1st Edition

Human Factors In Consumer Products

Edited By Neville A. Stanton Copyright 1997

    The design of consumer products has a central role in its potential for contributing to a healthier living and working space. However, too often consumers are only aware of the designers' role when bad practice manifestly exacerbates the easy application of basic functionality. This important book places human factors perspective firmly at the centre of good practice in consumer product design, encouraging rigorous human factors evaluation and methodology as an essential component of the design process.
    The book's central theme is to introduce human factors techniques to consumer product design and the efficacy of the approach is illustrated with several case studies from a diverse variety of products. Products addressed range from scissors to strimers, from pens to power tools, from kettles to cookers, from radio-cassettes to rucksacks, adn from razors to VCRs. Techniques brought to bear on the devices include: checklists, hierarchical task analysis, observations, interviews, error prediction, questionnaires, guidelines, focus groups, simulations and user trials.
    Key Features:
    * Foreword by Sean Blair of the Design Council
    * Valuable resource for professionals, academics and students in both human factors engineering and design
    * Fosters an approach which integrates the skills of both professions in a successful approach to consumer product design
    * Includes plenty of examples throughout the book

    Contributors. Foreword. Preface. 1. Product Design with People in Mind. Part One. Methods in Product Design. 2. Ergonomics Methods in Consumer Product Design and Evaluation. 3. Evaluation of Product Safety using the BeSafe Method. 4. A System Analysis of Consumer Products. 5. Ergonomics and the Evaluation of Consumer Products: Surveys of Evaluation Practices. Part Two. Institutions Involved in Design and Evaluation of Consumer Products. 6. Application of Ergonomics and Consumer Feedback to Product Design at Whirlpool. 7. Consumer Products - More by Accident than Design? 8. Enhancing the Quality of Use: Human Factors at Philips. 9. Consumer Product Evaluation: Which Method is Best? A Guide to Human Factors at Consumers' Association. Part Three. Guidance on and Examples of Product Design. 10. Developing an Qualitative Sense. 11. Applying Ergonomics Methods during the Industrial Design of Consumer Products. 12. Design of Hand-Operated Devices. 13. Development of Comprehensible Warning Symbols for Use on Child-Care Products. 14. Towards Consumer Product Interface Design Guidelines. Part Four. Key Topics. 15. Key Topics in Consumer Products. Appendix. Author Index. Subject Index. People in Mind. Part One. Methods in Product Design. 2. Ergonomics Methods in Consumer Product Design and Evaluation. 3. Evaluation of Product Safety using the BeSafe Method. 4. A System Analysis of Consumer Products. 5. Ergonomics and the Evaluation of Consumer Products: Surveys of Evaluation Practices. Part Two. Institutions Involved in Design and Evaluation of Consumer Products. 6. Application of Ergonomics and Consumer Feedback to Product Design at Whirlpool. 7. Consumer Products - More by Accident than Design? 8. Enhancing the Quality of Use: Human Factors at Philips. 9. Consumer Product Evaluation: Which Method is Best? A Guide to Human Factors at Consumers' Association. Part Three. Guidance on and Examples of Product Design. 10. Developing an Qualitative Sense. 11. Applying Ergonomics Methods during the Industrial Design of Consumer Products. 12. Design of Hand-Operated Devices. 13. Development of Comprehensible Warning Symbols for Use on Child-Care Products. 14. Towards Consumer Product Interface Design Guidelines. Part Four. Key Topics. 15. Key Topics in Consumer Products. Appendix. Author Index. Subject Index.

    Biography

    Neville A. Stanton