A friend of mine works for a law firm out on the coast. She’s just over 6 feet tall. Yesterday she was complaining about her posture – saying it’s never going to improve until “they” come up with a desk that she can sit at without stooping over. She said all desks are too short for her. When she said that, the image that popped into my mind of her sitting at a child’s desk, hunched over her keyboard. Whenever she talked about work, I always pictured her sitting at her desk, just like me, sitting upright and typing away. I’m 5’7″. I have yet to find a desk that doesn’t suit me.
It’s easy to assume that, like desks, we all come out of the factory looking pretty much the same. Fact is, we’re more like a box of chocolates – all shapes and sizes. Of course there is a large chunk of us that is called “average” – average height, weight, shoe size – and we all fit neatly into our workstations with little adjustments or issues. However, many organizations do not just employ “average” sized people. Like a box of chocolates, one can find workers in many offices and industrial plants of varying shapes and sizes – and they have every right to work in comfort like their “average” co-workers.
So how do we design a workplace that can accommodate everyone? It’s a challenge but understanding the variation in human measurements and applying it to the design process helps with the puzzle.
Here are some key questions to ask when designing a product or workplace to accommodate a large percentage of the population with variation in measurements:
What is the task and specific actions that will be performed?
Will the user population using the item or workspace be seated or standing?
What postures will users have to adopt?
What are the relevant dimensions of the users?
Do you need to design using the minimum, average or maximum dimentions?
To illustrate, determine the smallest (shortest) and largest (longest) dimentions when designing:
If the operation is easy, considering grip strength and hand with, design for the smallest or weakest in mind
For clearances, keep the largest user in mind: ex. consider the vertical clearance in a desk area of 55 cm is fine for a small female but it will not work for a taller man who requires 68 cm clearance.
For comfort and working in the best posture, consider the maximum range: ex. a bike helmet (for comfort) or office chair (for comfort and posture).
Understanding human variation and applying it in the design process will help your organization reduce workplace injury and increase the comfort of your staff. Remember, we’re all like a box of chocolates.