Visualising ergonomics data for design

Abstract

Existing ergonomics data are not effectively used by designers; this is mainly because the data are not presented in a designer-friendly format. In order to help designers make better use of ergonomics data, we explored the potential of representing existing ergonomics data in a more dynamic and visual way, and making them look more relevant to design. The Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) was adopted to turn static ergonomics data into manipulative and comparative data sets. Contextual information in a visual format was added; clearer illustrations and scenarios relevant to design were developed; design case studies were compiled and linked to the relevant ergonomics data sets – the process resulted in a new design support tool: the ErgoCES. The tool was consequently brought to both design students and professionals for evaluation. The results suggested that the ErgoCES had helped making ergonomics data more accessible to designers, and many new features (e.g. scenarios and case studies) were highly valued by the designers. Among the participants, 100% of the design students and 79% of the professionals indicated that they would use the tool when it becomes widely available.