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.

Elderly Challenge - Observation 3

After observing my maternal grandmother for a day, I realised how hard it is for her to move from the living room to the kitchen or bedroom. At home, she would avoid walking as her maid could help her get water and prepare food but she walks when she goes to the toilet or to her bedroom to rest. Whenever my grandmother goes out, she would have to use a wheelchair so she does not need to walk and her maid would push her as her arms are too weak to push herself on the wheelchair for a long period of time.

Elderly Challenge - Observation 2

After observing my grandfather in his day, I found out how long it takes for him to cook meals. He has to cook for my family everyday without a break. Having to remember all the recipes all the time and sometimes add new ones can be quite hard to do. Whenever he starts cooking dinner, after every dish he would stop to have a small break and start to smoke, before continuing. Frequently my grandfather would get burnt while cooking, making it inconvenient for him to stop cooking halfway and wash the burnt part. Although he has put on plasters on his fingers so when cooking oil hits his fingers, it would not be as painful, I can see that he is enduring the pain but does not show it, as he had been cooking for a very long time and might have gotten used to the pain.

Holiday work - Part 1:Understanding the 'The Elderly Challenge'

1) The key recommendations are to make homes less likely for the elderly to have accidents, to make places and public transport more accessible and convenient for the elderly, to help the less well off Singaporeans be able to use the services which help the elderly and to keep more senior citizens fit and healthy

2) The Government want to make an elder-friendly environment by introducing more safety features to senior homes and making them more accessible and convenient for seniors.

3) i) We can top up our Medisave Accounts so we can afford healthcare services. ii)

4) i) We can organise some events for the elderly to help them to exercise. ii) We can help senior citizens when we see them. iii) We can volunteer to help our neighbours who are senior citizens living alone, who are weaker, etc

Elderly Challenge - Observation 1

When I observed my grandmother with more alertness, I realised how troublesome it is for the elderly when words are too small for her eyes to see. She normally would have to strain her eyes to read small-print words, this is also quite slow as she has to slowly identify each chinese character. She also asks other people to help her read words too small. My grandmother feels that it obstructs her reading and she tries to avoid it as when she strains her eyes it hurts. She feels that it is very painful if she opens her eyes for a long time. My grandmother rests her eyes often to cope with her eyesight problem. All these problems occur as my grandmother's eyes are getting old.