MINGCHI INDTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

1. MINGCHI INDTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ERGONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS FOR HEALTH: A Case Study of Universal Design Rungtai Lin Department of Industrial Design Mingchi Institute of Technology Email: rtlin@ccsun.mit.edu.tw

2. ABSTRACT This paper presents a case study of "UNIVERSAL DESIGN" by combining "ERGONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS" with “MANUFACTURING PRINCIPLES” in designing school furniture.

3. 1. INTRODUCTION In today's classroom, children are repetitively exposed to the hazards of abnormal or awkward postures due to classroom furniture that is often either TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL.

4. TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL? 新式胖與瘦

5. 1. INTRODUCTION Because children vary widely in their anthropometric measurements, the anthropometric considerations become very important for HEALTH to design school furniture. However, the most effective application of such data in product design is another important issue.

6. 1. INTRODUCTION * ERGONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS and MANUFACTURING PRINCIPLES can sometimes present conflicting recommendations for design. * The school furniture design must consider both of these objectives that integrate ERGONOMICS and ENGINEERING.

7. 1. INTRODUCTION Therefore, this paper presents a case study of "universal design" for developing design guidelines that integrate "ergonomic considerations" and "manufacturing principles" in designing school furniture.

8. 2. METHOD THE PROCEDURE: 1. A SURVEY 2. AN EVALUATION 3. AN ANALYSIS 4. REGULATIONS 5. RECOMMANDATIONS

9. 2. METHOD (2) AN EVALUATION OF SUBJECTIVE COMFORT 2.1 To identify the merits and demits 2.2 Questionnaire 2.3 Data Collection 2.4 MDS Analysis 2.5 Perception Mapping

10. 2. METHOD 2.1 ERGONOMIC CONSODERATIONS The most important ergonomic consideration of designing daily-life products is ”DESIGNING FOR HUMAN USE.“ However, cost conflicts between optimizing the design for ”ERGONOMICS" or ”MANUFACTURING” often appear, especially when the issue of applying “ANTHROPOMETRIC DATA" is addressed.

11. 2. METHOD 2.1 ERGONOMIC CONSODERATIONS In many anthropometric problem of ”FITTING" some design, it is necessary to consider a number of anthropometric variables at the same time. Therefore, it is important to consider the relationship between body dimensions in the design of products based on combinations of dimension.

12. 2. METHOD 2.2 UNIVERSAL DESIGN School furniture from manufacturers is typically NOT DESIGNED to accommodate different individual user dimensions. While a few desks offer an overall height adjustment and chairs of different sizes, individual adjustments for the seat, arm and back are not offered.

13. 2. METHOD 2.2 UNIVERSAL DESIGN Universal design, a ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL philosophy, has been adopted in the industry, because such furniture is less costly to manufacture and easier to sell at a lower price, and lessens the inventory problems for manufacturers and schools.

14. 2. METHOD 2.2 UNIVERSAL DESIGN Universal design can be defined as the design of products and environments to be usable to the greatest extent possible by people of all ages and abilities. Today, ergonomic considerations are a part of ”UNIVERSAL DESIGN" and taken into account by manufacturing engineers in product development.

15. 2. METHOD 2.3 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 1. COMFORTABLE FACTOR - Anthropometric database 2. DESIGN FACTOR - Design approach 3. SPATIAL FACTOR - Design approach - Anthropometric database

16. 2. METHOD ERGONOMIC DESIGN ENGINEERING DESIGN MANIPULATION INTERFACE ENGAGEMENT INTERFACE USER PRODUCT TASK STATIC DYNAMIC TOOL FEEDBACK TASK ADAPTIVE FEEDBACK

17. 3. RESULTS 3.1 ERGONOMIC DIMENSIONS Using anthropometric data for designing products, there are generally two aspects: 1) DETERMINE WHAT ANTHROPOMETRIC DESIGN PRINCIPLE SHOULD BE APPLIED. 2) HOW TO ACHIEVE THE ANTHROPOMETRIC CONSIDERATIONS IN THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE MANNER.

18. 3. RESULTS 3.1 ERGONOMIC DIMENSIONS When applying anthropometric data, three anthropometric design principles must be considered: EXTREME INDIVIDUALS, AN ADJUSTABLE RANGE, AND THE AVERAGE. Based on these principles, the recommendations of ergonomic dimensions for the ideal school desk and chair are SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

19. 3.1 ERGONOMIC DIMENSIONS

20. 3.1 ERGONOMIC DIMENSIONS

21. 3. RESULTS 3.1 ERGONOMIC DIMENSIONS AVERAGE DESIGN - Seat surface depth EXTREMELY DESIGN - Seat surface width ADJUSTABLE DESIGN - Desk and chair’s surface height

22. 3. RESULTS 3.2. ADJUSTABLE DEVICES Generally, designing for an adjustable range is the preferred method of design, but it is NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE. In this study, the sitting height and desk height can be adjusted to the individuals who uses them.

23. 3. RESULTS 3.2. ADJUSTABLE DEVICES Two adjustable devices are designed using a spring and screw structure to provide for adjustments to cover a wide range from 5th percentile female to the 95th percentile male is divided into three different parts. For the manufacturing, the same screw structure is used in the adjustable devices for adjusting different ranges.

24. 3. RESULTS

25. COMBINED-TYPE DESK AND CHAIR

26. COMBINED-TYPE DESK AND CHAIR

27. SEPARATED-TYPE DESK AND CHAIR

28. SEPARATED-TYPE DESK AND CHAIR

29. ADJUSTABLE DESK DRAWER

30. ADJUSTABLE CHAIR DRAWER

31. 4. CONCLUSION UNIVERSAL DESIGN is an approach to create everyday environments and products that are usable by all people to the greatest possible extent. By using UNIVERSAL DESIGN, companies can maximize their potential market.

32. 4. CONCLUSION However, successful application of UNIVERSAL DESIGN requires an understanding of human diversity -- ERGONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS. Design and manufacturing engineers seem well aware that the most efficient way of improving ergonomics is in the early phases of product development.

33. 4. CONCLUSION THIS STUDY PRESENTS A PARADIGM OF HOW TO TAKE ERGONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS INTO MANUFACTURING FOR UNIVERSAL DESIGN AND HEALTH.