ERGONOMICS

ASSIGNMENT III

Ergonomics in Smart Phones

Submitted by

Debashruti Biswas

Submitted to

Mr. Nandkishore Baraik

Assistant Professor

Department of Fashion Technology

National Institute of Fashion Technology

NIFT campus, plot No. 24, opposite K.I.I.T School of Management,

Chandaka Industrial Estate, Bhubaneswar,

Odisha-751024
Introduction

Some mobile designs suffer from a problem: they might look great on the surface, but once
we start to use them and we soon find out that an all-too-important factor has been neglected:
the ergonomics. The noble art of creating designs that fit the human body (rather than the
other way around) is one of the true unsung heroes of the design world.

Ergonomics has always been very important to industrial designers, but it's becoming
increasingly important to digital designers as well.

Ergonomics in smart phones

It is important to understand ergonomics for smart phones. As technology changes,

ergonomics must change in order to keep up with the changing workplace. Any navigation
system that needs to work with touch needs to be aware of thumb & finger reach in relation to
smart phones.

Most common phone Phone Size Ranges: 2.5" to 5.5" inches.

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Smartphone and tablet users often adopt a posture of slouching over with a hunched back and
tilted head—all very dangerous flexed and bent positions. Our back and spine are not
designed to hold these unnatural and awkward positions, especially for the long durations
these repetitive tasks are often performed.

Some of the most common injuries from these behaviours include, but are not limited to:

 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

 Cervical Disc Bulge (neck)

 Cervical Postural Syndrome (neck)

 Cervicogenic Headache (headache originating in neck)

 Lumbar Disc Bulge and Postural Syndrome (lower back)

 Thoracic Disc Bulge and Postural Syndrome (mid back)

 Thumb and Wrist Tendonitis

Good Habits of Smart Phones

Like with sitting, the best ergonomic posture for smart phones is to change our grip posture to
ensure load rotation.

In addition, we should be aware of different areas of the phone and try to stay within the easy
range during heavy phone use.

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General Tips for Smart Phones

1. We should find a phone that our thumb can reach the opposite corner of the phone
comfortably. (62 mm =avg male)

2. We should make sure that we have a hands-free option to remove static and awkward
postures while talking on the phone

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3. We should alternative between use of finger and thumbs to reduce repetitive thumb
pain and awkward thumb movement

4. We should avoid excessive gripping on the smart phone to reduce strain on the
fingers, thumb and wrist while holding the device. We should be able to touch our
middle finger and thumb around the phone. (51.8 mm = avg for grip)We should try to
keep our wrists as straight as possible by playing with our technique. Putting our
phone down on a hard surface might help if we're texting, or holding the phone in one
hand and texting with the other. Holding the smart phone at the sides and texting with
both thumbs is stressful on our wrists.

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5. We should maintain good posture while using the phone

6. For every 30 minutes of use, we should take 1-2 min stretch break

7. We should utilize apps available for voice recognition, abbreviation expansion or

word completion to reduce key input associated with texting

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Smart phone Ergonomic terms

Here are some new smartphone terms:

1. Smartphone elbow is when our fourth and fifth fingers tingle and feel numb. Our
hand may also be weak. It is actually the constant bend in our elbow that causes this
symptom in your hand.

Precaution: We should use the speaker phone or a hands free ear device. We should
change hands when holding the phone to our ear.

2. Smartphone neck is when we have neck and shoulder pain, muscle spasms,
sometimes along with tingling and numbness in our arms.

Precautions: We should avoid cradling the phone between our ear and shoulder.
Again, we should use the speaker phone or a hands free ear device.

3. Screen blindness is when our eyes become dry.

Precautions: We should use the largest screen possible. We should wear the right
corrective lenses. And most importantly, every 20 minutes, we should look away from
the screen at something in the distance. Blink regularly.

4. Smartphone nails is when our nails become misshapen or ridged.

Precautions: We should hold the phone in one hand and type with the other. We
should alternate hands. We should use our finger pad, not fingertip to type.

5. Smartphone fog is when we put our self and others at risk by walking or driving
while texting or using your smart phone.

Precautions: We should never text and drive and never text and walk.

6. Smartphone thumb is when our thumb hurts when we move it. We may also have a
dull ache at the base of our thumb or it may snap when we move it.

Precautions: We should use one hand to hold the phone and the other hand to type.

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Ergonomic design of a Smart phone

In order to create a mobile design that is ergonomic and therefore comfortable to use, the
following points must be considered:

1. Design for multiple holds

If we observe people using mobile devices, we'll soon see that they use a variety of different

holds (see image above). The variety of holds used and the frequency with which users

change their hold means it's important to design with multiple holds in mind.

2. Place popular controls in reach

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We should place frequently used controls, such as buttons and links, where they can be easily
reached by fingers or thumbs. The middle and bottom of the screen are good areas to use,
although bottom corners can be tricky to tap when a device is being held in only one hand.

It's still the convention to place menus at the top of the screen. However, this can be a hard-
to-reach area, so it's a good idea to also support a swipe action to bring up the menu.

3. Place content above controls

We don't want someone's finger or thumb obscuring the content as they tap the screen, so we
should place content above controls. We should also ensure that key information is not in an
area of the screen where it can easily be obscured by a finger or thumb – such as the bottom
corners, which are frequently covered up when a smart phone is held in one hand.

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4. Design with portrait mode in mind

While the hold used might change, one thing that is much more consistent for smart phones is
the tendency for people to hold them vertically for the majority of the time. A horizontal hold
is often used for particular tasks, such as viewing videos or photos, but this is the exception,
not the norm.

Of course a mobile design should ideally support both portrait (vertical) and landscape
(horizontal) modes, but unless we're designing a video or photo-heavy site or application, we
should design with portrait mode in mind.

5. Design for thumbs

Thumbs drive the majority of all smart phone interactions. This is because thumbs are
exclusively used when a mobile is held in one hand and heavily used when it is held in two
hands.
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Thumbs are slightly larger than fingers, and therefore need a larger tap target. We should try
to make these tap targets at least 44 x 44 points (16 x 16mm), with at least 7 points (2.5mm)
between them. Bigger tap targets are always better and we should certainly not go any
smaller than 44 x 30 points (16 x 11mm).

An example of an ergonomically sound Smart phone

The HTC e:voluti:on is so named for the innovative features that make it more ergonomic.
Specifically, the shape of the edges aim to make it easier to grip naturally and convenient to
hold for extended amounts of time. Additionally, the design explores the use of a curved
display which also allows the back side to comfortably curve into the user’s palm.

Designer: Hege

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References:

 http://www.creativebloq.com/how-to/11-tips-for-ergonomic-mobile-interfaces
 http://www.yankodesign.com/2014/10/10/rethinking-smartphone-ergonomics/
 https://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/cell-phone-ergonomics-how-to-avoid-the-smart-
phone-slump
 https://www.ergoconsulting.ca/blog/smartphone-ergonomics-tips-users/
 http://www.ucop.edu/risk-services/loss-prevention-control/ergonomics/ergo-
mobile.html
 https://www.google.co.in/search?q=smartphone+ergonomic+design&rlz=1C1CHZL_
enIN731IN731&ei=-
XwMWq2cFIv7vATH54eQAQ&start=10&sa=N&biw=1366&bih=662
 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1541931213601869

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