Ergonomic design essay

Ergonomic design is related to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—in Maslow’s pyramid, physiological needs are the most basic of human needs, and once these needs are satisfied, one can begin the process of self-actualization. However, in between these two extremes come the need of safety, love, and self-esteem. Like his psychological hierarchy of needs, there are also important areas of need in ergonomic design. First comes safety—an object cannot be successfully utilized if it is not safe. Then come the needs of comfort, ease of use, performance, and aesthetics. An object needs to comply with all five areas of need in order to be a great ergonomic design.

            Ergonomic design is task-appropriate and user-centered. I own a pair of “It’s Academic” scissors with a soft, yet firm rubber grip that allows comfort for the hand and easy mobility and functionality. There are two gaps of different sizes—one is smaller than the other, made for the thumb; and the other is larger, made big enough for the three furthermost fingers. Around the edge of the larger hole there is an indent for the index finger to grasp. The holes are rounded and elongated in shapes that fit with the shape of fingers. The size of the grip is proportionate the size and natural flow and shape of a hand. These factors contribute to the great comfort of the scissors.

There are two types of this brand of scissors—one is five inches long with a round tip, the other is seven inches long and has a pointed tip. The smaller with the round tip is especially safe for children to use. The stainless steel cutting blades are sharpened only on the inside edges where the cutting is occurring, not on the outer edges, preventing injuries from holding the blades when the scissors are closed.  Even when one pushes a finger against the sharpened edge of a blade, the skin does not get cut. The scissors are safe for both children and adults.

            The design of the grip for the scissors allows equal ease of use for both left and right-handedness. The simple up and down movement of the four fingers and the thumb in conjunction with the comfort of the grip and sharpness of the blades makes the scissors easy to use. The blades are placed right against each other in a way that allows the cutting motion of the blades to flow with just the right amount of friction to make the cutting process smooth, quick, and precise. The scissors work well with cutting paper, cardboard, and plastic, as long as the material is not too thick.

            These scissors are aesthetically pleasing with their dark blue rubber grip, and light grey portions of the grip. The shape is sleek and attractive, and the stainless steel cutting blades are placed at the center and emerge from the beautiful handle. The design is very simple, and simplicity in design is an important aspect in the aesthetics of a design. It is preferable to eliminate the extraneous, simplify the object until it makes one think, “of course it is designed that way, why would it be any other way?” The shape is simple, functional, and aesthetically attractive.

            The “It’s Academic” scissors fulfill the hierarchy of ergonomic design needs of safety, with its blunt outer edges and rounded tip; comfort, with its soft rubber grip and shape; ease of use, with only the need of simple hand gestures to make a cut; performance, with the precise ability to cut paper, cardboard, and thin plastic; and aesthetics, with its beautiful shape and color palette.