DEVELOPMENT:ANTHROPOMETRY

AT THE END OF THE LESSON: Students are able to understand what anthropometry is and how it is

applied in the development stage of the design process Students are able to read anthropometric data and apply it in the

development stage of the design process

WHAT IS ANTHROPOMETRY? It refers to the measurement of the human individual. (DT guide book,

Wikipedia) It is concerned with the size and proportions of the human body (DT text

book)

WHY IS ANTHROPOMETRY IMPORTANT IN DESIGN? It plays an important role in many forms of design where statistical data

about the distribution of body dimensions in the population are used to create products that are safe and comfortable to use. (DT guide book)

Designers sometimes make the mistake of designing things for a person of ‘average’ size. The ‘average’ size in a population is not necessarily the most common size. (DT text book)

HOW IS ANTHROPOMETRY APPLIED IN DEVELOPMENT? Example 1: A product designer intends to design and make a cosy corner

for reading for primary school students to be placed in the library reading area. By referring to the anthropometric postures below, which measurements are important to derive the dimensions of the cosy corner?

MORE EXAMPLES

USING THE RIGHT ANTHROPOMETRIC DATA Example 2: A product

designer wants to design and make a product that allows the elderly to exercise their hand grip so as to keep their arms strong. Using the anthropometric data shown, which data is relevant to the designer?

WHICH GROUP OF PEOPLE DO DESIGNERS DESIGN FOR?