ADMT Finished Product Sketch

This is the sketch of the finished product.

ADMT Journal Sketches

Reflection - Prototype

1. I found that it was difficult to find numerous conditions to test if my model works.

2. I can overcome this by thinking about the aspects of the model that need to be improved upon most and to use qualitative testing to find out how much fine-tuning the model requires to make it most suitable.

3. 1) How the model is tested is based on the design considerations made. 2) Testing can be classified into two different types of testing, qualitative and quantitative testing.

Ergonomics (Product Description and Idea Trigger)

i) It is used to open cans, as it is a metallic-grey can opener mostly mae out of metal. It has gears on it to help it to use the scissors action to cut out the top of the can. It has a grip similar to a pair of garden scissors. The only few parts of the can opener that is made of plastic is the bottom of the grip with a hole in it so it can be hanged.

ii) It has to be made of metal so it would be able to cut the can. It also has to have minimum sharp points so it would be safe for the user. It also has to be light so that the user would not drop it. The grip has to be comfortable and has a lot of friction so pe

ople with sweaty palms would not slip out of the user's hands. It has to be easy to use so that there would not be confusion and the user would not damage himself/herself by accident.

iii) Yes, the elderly might find it too heavy and might drop it by accident, if the product were to drop, it might be dropped on the elderly's foot and injure him/her.

iv)

Ergonomics II

1) It is the study of how efficient people are in their working environments.
2) They are:
-Safety
-Comfort
-Ease of Use
-Productivity/Performance
-Aesthetics
3) My product example is the iBot 4000

:-It is safe as it is very stable, being able to not blow the user backwards even when the user is using a gun like in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39JWZUcDbL0 .It can return back into the regular wheelchair shape if preferred. It can also go over bumpy and uneven terrains that curl up to 5 inches. (Source for the picture: http://www.craighospital.org/IMGS/SCI/ibot1.jpg )

-It is comfortable as it has a calf panel, headrest, armrest, seat cushions and footrests. It can also allow someone to travel safely at eye level so they can feel like when they are standing as it would be higher. (Source for the picture: http://www.gizmodo.com/images/ibot.gif )

-It is easy to use as it only requires a User Control Panel (UCP) to control the iBot's movement. The UCP can also be detached to allow the user to move the iBot into a vehicle to be kept when the user uses a car. Being able to move the iBot 4000 at a distance, the user can keep the iBot 4000 without having the chance of getting injured.

-It has high Productivity/Performance as it is able to be used in 5 functions, to allow the iBot 4000 to adapt to different situations, which are if the user wants to reach up high, when the user wants to climb the stairs, when the iBot 4000 goes over uneven terrains, when the iBot 4000 is positioned like a regular wheelchair and when the user has to move the iBot 4000 into a vehicle without the user on it. Information on the function of the iBot 4000 can be found on the website for iBot owners to find information on the iBot 4000: http://www.ibotnow.com/faqs_general.html . (Source for the picture: http://www.burgerman.info/ibot3000/balance.jpg )

-It is Aesthetic as it is a new design that was not used before, allowing the design to be more unique towards other designs. (Source for the picture: http://marketplace.sibaya.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ibot_wheelchair.jpg )

Ergonomics I

The person in the workplace on the left would be A and the person on the workplace on the right is B
1)
-A is messy as there is a lot of unnecessary stuff on the table with little workspace and is cluttered, making it hard for more things to be placed and it is easy for things like mugs and cups to topple, and his chair is also breaking apart, so he puts the broken parts on the table. B has much less items on his table so he has space for him to feel comfortable.
-A's computer monitor screen is too far from him, so he has to use glasses and a magnifying glass to help him to see what is on his screen, making it hard and wastes a lot of time to do that. However B's monitor screen is adjustable, allowing him to adjust the screen to suit the distance from the screen to himself, saving the time that would be used to looking at the screen through the glasses and magnifying glass. The table also has a access rail which allows the user to place items such as monitor and free up space on the table.
-A has two desktop lamps on his table to use when it is darker, however, when he needs to adjust his lamps, he would get burnt by his lamps as it overheated, making it dangerous to the user, if he were to experiment the brightness of the lamps, it would be wasting time. The lamp is also too bright and in the wrong position. The light of both lamps is also too glaring, making A wear a pair of goggles, and the glare of the light also made it harder for A to see the computer monitor. B's lamp light is smaller, but it can be adjusted without getting burnt, and since it covers a smaller area, the lamp allows him to focus on what he is doing currently, the light would not spread around the workplace, and also not having a glare that would hurt his eyes. Since the lamp is adjustable, he can move it away when he does not need it so the lamp does not obstruct what he is doing afterwards.
-A's chair is too high, taking away his freedom of movement of his hands, and also is complicated and has parts that will fall out, making it inconvenient for A to take his mug to drink or any other objects. Since the chair decreases A's range of which his arm can reach up to, he has to move his chair around, wasting some time. B's chair has a adjustable armrest, allowing him to move it upwards for his arms to rest on when he leans backwards and holds his cup to drink. This allows him to adjust to different situations. B's chair also has a back rest and neck rest, to give comfort to the user. The chair is also flexible, allowing the user to adjust according to the sitting position of the user, giving the user a freedom of movement.
-In A's workspace, the laptop is not high enough, making the user keep on changing the position of books or files, giving him an awkward position to type. In B's workspace, B has a laptop holder which allows B to raise the screen up to a comfortable position and also adjust the height of the laptop's screen.
2) A has a messy area, making work more troublesome and uncomfortable to do. And on B's desk, it is more empty to allow B to work comfortably so he would not feel restrained.
3) When designing a workspace, we have to consider the comfort the user would feel when using the workspace, the space the user has, the simplicity, efficiency, freedom of movement, the lighting and the safety.
4) Ergonomics allow workspaces or work environment to be more comfortable and also allows the user to work more efficiently and have more space to have freedom of movement.

Elderly Challenge - Observation 4

In a nearby void deck, I observed an old man carrying bags of groceries back from the market. After I interviewed him, I found out that he was living with his son's family and he mostly helps out with the chores even though he has poor eyesight. Before, he had to travel to his daughter's home to take care of his nephews. But recently, his daughter quit her job to take care of her children and the old man could stay at home instead. I think that his children had taken him into consideration and did not want their father to travel a lot because of his old age. He said that he still had to take care of his son's children, but they are older than their cousins, so they are easier to take care of, allowing him to be more relaxed in life.