Implications of Ergonomic and User Considerations on Manufacturing Consumer Products

Most designers do not consider ergonomic guidelines in designing consumer products. Also, very little attention is generally paid to user needs and preferences. It is imperative that consumer products be designed keeping in mind the human capabilities and limitations. Such considerations in the product design process are necessary since the market is becoming competitive and users more picky. The purpose of this paper is to consider the implications of ergonomic design guidelines on consumer product design, its manufacturing, and associated costs. A Linear Programming model is also developed to assist designers in the product design process.