Consumer Behavior Considerations in Product Design

1987 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 1236-1240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph P. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Consumer Product ◽  
Valuable Source ◽  
Product Use ◽  
Risk Of Injury ◽  
Safe Product

This paper has, as its primary objective, the provision of Guidelines for product designers to assist in safe design of consumer products. Presentation of the Guidelines is based on a Human Factors Perspective of consumer behavior in the reasonable and foreseeable use and mis-use of consumer products. The Guidelines for Safe Consumer Product Design included in this Paper emphasize the valuable source of Human Factors available to Designers. The paper concludes that safe product design can be planned and designed into products that will reduce the risk of injury, or even death, in product use.

Human Factors Design Criteria for Safe Use of Consumer Products

1983 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 811-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph P. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Design Criteria ◽  
Great Contribution ◽  
Safe Product ◽  
Risk Acceptance ◽  
Traditional Approaches ◽  
Reasonable Use ◽  
Hazard Warning

The increasing number of suits filed each year in courts arising from personal injuries while using consumer products indicates safety in design needs immediate evaluation. Human Factors engineers can make a great contribution in this area, especially by working more closely with traditional approaches to product design. Many engineers who are responsible for design, testing, and quality control have not had the benefit of training in ergonomics and psychology. As a result, many products sold in the marketplace today reflect too-high a risk acceptance for the ordinary consumer. This paper describes criteria for safe design of consumer products based on foreseeable and reasonable use of products. Sources of product standards relating to performance and safety are presented. Safe product design criteria based on risk, reliability, foreseeability, psychological considerations, and hazard warning are presented.

Status of Human Factors and Ergonomics Education: Are Universities Providing the Skills Required for Consumer Product Design?

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 483-484
Author(s):  
Michael E. Miller ◽  
H. Boyd Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Work Force ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Consumer Product ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Multidisciplinary Teams ◽  
Human Factors And Ergonomics ◽  
Course Work

This debate explored the state-of-the-art in human factors education and the skills that are desired as professionals enter industry to design consumer products. This debate addressed the specific needs of consumer product design, where a consumer product was defined as a product that is purchased by the end user and used by this person. Inherent in this definition is the fact that both the purchase and use of this product are left to the discretion of the user. Therefore, this product must not only facilitate the efficient completion of a task but also satisfy a basic user need. This debate attempted to arrive at a consensus on potential improvements to the training of individuals within the university environment, and to identify potential industry contributions to improve the quality of education of human factors and ergonomics professionals in consumer product design. This consensus was obtained by bringing together industry representatives from Fortune 500 companies and design firms with professors from prominent universities. University representatives provided a short overview of their human factors curriculum, the skills that this curriculum provides their students and views on how additional industry involvement could improve the quality of education. Industry representatives provided an overview of their organizations and the skills that are expected of new employees as they enter the work force. The debate occurred as differences were identified between the views expressed during these presentations. Among the topics debated were: 1) the importance of student internships versus additional course work, 2) the importance of general human factors principles versus extensive course work within specialized areas, 3) the need for education of theoretical knowledge versus applied training where students learn to make tradeoffs when the ideal cannot be achieved, 4) training involving communication within multidisciplinary teams versus relatively homogeneous human factors programs, 5) a focus on methods for determining consumer needs versus historical methods for determining needs of trained operators of large systems, and 6) training the human factors graduate as an evaluator of consumer products versus a creator/generator of new product concepts.

The Human Factors Usability Laboratory in Product Evaluation

1985 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 950-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise CR. Benel ◽  
Richard F. Pain
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Product Evaluation ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Personal Computers ◽  
Practical Advice ◽  
Technology Products ◽  
Interactive Session ◽  
At Home

A wide variety of consumer products ranging from infant toys and furniture to home workshop tools to personal computers and software are intended for use by people of all sizes, abilities, and temperaments. Usability laboratories are dedicated to evaluating and improving the compatibility of people and the technology (products) they are expected to use on the job, in their hobbies, and at home. The purpose of the proposed interactive session is to demonstrate the concept of the usability laboratory. The session will deal with some of the human factors issues that designers and others concerned with consumer products need to be aware of. It will include practical advice on how to incorporate human factors into product design so that the product will be usable by the consumer. This will be accomplished by the use of posters and demonstrations that involve the evaluation of a sample of consumer products, including microcomputers and children's toys.

scholarly journals Consumer Product Design: Patterns of Innovation, Market Success and Sustainability

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 25-33
Author(s):  
Robin Roy
Keyword(s):  
Product Design ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Design Patterns ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Cell Phones ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Consumer Product ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Recent Book ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

This article summarizes some of the content and conclusions of the author’s recent book, Consumer Product Innovation and Sustainable Design, which discusses the innovation, design and evolution of six consumer products –bicycles, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, electric lamps, television and mobile (cell) phones – from their original inventions to the present. It discusses common patterns of innovation, how environmental concerns and legislation have influenced design, and some of the effects these products have had on the environment and society. The article also uses lessons from the successes and failures of examples of these products to draw out guidelines for designers, engineers, marketers, managers and educators on how to design successful new products and to design for the environment. It concludes with trends and sustainability challenges for future consumer product design and innovation.

Consumer Product Design Projects for Human Factors Classes

1982 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 735-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Kreifeldt
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Consumer Product ◽  
Human Factors Engineering ◽  
Educational Approach ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
General Relevance ◽  
Limited Applicability ◽  
Design Projects

Consumer product design projects are described as they have been used at Tufts University so that student teams may practice human factors design in a realistic, verifiable context. Experience over the years with engineering and psychology students supports this educational approach and the realworld observation that most human factors data is of general relevance but limited applicability to the design problems and that human factors engineering is an integrated activity.

Integrating Human Factors and Industrial Design - A Panel Session

1981 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-117
Author(s):  
John G. Kreifeldt
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Industrial Design ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Consumer Product ◽  
Major Objective ◽  
Panel Session

This panel session addresses a major objective of the Consumer Product Technical Group - viz, integrating Human Factors and Industrial Design in order to improve consumer products. Three major aspects of this topic will be discussed by the following speakers:

High Touch: Human Factors in New Product Design

1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 401-405
Author(s):  
Myun W. Lee ◽  
Myung Hwan Yun ◽  
Jong Soo Lee
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Consumer Product ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Conceptual Design Phase ◽  
Analysis Scheme ◽  
Potential Demand ◽  
New Consumer ◽  
Technology Attributes

In designing a new consumer product, integration of human factors principles is greatly emphasized. However, relatively few attempts have been made to systematically include ergonomic design in the conceptual design phase. High Touch is a product design strategy that uses existing technology systematically to design a new consumer product emphasizing user-friendliness and customer satisfaction. To realize this objective, High Touch design uses several analysis scheme such as identification of implicit needs, realization of potential demand and systematic application of ergonomic considerations into product design. Hierarchical analysis of human variables, product functions and technology attributes is the basic tool of the High Touch design. In this paper, High Touch design process is introduced and a series of new products developed using High Touch design process is demonstrated.

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