Garneau, C. J. and Parkinson, M. B. (2012). International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 42(1): 56-64.

The allocation of adjustability and use of discrete sizes are two methods of accounting for the variability in the population of prospective users of a product. This paper addresses the discrete sizing problem, adapting recent adjustability research. This is done in the context of the optimization of tool handle sizes, and a case study of designing multiple sizes of a nonuniform cylindrical tool handle is presented. Continue reading…

Garneau, C. J. and Parkinson, M. B. (2009). Proceedings of the 2009 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. San Diego, CA.

One goal of Designing for Human Variability (DfHV) is to optimize the interaction between user and device. Often, this interaction is dictated by the spatial dimensions or shape of the artifacts with which people interact. A novel approach that applies DfHV principles including virtual fitting trials to optimize the shape of an artifact is presented and applied to the design of a tool handle. Continue reading…