Ergonomics 1

The first scene shows the two men taking off their coats. Let us call the one on the left "White", and the one on the right "Black", based on their coat and suit colour.

1. Compare the 2 different workplaces, state your observations.

By looking at the overview after the men taking off their coat, we see that White's desk is more bulky and cluttered, and Black's desk is much tidier, and with a simpler design.

Ergonomic Issue # 1: Comfort and Simplicity

White's chair has a fixed armrest, which makes his hands difficult to adjust according to the situations needed, like for laptop use. His arms are fixed, unless he moves himself out, and in again. It would also seem that he has trouble adjusting himself for the chair.

Black's chair, "The Liberty Chair", has a much simpler design. The lever in which is used to adjust the height is easily found, and within reach. The chair seems to have a lean-back function, which allows the user to lean back and bend the chair according to his needs. Although it might be dangerous if it works on a lever design, it is a good way to keep the design simple and easy to understand (for new users).

Ergonomic Issue #2: Incorrect Height and Depth

White is unable to lean forward a lot, because of his chair. He squints at the screen in front of him, showing us that it is difficult to look at the fixed PC monitor. He evens expands the actions by using a magnifying glass.

Black, and his "M7 Monitor Arm", shows him being able to adjust the screen's height and distance according to his needs. If he wanted it to come closer, he can just pull it towards him. This way, he doesn't need extra optic aids.

Ergonomic Issue #3: Task Lighting

White's lights are those old table lamps, which seems to creak each time he moves them. The lamps are glaring, as shown by White squinting whenever he turns on one lamp. By wearing dark goggles, he also shows how glaring the light is.

Black's "Diffrient Lights" is adjustable to suit the users needs, like for writing, or the use of laptops or PCs, as shown by him moving the lights up and down. The light has a soft feel to it, so perhaps it might have adjustable brightness too.

Ergonomic Issue #4: Freedom of Movement

White fidgets a lot, and has to move his chair a lot too. His arms are cramped and "stuck" to the table. He does not seem to have a comfortable area to move around. His coffee cup is also difficult to reach and grab hold of. The chair even had its armrest broken.


Black, with the freedom chair, has a wide range of space to move about. His chair's armrest could be moved up and down very easily. He is also able to lean back on the chair without falling.


Ergonomic Issue #5: Prolonged Laptop Use


White has trouble looking at the laptop screen from his high chair. He has to flip the laptop up and down, and still cannot have a good view of the laptop screen. He twitches his face to show that he has very cramped neck. He even has to lift his leg on the table to be able to see the laptop screen clearly. He solves the problem by stacking the laptop on two files.

Black, and the L2 Laptop Holder, has a good place to place the laptop, which is adjustable.


Ergonomic Issue #6: Usable Desk Space


White has a lot of things on his desk, and has to search for things there. It is easy for him to accidentally topple something over. With so little space, he even knocked down his coffee cup. He does not even know where to place the keyboard anymore.

Black, with the Access Rail, has a larger and cleaner desk space. Everything can be placed on the access rail itself.

2. Which workplace is preferred? State with reasons why one workplace is preferred over the other.

Black's space is preferred for its space and simplicity. It is clean, and has a place for everything.

3. What are the considerations that should be taken into account when designing a workplace that is suitable for the user?

The user's comfort, space, how suitable it is to the user's working environment.

4. Why do you think that Ergonomics is important when designing?

Ergonomics allows us to have a good and clean idea of what the designers need to look out for, avoid, and improve.