User-centered tools design: integration
of biomechanical and ergonomic techniques with Kansei engineering.
Abstract:
The objective f this project was to integrate the new methodologies
of product semantic design, such as Kansei Engineering, in the
research of ergonomics of handtool design previously developed.
The first step was to adapt design methodologies based on Kansei
Engineering to hand-tool design. The investigation was performed on
a non powered hand tool, previously selected. A field study was
performed in which semantic differential was used to measure
feelings that different models of the tool generated on users. The
final objective was to analyze the relationships between the
typology of the different parts of the tools and the measured
feelings. These relationships can be used to establish a design
framework including the semantic dimension in the evaluation of tool
design.
In the second step different user-centered methodologies of
design/evaluation were integrated. These methodologies vary from the
more objective to the more subjective ones (biomechanical
measurements and models, ergonomics evaluations and semantic
analysis). All within the aim of investigating the relationships
between the different techniques focusing on comparing the results
obtained by the new applied techniques (semantic differential) with
the results obtained by classical ergonomic evaluation methods
(tests applied in previous investigations).
Date:
Jan. 2006-Dec. 2006
PI UJI:
Margarita Vergara Monedero
Partners:
UJI
Funding:
Spanish Ministry of
Education and Science. Co-financed by FEDER
(DPI2005-07150)
