Anthropometric Data
The aspect of ergonomics that deals with body measurements, particularly those of size, strength and physical capacity.
Static data
Human body measurements when the subject is still.
Dynamic data
Human body measurements taken when the subject is in motion related to range and reach of various body movements.
Primary data
Data collected by a user for a specific purpose.
Secondary data
Data collected by someone other than the user.
Percentile range
That proportion of a population with a dimension at or less than a given value.
Clearance
The physical space between two objects
Reach
A range that a person can stretch to touch or grasp an object from a specified position
Adjustability
The ability of a product to be changed in size, commonly used to increase the range of percentiles that a product is appropriate for.
Range of sizes
A selection of sizes a product is made in that caters for the majority of a market.
Human factor data
data related to psychological interpretations caused by light, smell, sound, taste, temperature and texture
Nominal scale
Data in named categories, something you can count, won’t tell you anything more than one object is different from another (yes or no questions)
Ordinal scale
more subjective, data in ranked order but distance between ranks is not fixed (ranking something in order of importance/appeal, placements in competitions, alphabetical order)
Interval scale
data on a scale with fixed intervals, something on a spectrum, can go below zero (rating your mood, temperature)
Ratio scale
something in comparison to something else, same as interval scale but can’t go below zero (ruler)
Qualitative Data
Descriptive data used to find out the way people think/feel, their perception, useful for research on a small specific group
Quantitative Data
Data that can be measured and recorded using numbers. Examples include height, shoe size, and fingernail length.
Human information processing system
An automatic system that a person uses to interpret information and react. It is normally comprised of inputs, processes (which can be sensory, central and motor), and outputs.
Environmental factors
A set of psychological factors that can affect the performance of an individual that come from the environment that the individual is situated.
Biomechanics
the research and analysis of the mechanics of living organisms.
reserves
natural resource that can be identified in terms of quality and quantity
re-engineering
significantly redesigning a product with improved engineering
pollution
contaminants in the natural environment that cause change
waste
unwanted or unusable materials that are disregarded after primary use or worthless
Dematerialization
reduction of total material and energy output of any product
Product recovery strategies at end of life
process of separating component parts to recover the parts and materials
Embodied energy
total energy used to produce a product
National and International grid systems
as electrical supply distribution network
Local combined heat and power (CHP)
a system that simultaneously generates heat and electricity
Capacitor
electronic component that temporarily stores energy
Legislation
laws considered collectively to adress a certain topic
Incremental solutions
products that are improved and developed over time leading to new versions and generations
radical solutions
where a completely new product is devised by going back to the roots of a problem
End-of-pipe technologies
used to reduce pollutants at the end of a product’s life cycle
System-level solutions
implemented to deal with the whole system rather than just components
Clean technology
products, services that reduce waste and require the minimum amount of non-renewable resources
prevention principle
the avoidance of producing waste with the production, use and disposal
precautionary principle
the anticipation of potential problems with the environmental impact of the product
Eco-design
focuses on environmentally friendly materials, energy, pollution/waste
“design for the environment” (DfE) software
allows designers to perform life cycle analysis (LCA) on a product to assess its environmental impact
conceptual model
a model that exists in the mind used to help us understand ideas
graphical models
models in the form of charts and drawings
Formal drawing techniques
have fixed rules, most commonly isometric projection or perspective drawing
Working drawings
guide the production of the product, most commonly used in orthographic projection, section drawings, part drawings and plan drawings
Part drawings
orthographic drawings of the components of an assembly containing details only about a specific component
section drawings
cut the parts down the middle like a cake so you can see the inside
Scale drawings
drawings that are bigger or smaller than the real product, but exactly in proportion
projection drawings
systems of drawings that are accurately drawn (isometric, orthographic)
Exploited sketching
shows a product with multiple details and breaks it down.
Assembly sketching
diagram that shows how components fit together
physical models
models such as scale and prototype, tangible
Flow charts
allows a designer to map out the route a user might follow when using a product
Aesthetic models
developed to look and feel like the final product, don’t work like the final product
Instrumented models
equipped with the ability to take measurements and provide accurate quantitive feedback for analysis
Render
takes the model and allows you to create shots with realistic lighting and materials
Visual prototyping/digital mockup
involves the use of surface and solid modeling to develop photo-realistic interactive models
Surface models
realistic images of the product
animation
the ability to link graphic screens together to simulate motion
haptic technology
interfaces the user via sense of touch
Digital humans
computer simulations of a variety of mechanical and biological aspects of the human body.
Bottom-up modeling
a designer creates part geometry independent of the assembly or any other component. Components are brought together the first time during assembly
Top-down modeling
a product developing process obtained through 3D, parametric and associative CAD systems. Designs starts with a concept and is broken down later.
Data modeling
model that determines the structure of data
Finite element analysis (FEA)
the calculation and simulation of factors in products using CAD systems. A digital simulation of unknown factors to test a product.
Stereolithography (SLA)
3D printing process