Ergonomics and Anthropermetrics

The first things you need to know are a couple of major definitions. Firstly, what is human factors? Well, human factors are the considerations that are taken which are directly concerned with the user/people. These can be categorized in 3 different ways.

The first is the physiological factors. These are related to the physical attributes of that person, for example how the body moves, strength and hand-eye coordination. When designing, this factor is taken into consideration, for example, if you are designing a door handle. You must understand how much strength varied users can apply to turn the handle. If its too hard then people with a weaker force such as the older generation are going to struggle. Here the idea is to create a product that is intuitive to use. The user will be able to look at it and quickly deceiver how to use it.

The next is the Psychological factors, these are cover the way the users experience and react to new products. Making products easier and comfortable to use are all considered psychological factors. But it also covers the social codes that people have learned and that subconsciously affect their view, reaction or decision. These are things like colour, sound, smell and feel. For example, different colours convey different emotions to the user, red is far more aggressive and is perceived as far more eye-catching but can be seen as a danger, hence it is used on signs that relate to danger. While the perception of colours is very specific to cultures and traditions, there are certain patterns that are commonly associated with different. E.g. white is associated with purity and cleanliness, hence the use in kitchens and bathrooms. In contrast, the colour red can be seen and related to love, while others see it as death.

Finally the sociological factors, these are the effects it has on other people within a certain group. An example of this is high-quality audio for headphones that a eager listener can listen to, however, for the people around her, it produces a significant amount of noise pollution. There are also ethical questions that designers face. Is the source of the materials ethical? Is the production, working conditions and manufacturing ethical?

So we covered the human factors and the key factors of both ergonomics and human factors. What is Ergonomics?

Well, the definition is: Ergonomics, is the relationship between the people and the products used. It is the relationship between the product and the user and takes into account how they use it and interactive with the product

Anthropometrics, on the other hand, is the literal study of this. It's the measurement of people that have been measured, recorded and studied. This information is known as anthropometrics. It consists of information such as peoples weight, height or hand size. This information can be used to then design products. For example, a designer designing a hair dryer would need anthropometrical data on the hand sizes of certain people, this would dictate the diameter of the handle and the shape.

Anthropometrical data is presented in two ways, a table/list or graph/visual representation. The graphical format is known as a bell curve or percentile graph. This type of graph shows the designer a common value that covers a wide range of people. If you were to say measure everyone's height in the year, you would find that there would be a common size at the top of the curve, known as the average. The left and right parts show the rarest parts. Keep in mind that designers generally dismiss data that is either in the first 5th percentile or 95th percentile. When designing the designer must choose their target percentile, if they go too small then it will limit the market, but go too large it can be seen as too comfortable for smaller people.

So how does all of this actually affect product design?

Ergonomics should and will dictate a lot of the form, function and overall dimensions of the design. This is so it is more efficient, comfortable and enjoyable to use for the user. These features all promote positive emotions in the user, these will then affect the opinion that user will have on both the product and the brand. This is due to people perceiving products similar to people, they feel emotions towards them. A good user experience (UX) and good Ergonomics and all lead to a more positive brand identity.

Anthropometrical data will devour you design shape and dimensions - but in a good way! These will make it easier for you to understand your user.