Human Factors & Ergonomic Solutions

In today’s world, there is significant value placed on pursuing a more humanistic and empathic approach to design. We generally associate design with the mere aesthetic of an object. Yet, there’s another critical and often forgotten component, one which fundamentally impacts the user experience. It’s a concept known as human factors and ergonomics. For companies that develop products for end users, this concept is imperative and can make all the difference in either the realization of a product’s value or dissatisfaction due to unaware misuse.

Human factors and ergonomics is a scientific discipline centered around refining a design for human optimization; the overall goal is comfort and ease of use. This methodology is often applied to handheld devices like consumer products, tools, and medical devices. It can also be applied on a larger scale when the use case involves the entire body; examples include the design of interiors and furniture in transportation settings, as well as home and work environments. Applying human factors and ergonomics requires a highly skilled practitioner. One who understands the core principles, and who can actualize design concepts by zeroing in on the critical components surrounding repetitive use and length of time with the object in an environment. A poor design could result in the user experiencing unnecessary fatigue, stress, or worst case, injury.

The design of handheld devices requires a lot of thought and care so that users can properly interface. Visual affordance is a must, providing one of the immediate, sensory contact cues necessary to hold the device in the correct manner. Designers must be mindful of primary user demographics, understanding physical characteristics such as average hand size, weight, height, and proportions. These details are invaluable and ultimately support the process of creating a more empathic workflow.

Take, for instance, the design of hand grips. There are a variety of grip styles that the human hand can accommodate—power grips, pinch grips, and external position grips are among the most common. It’s up to the designer to appropriately and strategically develop a form that encourages the right grip style for the specific use case.

It’s also important to test the ergonomics of a design concept in order to fully understand its impact and validity. This can be done through creating hand-made models and full-scale mockups. Having real models to physically interact with allows the designer to fine tune what’s working and what’s not. Another key step in testing a concept is gathering outside feedback. There is a great deal of value in gauging the first reactions of others. It’s certainly important to visually capture their attention with a mockup, but the real merit is derived when they first pick up and hold it. In an ideal scenario, the person will do so correctly —this implies visual affordance and understood orientation of the object. The object should also feel comfortable in their hand. This phase of the design process helps further steer the designer towards a truly successful concept.

Full scale mockups of non-handheld devices, such as work desks, medical carts, and furniture, are also vital in the design process. This is where the study of the entire human body comes into play. Knowing the demographics, again, like average height, reach and proportions, and also understanding correct posture and how the rest of the body is affected—all factors that wildly impact the outcome of the design—is what puts a designer ahead of the game. For example, the proper height of a medical cart goes a long way because it dictates the user’s ability to reach certain tools and perform functions with that medical cart. The more thought and care that goes into larger scale ergonomic designs, the more comfortable and efficient it will be for the user. These studies can be done through full-scale cardboard cutouts or foam models. Discovering the appropriate ergonomic values of these larger scale objects helps guide the user on the desirable use path.

Ergonomics and human factors plays a major role in design and product development as a whole. It helps provide overall value, comfort, and ease for the user. Ergonomics guides the importance of intuitive and thoughtful designs and should ensure the user is never left second guessing. When the user’s experience is at the forefront of product design, interactions with the object should feel like second nature, like an extension of the user’s body.