Product Ergonomics

The success of products highly depends on the ability to fulfull the comfort requirements of potential users. Three essential aspects determine a comfortable product: The first one is the so called environmental comfort which includes accoustics, vibrations and climate. The second one refers to the geometry of the product: the spatial properties and the necessary forces have to be adapted to the human body. This is summed up by the term: anthropometric design. The third one is about the information flow between man and machine (compatibility, coding of displays and handles), the so called HMI design. In this context one strives for a simple, intuitive controlling, unambiguous feedback and a low error probability. Using the presented databases, methods, (digital) human models and simulation procedures effects for various persons can be predicted.

At the end of the module students are able to
- understand the different dimensions of ergonomic product design,
- understand the processes of human information processing (perception, response selection, response execution),
- remember relevant standards of product design,
- analyse poducts in terms of anthropometric and system ergonomical design maxims
- understand the involvement of ergonomists in the product emergence process
- evaluate the design of control elements

A former visit of the lectures "Ergonomics" is recommended

Die Vorlesung erfolgt anhand einer Präsentation, in der die theoretischen Grundlagen behandelt werden. Zur Vorstellung aktueller Entwicklungen aus der Industrie werden auch Experten zu Fachvorträgen eingeladen. In fünf Übungsstunden werden gemeinsam realitätsnahe Fallstudien und Rechenbeispiele bearbeitet. Zur selbständigen Nachbereitung und Vertiefung wird die angegebene Literatur empfohlen und wichtige Themen diskutiert.

powerpoint presentations, literature in a library with free access

Schmidtke, Heinz; Bernotat, Rainer (Hg.) (1993): Ergonomie. München [u.a.]: Hanser.

Further reading is included in the lecture notes

Lecture material, presented examples and use-cases, calculations as well as possible industrial talks of guest lecturers will be relevant for the exam. Usually a written essay exam (90 minutes) will take place. However, in some exceptions for all students of one study course an oral exam can be offered, e.g. ERASMUS.
It is allowed to use a non-programmable calculator.