An ergonomically designed ergonomics exhibition: lessons from and for public engagement

'Ergonomics: Real Design' was an exhibition at the Design Museum in London to celebrate the 60th anniversary of UK ergonomics. The aim of the exhibition was to enhance the appreciation of ergonomics in society amongst researchers and the general public; as a public engagement project a key objective was to facilitate two-way dialogue between ergonomists and non-ergonomists. This article presents the development of the exhibition, covering the formative evaluation which was directed at determining perceptions of ergonomics from both within and outside the discipline. The output was then used to guide the choice of exhibits - both in terms of the content and the structure of the message - and further summative evaluation work to assess the impact of the exhibition is presented. This article concludes by extracting key lessons from the exhibition project for future public engagement with ergonomics, with critical reflection on the nature of ergonomics itself. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.