{"id":9,"date":"2026-04-25T02:26:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T02:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/east\/?page_id=9"},"modified":"2026-05-14T21:16:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T01:16:03","slug":"east-labclemson","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/east\/","title":{"rendered":"EASt Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Welcome to the Ergonomics and Applied Statistics Lab<\/h2><\/div>

The EASt Lab is a multi-disciplinary research laboratory taking human factors and ergonomics approaches to examine operator behaviors and performance in complex systems and environments.  We use advanced statistical and modeling methods to design, develop, and evaluate human-centered solutions.  We center our work within the healthcare sociotechnical system with an objective of improving efficacy, quality, and effective care.

Department of Industrial Engineering<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Current Projects<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Using LLM-based chatbots for health education<\/h3><\/div>

We are evaluating the impact that chatbot and AI technology have on learning and developing an understanding of complex health concepts and conditions. <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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STEPS2Clemson<\/h3><\/div>

We are working on an NSF S-STEM project (STEPS2Clemson<\/a>) to support transfer students to Clemson engineering majors and studying how to best support transfer students for success.


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Evaluating ergonomic issues for Ultrasound Technicians<\/h3><\/div>

We are evaluating the use of technology (e.g., gestural human computer interaction) and education to address ergonomics issues that ultrasound technicians face in providing patient care.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Interface and interaction designs for LLM-based chatbots<\/h3><\/div>

We are evaluating the impact of different design and interaction characteristics of LLM-based chatbots that can improve usability and effectiveness.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Past Projects<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>
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Past Projects<\/h3><\/div>


Modeling emergency department processes and populations for pediatric mental and behavioral health<\/strong>
We have evaluated large data sets to examine how processes and interventions could improve the delivery of care for pediatric mental and behavioral health patients.

Evaluating the effectiveness of healthcare chatbots<\/strong>
The use of chatbots is growing in telehealth applications, yet few studies have examined how design characteristics influence the effectiveness of chatbots in the healthcare domain.  We are examining how chatbot characteristics including language (i.e., reading level), personas (i.e., doctor, nurse, or nursing student), and the use of avatars influence the effectiveness, usability, and trust in healthcare chatbots.

Examining the design of anesthesia workstations
<\/strong>We have examined the way that the anesthesia workstations within operating rooms are designed and arranged to support the work within anesthesia care.  This has included task analysis, workspace assessments, and examining the movement of supplies and materials around in the workspace during a surgical case.

Using vignettes as an interview tool to examine variability in anesthesia work practices<\/strong>
Despite decades of research and improvements in safety, the risk of patient harm in the practice of anesthesia remains.  The failure of efforts to effectively address patient harm represents a lack of consideration of the cognitive processes and diverse work practices employed in anesthesia delivery.  We’ve use vignettes (hypothetical scenarios) as interview tools to elucidate how anesthesia providers may diverge from one another in their decision-making processes.  We have identified variability in anesthesia providers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 decision-making strategies which must be considered in the development of future efforts to address patient harm, to support anesthesia providers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 critical resilience.

Examining the use of 3D gestural input systems
<\/strong>In-air gestures are a promising input modality as they are expressive, easy to use, quick to use, and natural for users.  They may be particularly useful for domains like anesthesia, as the use of gestures could bypass the bacterial transmission that may occur when touching devices. However, gestural systems can be challenging to develop as gesture choice is dependent on context, and intuitive gestures may not be constant for every user (for example, an expert may find different gestures intuitive when compared to a novice). We are studying how expertise and exposure influence gestural behaviors, and whether we can develop Bayesian statistical models that can accurately predict how users would choose intuitive gestures.

Examining the effect of patient portals and the characteristics of portal users<\/strong>
Patient portals are websites or mobile applications that are designed to help patients access their Electronic Health Records (EHR), health summaries, pay bills, schedule appointments and, in some cases, interact with care providers. The use of patient portals has been associated with generating positive healthcare outcomes in recent studies.  We are interested in examining the characteristics of EHR patient portal users, how they use patient portals, how EHR patient portal users access health information online, and how these factors impact users\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 trust in their patient portals.

Examining how individuals with IBD search and use online health information<\/strong>
Individuals with chronic diseases are a unique user population in terms of their potential use of online health information in the self-management of their health. Crohn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disease and ulcerative colitis are collectively referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic condition that affects the intestines, colon, and bowel. It is a complex, incurable disease that can result in long-term disability or mortality, and its highest incidence occurs in younger adults. A recent study suggested that the incidence of IBD has seen a dramatic increase to over 0.3% in North America and many European countries, and the incidence of IBD is expected to increase. We are interested in examining which factors may influence individuals with IBD to search the internet for healthcare-related information, what information they search for, and how to better support individual\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in their self-care of their IBD.

Using eye-tracking to evaluate the effectiveness of discharge instructions<\/strong>
Discharge instructions (DI) are documents and information provided to patients when they complete a procedure or exam and need to follow up information or self-care tasks.  The design of these information tools is a critical aspect of preventing complications and rehospitalizations.  We are examining the design characteristics of DI using eye trackers to study how individuals engage with and read DIs. We are working to provide design recommendations and strategies for efficient and effective discharge instructions.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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