovation and the design and development of new technologies have been framed within a measurement scale that assesses their maturity, i.e. whether and to what extent they are ready for use in real operational environments. This scale called the Technology Readiness Level or TRL, was developed by NASA and is divided into nine levels, each representing a specific stage of technology development: from concept to full implementation. “TRLs allow for iterative application in design at different levels and ultimately help reduce the risk associated with technology readiness,” Turco explains. In recent decades, the Human Readiness Level or HRL scale has been introduced in the military, industrial and space sectors to assess how ‘ready’ technology is to be adopted and used effectively and safely by users.
Human Centred Design and Human Readiness Level are two different but interconnected concepts. Adopting a human-centred approach indeed allows for a swift climb up the HRL scale: the more a system is designed ‘around’ the user, the faster its adoption and the greater the reduction in risks associated with operator interaction.
Human-automation interaction follows well-defined rules/principles,” continues Turco, referring to international standards such as ISO 9241, which provides guidelines for the ergonomics of human-automation interaction, and ISO 26800, which provides high-level guidelines for the ergonomic design of environments, products and systems, focusing on the well-being and safety of users. These guidelines provide broad principles to be applied within the specific context of use: the effort is to derive detailed requirements to be incorporated into the design.
In order to effectively apply and implement these standards within a specific project, both technical and organisational aspects need to be considered. The right methods must be used to define the indicators that are useful for validating the system. “If I cannot test my system and say that the test was successful based on something measurable, then I have effectively missed my target,” Turco points out. Therefore, in addition to defining objectives and methods, it is also important to define the necessary skills. For example, if I am developing a system for a submarine commander, I must first consider whether he has the skills and training to use the new system or whether it needs to be introduced. In other words, it’s fine to look at the technical management aspects of the project, but you also have to look at the organisational culture to see if it’s evolving with the technology.
To support the implementation of Human Centred Design principles, Deep Blue has contributed to the development of the Human Factors CoMPaSS tool as part of the European Safemode project for the integration of Human Factors into risk management in the aviation and maritime sectors (as discussed here). This is essentially a ‘compass’ that helps to define the best method to use, when to use it, who to involve and in what order, based on the objectives to be achieved (be it system design, incident analysis, risk management, etc.). It is online, free and available to everyone.
The Extreme in the Everyday
The “extreme” to be inhabited isn’t necessarily something remote or distant. During the seminar, Roberto Montanari, co-founder and R&D manager at RE (an Italian SME specialising in human-machine interaction), addressed the topic of user-centred design in the context of mobility. On the road, the concept of “extreme” takes shape in events such as floods or water bombs, situations that are likely to become more frequent. To deal with such emergencies, an integrated design approach is essential, allowing the extreme to be integrated into the everyday. This means combining traditional driving tools (such as safety sensors) with advanced systems that monitor the driver’s physical, emotional and attentional state (RE is involved in this aspect of the Next Perception project) and driver support interfaces that are “tailored” to the driver’s abilities, whether expert or novice, to ensure safe and responsive driving even in the most critical conditions.
Finally, Alberto Piovesan, designer at D-Air Lab, which designs, develops and produces personal protective equipment based on Dainese’s experience in the world of sport, gave some examples of how technological innovation applied to extreme contexts impacts everyday life. That’s how a vest with an integrated airbag, designed for motorcyclists travelling at over 300 km/h, inspired the development of safety equipment for workers at high altitudes.
