Semester 2 - The Elderly Challenge

Q1 ) I have learnt that one of the most important things when working on projects such as creating prototypes is communication. You should not hesitate to ask anyone for help but you should also go to the teacher first to tell her about the problems you are facing to see if she can help you. I also learnt that collaboration is important as during brainstorming, we will be able to come up with many more ideas and maybe get a really good idea from one of our group mates.

Q2 ) One of the difficulties I encountered was that on the day before the submission of the prototype, my product was working fine, with a detection range of about 1 metre ahead. However, when I went to school the next day, my product could only detect from a very short range, not more than half a metre in fact. I then asked some of my friends to help, some of which made a few things come out from the sensor, namely, the item to turn to adjust the delay timer of my sensor. At one point, my sensor could not even detect anything.

Q3 ) However, during ADMT class, I finally managed to finish my product and help it to function with the help of my teacher. Some of my friends also managed to help me get a little further with my model.

Ergonomics (Product Description and Idea Trigger)

i) The brush is green and has a hook at its handle so that it can be hung. The hairs of the brush are very rigid so they can get rid of dirt with ease when brushing an object. The handle also has a rough edge so that the owner will be able to maintain a good grip on the brush and it will not slip out of the owner's hand. Therefore, the product is quite compact, not being too large, simple, handy, light and easy to use. With the handle, the owner will also have less risk of getting his/her hands wet.

ii) The designer should make the product compact so that it takes up minimal space while serving its purpose. It should also be as handy and as simple as possible so the owner will find the product both easy to use and useful.

iii) The elderly will not have too much trouble using this product.

iv) The design can be improved by making the force applied directly on the top of the brush, allowing more dirt to be cleaned. The surface area is also bigger to allow more dirt to be cleaned at a time.

Ergonomics 2

Q1) Ergonomics is the science of designing the job, equipment, and workplace to fit the worker.

Q2) The 5 aspects of ergonomics are safety, comfort, ease of use, productivity/performance and aesthetics.

Q3) Comfort - These products has comfort as this allows the elderly to move around easily and stay comfortable at the same time as it allows the elderly to move around when sitting.

Ease of Use - These products are easy to use as all the elderly has to do is push them along as they move.

Safety - This product lifts the elderly up or down the stairs and thus, reduces the risk of the elderly getting injured when moving up or down the stairs.

Productivity/Performance - This product the elderly to do more activities in a shorter amount of time as moving from place to place is made convenient.

Aesthetics - This products looks nice and can also help the elderly get off the seat easily or get something from a certain place.

Ergonomics 1 - Q2

Q2) The second design is preferred.

In the first design, the workplace is too cramped as the desk has far too many items on it and your desk being too cramped might be frustrating when you try to look for some equipment on the unorganised desk. The equipments are not technologically advanced. These may make the person in the workplace uncomfortable at work. Therefore, it is not a conducive environment to work in.

In the second design, the items are much more effective and advanced as there is more versatility and also useful for the work supposed to be done in the office. Some of the equipment used also helps to save space on the workplace and therefore, it will not be too cramped. It is also more relaxing and the person can concentrate easily on his work. Therefore, the second design provides more comfort than the first one.

Ergonomics 1 - Q1

Q1) In the first office, the chair is very uncomfortable as the person has to move about a lot in his chair and the person has to be in an awkward position in order to type on the keyboard. The computer is also very far away and the person has much difficulty seeing the words on the screen. The monitor is also rigid and difficult to be moved. The lamps are hard to adjust too as they are to hot to touch when you try to adjust it with your hands. The lamps are also too bright. The switches are also inconvenient to reach and the person has trouble recognising which switch is for which lamp. In this workplace, the person has trouble retrieving his items and other activities such as taking a drink from the cup as the workplace is too cramped and cluttered with items. Thus, he finds it difficult to find a suitable position for his laptop.

In the second office, the chair is very flexible as it allows the person to lean back on it and also allows the person to type with ease. The computer can be adjusted to the owner's liking and therefore, it is not inconvenient to look at the screen of the computer. The lamp's position is easy to adjust and it also gives out bright light which allows him to see his work clearly. The person has convenience when requiring a drink as his workplace is organised and spacious. The person also owns a laptop holder which helps to reduce space on the workplace and also allows him to use his own keyboard to type on the laptop.