Human Factors and Ergonomics in Consumer Product Design : Methods and Techniques

Every day we interact with thousands of consumer products. We not only expect them to perform their functions safely, reliably, and efficiently, but also to do it so seamlessly that we don’t even think about it. However, with the many factors involved in consumer product design, from the application of human factors and ergonomics principles to reducing risks of malfunction and the total life cycle cost, well, the process just seems to get more complex. Edited by well-known and well-respected experts, the two-volumes of Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics in Consumer Product Design simplify this process.

The first volume, Human Factors and Ergonomics in Consumer Product Design: Methods and Techniques, outlines the how to incorporate Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) principles and knowledge into the design of consumer products in a variety of applications. It discusses the user-centered design process, starting with how mental workload affects every day interactions with consumer products and what lessons may be applied to product design. The book then highlights the ever-increasing role of information technology, including digital imaging, video and other media, and virtual reality applications in consumer product design. It also explores user-centered aspect of consumer product development with discussions of user-centered vs. task-based approach, articulation and assessment of user requirements and needs, interaction with design models, and eco design.

With contributions from a team of researchers from 21 countries, the book covers the current state of the art methods and techniques of product ergonomics. It provides an increased knowledge of how to apply the HF/E principles that ultimately leads to better product design.

Preface

Part I : Methods for Consumer Products Design
Chapter 1 : Techniques to Translate Design Research into Useful, Usable, and Desirable Products
Chapter 2 : Manufacturing Attractive Products Logically by Using Human Design Technology : A Case of Japanese Methodology
Chapter 3 : Persona : A Method to Produce Representations Focused on Consumers’ Needs
Chapter 4 : Model-Based Framework for Influencing Consumer Products Conceptual Designs
Chapter 5 : Smarter Products User-Centered Systems Engineering

Part II : Design Process
Chapter 6 : Supply and Demand : Perspectives on Mental Workload with Consumer Products
Chapter 7 : Intelligence, Creativity, and Decisions in Product Design
Chapter 8 : Role of Standards in Design, Magdalen Galley-Taylor
Chapter 9 : Addressing Human Factors and Ergonomics in Design Process, Product Life Cycle, and Innovation : Trends in Consumer Product Design
Chapter 10 : Integration of Ergonomics in the Design Process : Conceptual, Methodological, and Practical Foundations
Chapter 11 : Design, Usability, and Maintainability of Consumer Product
Chapter 12 : Assembly Complexity and the Design of Self-Assembly Products
Chapter 13 : Proposed Framework for Integrating Environmental Issues in Ergonomics to Product Development
Chapter 14 : Cultural Ergonomics Issues in Consumer Product Design
Chapter 15 : Affective Design and Consumer Response
Chapter 16 : Universal Design : Empathy and Affinity
Chapter 17 : Integration of Elderly Users into Product Development Processes : Senior Research Groups as Organizational and Methodical Approach
Chapter 18 : IEA EQUID Template for Cooperation between Product Designers and Ergonomists

Part III : Digital Design
Chapter 19 : Behavior Video : A Methodology and Tool to Measure Human Behavior; Examples in Product Evaluation
Chapter 20 : Digital Human Modeling in the User-Centered Design Process
Chapter 21 : Digital Human Modeling in Product Evaluation
Chapter 22 : Three-Dimensional Foot Imaging : Axial Alignment Theory in Footwear Design, Fit, and Function
Chapter 23 : Science of Footwear Design
Chapter 24 : Virtual Reality in Consumer Product Design : Methods and Applications

Part IV : User-Centered Design of Consumer Products
Chapter 25 : Product Design : User-Centered versus a Task-Based Approach
Chapter 26 : Needs Analysis : Or, How Do You Capture, Represent, and Validate User Requirements in a Formal Manner/Notation before Design
Chapter 27 : Users’ Interactions with Design Models
Chapter 28 : Eco-Design : The Evolution of Dishwasher Design and the Potential for a More User-Centered Approach
Chapter 29 : User-Centered Design Method to Attend Users’ Needs during Product Design Process : A Case Study in a Public Hospital in Brazil

Index