Determination of the Optimal Handle Position for Cartons through the Evaluation of Youth User's Preferences

Handles on objects are very important to increase the safety and efficiency of manual handling of people who use them. In this study, four different prototype cartons combined with auxiliary handles were designed to determine the optimal handle position of cartons through the evaluation of user preferences. Twenty male students are participated in the experiment. Likert-5 point summated rating method was applied to evaluate the user preferences for provided handles of the carton among upper, middle, and lower position under the four different sizes and materials handling conditions(carrying positions). The results show that the subjects preferred upper part of the handle on the small cartons regardless of the carrying positions while upper and middle parts of the handle on the big cartons for handling above the waist height were preferred. An optimal handle position depending on the different sizes of carton and the different carrying positions were recommended based on the results of evaluation. It is thus recommended that the cartons provide handles on its relevant position depending on the size and materials handling condition to reduce the musculoskeletal stress and in turn to increase the user satisfaction.

청년층 사용자 선호도 평가를 통한 박스손잡이의 최적위치 설정