Human-System Integration within a multidisciplinary ship design team: An inside view

Good ship design has many facets but a key tenet is the understanding of the Operational environment and the practical challenges faced by Seafarers. It is important that their needs are taken into account, yet that also needs to happen within the associated engineering constraints and the limitations imposed by the regulatory framework, not forgetting the commercial considerations. This paper presents the Human-System Integration (HSI) view from within a multidisciplinary ship design team, and highlights the practical challenges and opportunities of adopting a HSI approach to ship design. A key element to this is balancing the user-centred approach with the real-world constraints of the project to achieve an optimum outcome for the client and the Seafarers who will live and work on the ship.