Ergonomics (Product description and Idea Trigger)

i) Describe the product. (Appearance, Color, Function, etc)
It is to allow people to hang up their coats/ clothes etc.. You hook it on a door/ wall by the square hook. It is hardy as it is made out of wood and plastic. It is painted 2 different shades of brown, light brown

/ beige and dark brown. It is a warm colour.

ii) What are the design considerations when designing this product?
- Is is practical/ feasible?

- Would people use i

t?

- Where do people have space to hang this coat hanger?

iii) Would an elderly faced difficulty using this product? If yes, what are the difficulties that the elderly would face?

Yes, they would. It is convenient and it is easy to hang their clothes there. However, if the elderly hangs it on a door, they will have to stretch to get their clothes down and stretch beyond their limit and hurt themselves. If they hang it at a low place, they might accidentally hurt themselves if they hit into the hook, they will hurt themselves.

iv) What do you think can be done to improve on the design of the product to suit

the elderly? (Sketch the improved design in your sketchbook and take a picture of it. Post the improved sketch at the end of your post.)

Ergonomics II

1. What is Ergonomics?

To ensure the comfort and safety of the user so that the user is not hurt when using the

device. We need to observe how the use

r works in their wor

kplace to suit their needs.

2. What are the 5 aspects of Ergonomics?

- Safety

- Comfort

- Ease of use

- Productivity/ Performance

- Aesthetics

3. For each aspects of Ergonomics, explain with an example of a product tha

t is designed for the elderly, how the product meet that particular aspect of Ergonomics

- Safety : there are handrails on the sides of the washroom so that the elderly will be able to support themselves when they use the washroom or catch themselves when they fall.

http://www.home-decorating-room-by-room.com/handicapaccessible.html

- Comfort : the backrest of a chair

makes a chair very comfortable as an elderly is able to lean back and rest on the chair

punchstock.com

- Ease of Use: the lift is easy to use as the buttons light up to show the elderly that they have pressed the right button to take them to the right floor. All the elderly needs to do is press the button and the lift will take them to the floor they want.

http://www.cennydd.co.uk/2008/the-illusion-of-control/

- Productivity/ Performance: the furniture in the elderly's house must be designed such that the elderly will be able ti find what they need easily and not hurt themselves when they move around the house.

http://www.contextualise.com/articles/print/article/gone-are-the-days-of-the-old-homestead-look/

- Aesthetics: when the elderly goes to an unfamiliar place, they will naturally look out for signs to guide them. The signs would need to be big enough and clear enough for the elderly to see from far away.

discussion of workplaces

Workplace 1	Workplace 2
Little workplace, cluttered	Neat, access rail allow the user to place items such as monitor and hence free up space on the table.	Workspace
Has difficulty adjusting the monitor screen to a comfortable position	Arm allows the user to adjust the monitor to a comfortable position	Monitor
Complicated, gear must be manually adjusted caused the inconvenience to user.	Adjust to comfortable level, back rest, flexible, adjustable according to sitting posture of user. Adjustable arm rest, to support user. Freedom of movement, allows comfort. Back rest to give support to user.	Chair
Overheat, dangerous for the user, not able to adjust the lights. Too bright, wrong position, glare from screen.	Does not overheat, handle for user to adjust, not glaring.	Lights
Suitable position for laptop (stacked laptop on top of books/ files)	Allows one user to raise up to the screen of laptop in a comfortable height	Laptop

Ergonomics:

• study of workplace/ work environment

- Space

- Efficiency

- Freedom of movement

- Lighting

- Psychological

- Safety

- Comfort

Workplaces of elderly: home, shopping mall, bus terminal

Ergonomics 1

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

Neater Workplace: This workplace is much more comfortable than the other one. It's designs are more practical. Such as the "Freedom Chair". The Freedom Chair allows the user to move around more freely and the user feels more relaxed in this freedom chair as compared to the other chair. It has special designs like allowing the user to lean back with a head support and allows them to adjust the height easily to their liking. Other designs include tidy desk. There is much more space for the user to write and do their work. The keyboard for typing in their laptop is place under their desk and can be pulled out. This gives the user more space to write things and place his work papers. There are also other designs for the laptop. The user will be able to adjust how far or how near they want the laptop to be and at what high or low the laptop is placed. There is also a lamp which allows the user to shine the light on one particular part and is not glaring to his eyes.

Messier Workplace: This workplace is much messier and not comfortable at all. The user is seated too far in and its chair has arms. This does not allow freedom of movement like the "Freedom Chair" in the other workplace and as a result, the user finds it very hard to move around in the chair as it is too crammed. The height of the chair cannot be adjusted easily and there is much difficulty when the user needs to pick something up from the floor. There is not enough space to place everything on the desk. There is no space to place the keyboard and the user knocks over things and spills coffee on his papers. The user is not able to see the laptop screen clearly and has to strain their eyes. When writing or reading his work, the light is very glaring and shines into his eye which makes it very uncomfortable. After a long day of work, the user is sure to have backaches.

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

The Neater workplace is preferred. The Neater workplace is more comfortable and user-friendly. This is because it has special features unlike the Messier workplace. The Neater workplace gives the user the freedom of movement and makes the user feel more relaxed. There is a special laptop holder to adjust the height the laptop is placed. and a devise that allows the user to move the laptop nearer or further from the user. There is also a built in keyboard holder that is under your desk. It is not crammed like in the Messier workplace where everything is crammed and there is no place at all to place your papers or coffee or even keyboard. The lighting in the Neater workplace is also preferred as it does not shine into the user's eyes and instead only on the spot that you want to shine light on.

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

- Does the workplace allow freedom of movement?

- What are some areas that may not be comfortable for the user and how to make to more comfortable.

- Is it practical and user-friendly?

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

If the user does not feel comfortable when using your product, then no one would buy your product. You have to suit your customers likings and be better than your competitors who are designing the same product. The product will have to be comfortable and adjustable to the user's likings.