Ergonomics (Product Description and Idea Trigger)

2i) It is pink in colour which gives this a feminine feel to it and has two straight lines and have a few rounded curves that connect them. It is rather rigid because they are connected through the curves. It is rather light for a product of this size. Its simplistic and streamlined design is welcome. I assumed that they are some form of chopsticks that make it easy for the chopsticks beginners to use. It is not very versatile as the sticks are binded together by the curves, and I feel that it sometimes restricts the slightly more advanced users because they are rigid.

2ii) The considerations are basically how to make the chopsticks easier to use for beginners in this area. Other considerations include its simplistic colour and style of the product. As this is a type of chopsticks, considerations include the flexibility of the product so that it can grip the food, it includes the amount of heat it can resist for the temperature of the food can be really hot.

2iii)The elderly will no doubt face some difficulty with this product as it is rather rigid and because the elderly probably isn't that strong to grip the food. However its bright colours make it easy for the elderly to see.

2iv)

A)It is the buckle/strap that holds the device and chopsticks in place. Just click it in place.
B)It is basically device itself, it can adjust the rigidity of the chopsticks by moving the device up and down the chopsticks and clicking it in place. This design shows that this one applies to rounder chopsticks.

Ergonomics 2

1. What is Ergonomics?
The study of people's efficiency in their working environment. It is about making things comfy and efficient for the user.
-Taken from mac dictionary and http://ergonomics.about.com/od/ergonomicbasics/a/ergo101.htm

2. What are the 5 aspects of Ergonomics?
They are:
Safety
Comfort
Ease of use
Productivity/performance
Aesthetics

3. For each aspects of Ergonomics, explain with an example of a product that is designed for the elderly, how the product meet that particular aspect of Ergonomics.
For Safety, the product called Pathlighter Lighted Cane is a walking can that is lighted at the bottom so that the elderly can have more assurance when walking in dark. So if an elderly man is walking in the dark with his Pathlighter Lighted Cane and a car is about to run over him, at least the driver will see the lighted cane and take evasive action.
Image:https://www.seniorssuperstores.com/cart/images/products/49_large.gif

For Comfort, a wheelchair is chosen by many different aspects including comfort , the wheelchair cushion must be comfortable enough for the elderly user as they will spend most of their time in the wheelchair. Thus, the Dual-Chamber Waterproof Gel Cushion is chosen as it is comfortable for the wheelchair user.
Image:http://www.1800wheelchair.com/siteimages/large/nyortho-gelcushion.jpg

For Ease of use, the Clarity 50900 has an easy to use interface and basically does the basic features of a phone, simplicity works best for the elderly after all.
Image:http://store.yourspecialneedssolutions.com/images/uploads/Cell%20Phone%20For%20Elderly/Phones-Cell-%20CLARITY-C900-Amplified-mobile-DetPic-.jpg

For Productivity/performance, handphones are also a symbol for productivity and thus another elderly friendly phone is chose.The Clarity 50900 has large and easy to see buttons, it can do the basic features of a normal phones and it is easy to use, this makes the elderly more proficient with the phone and thus more productive. It also sports an emergency button just in case of emergency.

For Aesthetics, handphones thee days have small buttons that are hard to see and hard to press. An elderly friendly phone such as the Doro PhoneEasy 345 Mobile with Bluetooth, it has the functions of normal cell phones these days and enlarged buttons and characters that make this phone elderly friendly.
Image:http://www.silverphone.co.uk/shop/images/345%20black%20white%20med.jpg

Sources :http://www.seniorssuperstores.com/cart/html/Products/SAFETY-PRODUCTS/ Taken from mac dictionary and http://ergonomics.about.com/od/ergonomicbasics/a/ergo101.htm http://www.1800wheelchair.com/asp/view-product.asp?product_id=3320 http://www.silverphone.co.uk/shop/p66/Doro-PhoneEasy-345-Mobile-with-Bluetooth/product_info.html?osCsid=4f071d3159713f8ee52ca194241ccf2d http://store.yourspecialneedssolutions.com/Telephones/Cell-Phones-For-The-Elderly/Cell-Phone-For-Elderly-Clarity-50900/prod_120.html

Ergonomics I

1) Workplace 1 is more cluttered and messy than workplace 2 which is nice, neat and spacious. Workplace 1 has a lot of unnecessary things on its table.
-For comfort and simplicity, workplace 1 is way too complicated in the case of the chairs that they are using and workplace 2 is much better. The person in workplace one is having trouble adjusting the height and position of the chair, whether the height is too low or high and the position too close or too far away from the desk,thus this also makes the chair uncomfortable. Workplace 2 however, uses the liberty chair which is easy to adjust to a comfortable height and position. It also has armrests and allows the user to lean back to increase comfort even more. The 2nd workplace also uses an access rail to allow the user to place items such as monitor and hence free up space on the table.
-For incorrect height and depth, workplace 1's user is having trouble to look at the screen and has to squint and use a magnifying glass to look at the screen of the monitor which means that the height and depth of the monitor is not correct.He uses a laptop but he needs to stack laptop on top of books. Workplace 2 however, utilises the M7 monitor arm to adjust the monitor to a suitable height and depth of the monitor for better viewing pleasure, and when the monitor is not needed, the arm allows it to go back and take up minimum space on the desk.The laptop holder allows the user to raise up the screen of the laptop to a comfortable price.
-For task lighting, workplace 1's user is having difficulty adjusting the lighting for him to do his work. The first lamp has a pretty bad design as it must be adjusting by moving the lamp which is hot because of the heat it produces when light is used. It will overheat which is dangerous for user, the user is thus unable to adjust the lights. It is way too bright, wrong position and glare from screen. While the other lights he uses is way too bright for him to see and seems like it cannot be adjusted. Workplace 2 however, utilises a different light, the lamp he utilises has a handle which is not hot so that he can adjust the light without worrying about burning his hand, it is not glaring.
-For freedom of movement, workplace 1's user does not have sufficient desk space as it is cluttered with papers and there are no special compartments for keyboard. The chair is yet again another problem, the armrest is way too high and not rigid enough causing the man's arm to drop. Workplace 2 however, uses the freedom chair which has adjustable armrests that are rigid and when not in use, does not take up much space on the chair, the chair also allows to user to lean back, this allows freedom of movement. There is also a neck rest to give support to the user.

2) The second workplace is preferred as it features good designs necessary for a neat, tidy and comfortable workplace. Some of these features include the freedom chair which has adjustable armrests that allows maximum comfort for the user. Another example would include M7 monitor arm that can adjust the height and depth of the monitor so that it is not a pain for the eyes.

3)The considerations should include freedom of movement, task lighting, height and depth and comfort and simplicity. These are needed for maximum convenience and productivity in the workplace.

4)It is important as man does work for most of his time so the way and method of doing the work can increase his efficiency. This could mean the difference of finishing work in time or not in time. If efficiency is increased, more work can be done and if this keeps up, it could also affect our economy and more, for the better.

Ergonomics
-study of workplace/work environment.
For ergonomics, we look at :
-Comfort:includes simplicity, space, efficiency, freedom of movement, lighting, physiological.
-Safety