Abstract
The scientific discipline of product design has evolved significantly over the years. Technology, ergonomics, and aesthetics form the major components of product design. The set guidelines for creating products advocate for the use of design for ergonomics and aesthetics. Data qualifiers for ergonomics and aesthetics enable product designers to produce products that meet the expectations of consumers. Incorporating technology and the use of specific tools can enhance the design for ergonomics, thus resulting in successful products.
Introduction
Ergonomics is a scientific discipline that analyses social interactions and their effect on other elements of systems. It deals with human factors that need consideration when designing products. Ergonomics involves the use of design methods and principle data to optimize the overall performance of human beings and integrated systems (Green & Jordan, 1999). It forms an integral part of product design through various aspects such as comfort, safety, ease of use, and productivity, as well as aesthetics.
On the other hand, aesthetics mainly concerns consumers’ responses and reactions towards products. Considering aesthetics in product design appeals to the senses, thus determining whether a product is aesthetically attractive or not. Simplicity, diversity, and colorfulness of a product are elements that best describe aesthetics. The essay focuses on the major aspects of design for ergonomics and aesthetics.
Design for ergonomics and aesthetics
Design for ergonomics and aesthetics is a successful design process that involves producing excellent designs while considering human factors and the appearance of the product when designing. It incorporates all the elements of ergonomics and aesthetics, such as comfort and visual appeal to produce successful products. Today, many designers in the designing industry apply the design for ergonomics and aesthetics to produce appealing products that meet the expectations of the consumers. Design for ergonomics and aesthetics balances different elements such as durability, ecology, aesthetics, safety, and ergonomics to form quality designs.
Products that require DFE
According to Hanson (2004), products such as workstations, telephone accessories, office chairs, and computer tables mainly require DFE. All products that directly appeal to human beings require the design for ergonomics since ergonomics deals with the consideration of human factors in the design. These products require DFE to meet the desires, needs, and aspirations of the users.
Benefits of DFE
Since ergonomics concerns improving efficiency, it has many benefits. If the DFE is effective, tasks, systems, and products that result are efficient. DFE saves on time and increases accuracy because it makes products, systems, and tasks efficiently. Many benefits result from the integration of DFE in product design. DFE reduces the chances for injuries because one uses minimal time. The incorporation of DFE in product design results in quality and carefully designed products. Products that result from DFE impress consumers because they meet their aspirations, needs, and desires. DFE is beneficial in that it produces safe, easy to use, comfortable, and productive products (Pikaar, Koningsveld & Settels, 2011). Due to the comfort enjoyed when using DFE products, consumers rarely get fatigued. It is a benefit in that DFE reduces fatigue as experienced from the use of DFE products.
Impacts of DFE on manufacturers
DFE has several impacts on various users, such as manufacturers and customers. Research shows that the impact of DFE on manufacturers is largely positive. Effective DFE makes manufacturers increase their output because DFE products are highly marketable. Due to this, it not only improves the output of manufacturers but also their earnings. Also, the cost of production, emissions, and wastages are reduced when the DFE is integrated into the designing and manufacturing process.
Impacts of DFE on customers
Poor DFE may result in low quality and inefficient products, systems, or tasks, thus causing the failure of firms that incorporate DFE (Pikaar et al., 2011). DFE affects customers in several ways, such as satisfying their needs if effective. Successful DFE meets the expectations, desires, and needs of customers through efficient systems or tasks and quality products. Moreover, DFE reduces negative health impacts on consumers by allowing them to clean and reusable products. Since DFE products are durable and reliable, customers utilize them wholly without waste.
Results of poor DFE
Results of poor DFE can be fatal depending on the nature of the tool or system designed via the criteria. When tasks and tools have poor DFE, users face the most challenges. Poor DFE affects individuals personally because it puts the body at risk. Green and Jordan (1999), suggest that musculoskeletal disorders, occupational injuries, and illnesses are serious health problems that result from poor ergonomics. Poor ergonomics is also widely known to cause back injuries to users.
Profitability of DFE
DFE is profitable because it improves the efficiency of activities in an organization. Integration of DFE equals profitability, especially where an organization adopts DFE products to improve employees’ interface with the machine. Workstations and telephone accessories that are designed according to DFE guidelines are good examples that demonstrate the profitability of ergonomics and aesthetics in design. This is because they save time, are comfortable and extremely efficient.
Good and poor DFE
Both good and poor examples of DFE exist, although many overlook good ergonomics and only concentrate on poor ergonomics. Examples of good DFE range from simple DFE products such as two-handed teapots and the shape to fit supermarket baskets to complex designs of hybrid cars and Intel. On the other hand, poor DFE is evident from poor examples of ergonomics such as weird tap designs, levers on mixer taps, arrows that do not point and confusing words mainly on road signs.
Implementation of DFE
The implementation of DFE is easily possible through policies that guide the design industry. Designers implement DFE by following the set of regulations that govern the design industry (Matsumoto et al., 2012). Civic education and seminars also show how the relevant authorities can implement DFE in the manufacturing process to yield excellent designs.
Guidelines to integrate into the design
The guidelines for integrating DFE in the design include optimizing the initial lifetime of the product and incorporating alternative production techniques that involve few production processes. According to Hanson (2004), safety, durability, functionality, and ecology are also major guidelines that demand integration when designing to produce quality DFE products.
Data Qualifiers for ergonomics and aesthetics
Since ergonomics is categorized in the domains of cognitive, organizational, and physical ergonomics, the data that qualifies for DFE is enormous. Anthropometrics and socio-cultural data are the major data qualifiers for DFE (Hanson, 2004). Designers rely on ergonomics data qualifiers in the designing processes to produce quality products and systems.
Tools to enhance DFE
Certain case studies, best practice approaches, and software are the major tools that enhance DFE. The design industry demands that designers incorporate these tools in the design process to improve DFE. Advanced technology must accompany the tools that enhance the design for ergonomics and aesthetics. The production of DFE products takes into consideration different human factors such as comfort, which significantly influence the products.
Technical examples
Moreover, some of the technical examples of DFE are visible from the DFE products and systems. Workstations, footrests, and telephone accessories are complex examples of DFE (Pikaar et al., 2011). Also, the latest Mercedes Benz brands form technical examples of DFE.
Conclusion
The design for ergonomics and aesthetics aims at designing products that meet the needs and aspirations of the users while taking into account various human factors in the design. All designers ought to incorporate DFE in their processes because it benefits users in terms of their health, accuracy, life, and productivity.
Reference List
Green, W. & Jordan, W. P. (1999). Human Factors in Product Design: Current Practice and Future Trends. Florida: CRC Press.
Hanson, M. (2004). Contemporary Ergonomics 1999. Florida: CRC Press.
Matsumoto, M., Umeda, Y., Masui, K. & Fukushige, S. (2012). Design for Innovative Value Towards a sustainable society. New York, NY: Springer Publishers.
Pikaar, N. R., Koningsveld, E. & Settels, P. (2011). Meeting Diversity in Ergonomics. Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishers.