Design of Ergonomic Chair Considering Consumer's Emotional Preference and Usability, and Development of Interface for Designers

소비자 감성과 사용성을 고려한 인간공학적 의자 설계 및 디자인 인터페이스 개발

In conventional ergonomics, consumer product can be made based on anthropometric data and specific design guideline. However, the product may not satisfy consumers because their emotional preference have not been properly considered in design phase. Therefore, in this study a new chair design process was introduced by which both consumer's emotional need and traditional ergonomic requirement can be satisfied. As a part of the process, the traditional Kansei engineering technique was modified to collect quantitative information of consumer's visual appreciation and physical feedback of various types of chairs. Furthermore, we developed an interface, so called, KADAS(Kamsung Analysis and Design Assistance System), for designers to use the technique in chair design. This software can help designers to understand what should be the most suitable shape in designing items such as seat, back and arm rest, etc. to meet the emotional need of consumers. This software displays the result of modified quantification theory I, and explains how to use the statistics. This study suggested a new approach for ergonomic design incorporated with Kansei Engineering technique. This technique can be also applied to other products by extending the database of KADAS.