LibGuides: Designed for Users: Universal Design Plus Human Factors: Data Sets and Collections

Data to Help With Design

For designing devices to match up with people, you may want to have information about how people "measure up" and how they think.

Collections may be found in:
- research papers accompanying a description of the collection process.
- books or technical reports summarizing research of a single project or collection data across many projects.
- data repositories.

Collections include these classic texts:

Reference Man - ICRP Publication 23 by the ICRP
Call Number: e-book & print (see below)
ISBN: 0080170242
Publication Date: 1975
A unique comprehensive work on the reference male and female, including data on mass of the various organs of the body, chemical composition of the body and various tissues and physiological data. While still the major source of reference data, this report is supplemented and amended by ICRP Publication 89 (see below).

Reference Man - print
Just in case you want to see the print version of this report. It is at the Life Science and Engineering Libraries at RA 1231 R2 I2 NO.23.
Reference Man - Supplements. Basic anatomical and physiological data for use in radiological protection: reference values: ICRP Publication 89
Updating "Reference Man" information.

Engineering data compendium : human perception and performance by Kenneth R. Boff, Janet E. Lincoln, editors
Call Number: e and print TA 166 E54 1988
Publication Date: 1988
Anthropometric Source Book - NASA RP-1024 by Anthropology Research Project (Webb Associates)
Call Number: see e-book volumes below and TL 787 U5494 no.1024, parts 1-3
Publication Date: 1978
A three volume set of anthropometric data (plus a bibliography) defining the physical size, mass distribution properties, and dynamic capabilities of U.S. and selected other adult populations.

These scanned books lack most of the features that would make them easy to use but at least you may access them as electronic copies.

Repositories allow access to data sets deposited by researchers.

This page in the Data Management LibGuide --- look down the page --- gives information on how to find likely repositories.

The ICPSR and figshare are two examples of repositories with anthropometric data sets.