Ergonomics (Product description and Idea Trigger)

(i) The product comes in several colours – red, blue and white. It has two holes to allow the user to place two of their fingers in it, so that it is easier to hold. The holes are quite big, so people with bigger fingers can also use it. It has grooves, so that it can perform its function, that is to remove the scales of the fish.

(ii) The design consideration for this product is that it has to be:

- easy to use

- convenient and simple

Also, the designer needs to know who uses this product.

(iii) The elderly would probably not have difficulty using the product, except for the fact that it is small and the elderly may not be able to find it. Other than that, the product itself is quite easy to use, and is not as dangerous as using a knife to remove the fish scales. It is made out of plastic, so is naturally more durable, and will not break easily, if the elderly drops it.

(iv) Ways to improve the product:

- It could have a hook so that it can hang onto the wall, so that it can be in plain sight and the user would not need to waste time finding it.

Ergonomics 2

Ergonomics is the study of work environment

the 5 aspects are : safety, comfort, productivity, ease of use, aesthetics.

safety: tiles that are not too slippery for the bathroom, those that are more rough, so that it is hard to slip and fall

comfort: a cushion built into a chair, so that the elderly do not have to sit on hard chairs. this gives them more comfort.

productivity: cupboards could be at a medium height, not too high or too low, so the elderly do not need to struggle so much trying to get things

ease of use: dustbins should not have too complicated a design, as the elderly may not be used to it.

aesthetics: larger prints on lift buttons so that it can be seen easily.

Ergonomics

What is ergonomics?

Ergonomics is the study or work.

1. Compare the 2 different workplaces, state your observations.

Workplace 1 is the one that is slightly messier and the man working in that workplace has difficulty in doing his work. Workplace 2 is the one that is more comfortable, and the man has no problem doing his work. The desk there is also very neat.

• Comfort and simplicity

The man in workplace 1 is uncomfortable in the chair, and adjusts the height of the chair.

The man in workplace 2 is quite comfortable, and the chair allows movement and the man sitting in it can lean back, so that there is enough comfort for him to do his work effectively.

• Incorrect height and depth

The man in workplace 1 is squinting, and having trouble seeing what the monitor screen is displaying. He wears glasses, as well as uses a magnifying glass. The monitor is too far away.

The man in workplace 2 has a very good monitor arm, which brings the monitor towards him, and so it is not too far away and he can see the screen properly without any visual aid.

• Task lighting

The man in workplace 1 is struggling with the light, and he finds the light in his workplace very glaring, and he cannot do his work properly as the light is too bright and it is probably distracting as well.

The man in workplace 2 has a soft glow for light, which can be moved around so that he does not need to take a lot of time to adjust it. It is not too glaring, so he does not need to resort to using sunglasses or goggles like the man in workplace 1.

• Freedom of movement

The man in workplace 1 has difficulty moving around in his chair, as well as that the armrest is too high, and it breaks easily.

The man in workplace 2 movable armrests, so that it can be lowered. Same as before, he is able to have comfort because of the part of the chair which allows him to lean back and feel like he is lying down.

• Prolonged laptop use

The man in workplace 1 is wasting a lot of time shifting his laptop around, from the table to his lap, and he even places his legs on the desk. The long periods of time he uses his laptop is making him more uncomfortable than usual.

The man in workplace 2, however, has a laptop holder, which makes the laptop seem like an ordinary monitor screen. It is also adjustable. He is not as uncomfortable as the man in workplace 1.

• Usable desk space

The man in workplace 1 has a very messy desk, and has a hard time finding his things. Also, by retrieving what he wants, he messes up the table more. He had also spilled his coffee, as there was no space to place his mug, and when he moved his arm, he accidentally knocked the mug over.

The man in workplace 2, however, is much much more organised and neat, with all the retractable machines, for the monitor screen, and light. He has only very few pens, and his desk is close to empty. He is able to do his work without disturbance or trouble.

2. Which workplace is preferred? State with reasons why one workplace is preferred over the other.

The second workplace is preferred. There are a lot of advanced technology, to make sure that maximum comfort is available. It also allows you to work more efficiently, as you are not distracted easily with all that clutter around on the desk.

3. What are the considerations that should be taken into account when designing a workplace that is suitable for the user?

The considerations that should be taken into account is the comfort or ease of use of the workspace and things provided, such as the things mentioned in Part 1. There should have ease of access to all the different parts of the desk, so that the person working in the workplace need not feel too uncomfortable or would not need to get up and move around, just to get something at the other end of the table.

4. Why do you think that Ergonomics is important when designing?

It is important as this way, the design would be better than if you do it without ergonomics. Also, it would help the people to realise what kind of problems occur. This is because even though the design looks fine and alright, the truth is that the design is not a good design, and makes the user uncomfortable or does not fulfil its use properly, or well.