The following activities should help you connect what you’ve learned in the individual readings.

Synthesize

Discuss the following questions with your classmates.

• In what ways are human variations and design drivers related?
• How does the task of designing of the desk illustrate the definition of design from Reading 2 (i.e. it’s about more than aesthetics, it’s not just for designers, it’s about the context and systems surrounding an object, etc.)?
• How has this chapter made you rethink the work of engineers and designers?
• Considering all the information in the reading, what do you think is the most important thing design engineers should remember when they create new products?

Apply

Use the Internet to explore this topic further.

• Research one product online that claims to be “ergonomic.” How does it account for human variation? How is it ergonomically designed?
• Watch the Ted Talk by Elise Roy (2015) entitled “When we design for disability, we all benefit.” How does his work relate to what you’ve read?

Write or Speak

• Workplace injury rates sometimes vary by gender. Therefore, some wonder if workplaces, like manufacturing plants, are equally safe and comfortable for men and women. Research workplace safety. What causes most workplace accidents? What, if anything, might need to be changed to make workplaces safer for both genders?
• What causes companies and governments to embrace inclusive or universal design? What are some of the effects of this type of design?