Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Ergonomics (Product description and idea trigger

Improved product
Current product
The product is meant to be used as a bottle, jar opener. At first look the product does not look very attractive as there is only once colour for the whole product. The colour of the product is also very dull as it is a dark green and makes it look unappealing.

Some design considerations are like if it will appeal to all ages of people, the product also cannot be too small or too big as it would be very bulky or too small for some people to handle, the colour of the product is also another consideration they need to take note of, as if the colour is very dull no one would want to buy it.

The product is not elderly friendly as the edges of the inner side of the product are sharp and they can hurt the elderly by cutting their hands or fingers. When opening a bottle of jar it takes a lot of strength to open the bottle or jar.

They could make the product more colour full and attractive by using lighter colours and they could also make the edges of the inner surface curved so that it will not be as sharp and instead of using plastic in the inner edges they could use rubber as it will provide more friction and so the elderly will need to use less strength when opening a bottle or jar.




Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Ergonomics II

1) What is ergonomics?

Ergonomics is the applied science of equipment design, as for the workplace, intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort

2) What are the 5 aspects of ergonimcs?

The 5 aspects of ergonimics are Safety, Comfort, Ease of Use, Productivity/Performence and Aesthetics.

3) For each aspect of Ergonomics, explain an example of a product that is designed for the elderly, how the
product meets that particular aspect of Ergonomics.

Safety-> Multi-level hand grip. The product can easily be installed in all bath rooms and it has a grooved inersurface so that the elderly will not lose grip when gripping it.

Comfort-> Comfylux velcro slipper. This slipper is padded so it does not make the feet feel sore after wearing it for a long time, it also has a velcro strap and is made of a soft cloth.

Ease of Use-> Elderly Phone. It has large buttons for easy dialing, large text size, anda built in flashlight.

Production/Performence-> Bed Caddie. It is a thick nylon stray which is connected to the foot of the bed, it allows the elderyly to easily get up in the morning with minimal effort.

Aesthetics-> Motorola Milestone XT. This phone is very compact and is very portable, the phone is good as it has a small keyboard which makes it easier for the elderly to type.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Ergonomics

1) The first work station is very cluttered and the equipment on the table is not very space saving, the chair is also not very comfortable, the computer is also taking up a lot of space and the modem of the computer is on the table, the second word station is very neat and the equipment help the office worker save space and work easier, the chair of that workspace is also much more comfortable and the computer is mounted on a rail while the modem is under the table so it is much more space-efficent.

2) Workplace 2 is preferred. The equipment at workspace 2 is more user-friendly and saves space, it is also easier to operate, the chair at workspace 2 is also more comfortable, unlike workspace 1 where the equipment takes up a lot of space and is very hard to operate with the limited space on the table.

3) Some considerations that you should take are like, what are common needs by most office workers and what kind of functions do they like or need in a certain kind of product, we should also take into consideration how much it would cost to manufacture that product and whether companies or office workers would buy it.

4) Ergonomics is important when designing a product as you need to study what are peoples need and how they work in their working environment to be able the design a product which is able to help them out the most in their work.