Applied Ergonomics and Design
Applied Ergonomics and Design
Visit the Applied Ergonomics and Design research pages
Increasing the fit
The section of Applied Ergonomics and Design aims to increase the fit of products to their users by focusing on usage-oriented design. People use a large number of products every day, but relatively little is known about how these products are actually used. Do people handle products on conscious level? What characteristics do we need to know about users? And how do we create products that enable improved usage?
We aim to find out what people consider important in product usage, investigate cognitive and physical characteristics of users and work on solutions to create a healthy environment.
Research
Research should generate findings and insights that can be applied in design practice. Therefore in our research we seek to:
- enlarge our knowledge of product usage;
- investigate and create methods to obtain this new knowledge, and
- find ways to implement this knowledge in product designs.
Applied Ergonomics and Design contributes to the following research subprogrammes at IDE:
Education
Teaching by Applied Ergonomics and Design involves:
- basic ergonomic design principles;
- knowledge of user characteristics (both physical and cognitive);
- observational studies as part of the design process;
- application of knowledge of human characteristics and usage in current designs;
- prevention of product-related disorders (i.e. RSI) and safety risks.
In addition we support a Master programme on design for the medical sector called Medisign.
Organisation
The section of Applied Ergonomics and Design is organised in three groups.
- Design for Healthy Environments
Obtaining insight into user problems such as pressure sores, low back pain and discomfort. - Dynamic Anthropometry
Defining the dimensions, and the sensory and physical abilities of people for specific usage contexts, which are almost always dynamic. - Usage evaluation methodology
Focused on usage-based design with an emphasis on observational studies in the context of use.
