Ergonomics in Design

Ergonomics is the application of scientific information about people in order to design products and systems so that they are safe, productive, comfortable and healthy for people to use.

People are of different shapes, sizes, strength, speed, judgment, skills, and capabilities. Hence when designing products the necessary aspects for task performance have to be considered. What is important is to fit the task to the person rather than fitting a person to a task so that a majority of the people are able to and like to do what needs to be done.

In this course, regardless of your background, you will learn the core concepts of ergonomics so that you can evaluate and redesign products to fit people. The course will focus on recognizing the workings of the human body so that products and systems are compatible with the structure of people and will allow you to be creative and to identify engineering solutions thereby improving human performance, reducing the risk of discomfort and injury when interacting with products

This course will allow you to get hands-on experience through a wide variety of demonstrations and case studies for you to grasp the concepts easily. With the knowledge gained, you can experience the excitement of creating your own products that will wow users whether it be for continuing education or just for knowledge.

Week 1: Overview and Introduction
Definition, history and applications of Ergonomics with real life examples

Week 2: Human-centered Design
Introduction to Design Thinking and design objectives

Week 3: Musculoskeletal system
Human body structure basics of muscles, bones and joints, and their working principles

Week 4: Human Movement
Spine and motion, vision and line of sight

Week 5: Posture-Strength relationships
Blix curve, Hand tool design basics considering ergonomics principles

Week 6: Equipment Design
Sports equipment design and Consequences of poor design