RYAN CLARK AND JACOB NEIDLINGERiucdp/Knoll2.pdfBackground on Ergonomics Importance INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND DESIGN THINKING CASE STUDY DISCUSSION REFERENCES Ergonomics strives to provide

Ergonomic Study of Task Chairs

RYAN CLARK AND JACOB NEIDLINGER

Analysis of Knoll RPM and Knoll Generation Chairs

ContentsContentsContentsContents

Introduction

Background on Ergonomics

Design Thinking

Case Study

General Discussion

References

IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction

Objective

The main objective of project one is to

compare the ergonomic properties of

three different task chairs. Two are from

Knoll, a fairly expensive and quality

oriented furniture company, and the other

from the more affordable office

furniture/supply company, Staples.

When completed, project one should

present what properties best represent a

well-functioning ergonomic design and

what does not meet these standards.

DESIGN THINKINGBACKGROUND CASE STUDY DISCUSSION REFERENCESINTRODUCTION

Background on ErgonomicsBackground on ErgonomicsBackground on ErgonomicsBackground on Ergonomics

Definition

Ergonomics is the study of how effectively a

person works in his or her work space. It relates

to making the object functional in terms of the

worker, rather than making the worker

functional in terms of the object(s). Ergonomic

efficiency allows the user of the product to

work to the best of their ability and with as

much ease as possible.



Importance


Ergonomics strives to provide

a safe area away from MSDs.

MSDs are Musculoskeletal

Disorders, which are caused by

repetitive wear and tear on

joints, sensitive nerve tissue,

muscles, and tendons. A well

designed ergonomic chair

would work to prevent MSDs

by allowing for good sitting

position, one that does not

strain the tendons, joints, and

so on and allows those areas

to be at their strongest.

Ergonomics works against

presenteeism and

absenteeism. Presenteeism is

the act of coming to work and

distracting the others around

you, often resulting in poor

performance on the day, and

absenteeism is the tendency

to habitually miss work.

Ergonomics should be used in

design to counteract these

problems, allowing the office

to save money and keep a

productive workload .


Elements of Good ErgonomicsSupport ActivityAllow for occasions of

interaction and

collaboration, while also

times to interact with

technology.

Support a Person’s BodyAccommodate a range of

heights and weights, while

providing opportunity for

adjustment.

Promote MovementEncourage the body to

move in natural ways, and

allow for easy movement

with the body.

Enable Performance Facilitate, support, and

enable constantly

improving performance

Be Easy to UseProvide easy adjustments

that are simple and easy to

use. It should not require

too much instruction.

Do no HarmProvide soft edges,

comfort, and no stress/pain

on the body. It should also

not harm the environment

around it .


Design ThinkingDesign ThinkingDesign ThinkingDesign Thinking

History of Knoll

Knoll has roots in the Bauhaus Movement of 1919.

Hans Knoll followed his father Walter Knoll, who

closely followed the Werkbund movement that

complimented the Bauhaus as being a place to bring

together art, design, and industry.

Knoll was founded by Hans Knoll in 1938. He founded

the company in New York City, alongside his wife,

Florence. Florence took over the company when

Knoll died in 1955. Its headquarters are now located

in East Greenville, Pennsylvania.



Heritage of Knoll

Knoll holds and sells the designs of some of the most

noted furniture to date. This collection includes:

The productions rights of the Hardoy Chair, designed by

Jorge Ferrari-Hardoy, were acquired by Knoll in 1947.

Exclusive manufacturing and sales rights to Mies van der

Rohe’s furniture, best known for the Barcelona chair of

1929, were given to Knoll in 1953.

The Tulip Chair, designed by Eero Saarinen, was

commissioned by the company in 1956.



The RPM

Designed by Who

Carl Magnusson

Designed When

2000

Key Idea/Concept

The design itself was inspired by the

Vespa Scooter. The fabrics are made

from race technologies. It was made for

the more traditional worker with a

more modern ergonomic design.



The Generation


Designed by Who

Formway Design

Designed When

2009

Key Idea/Concept

The philosophy behind the chair was “sit

how you want, free to move.” Formway

wanted to abolish the idea that there was

only one way to sit in a chair. It strived to

provide both freedom of movement and

continuous support simultaneously.

Case StudyCase StudyCase StudyCase Study

Method

The two Knoll chairs were

compared against the Staples

Lane chair. The chairs were sat

in and evaluated by their

ergonomic features and overall

design. The goal is to compare

the affordable task chair to the

ergonomic chairs, and see if the

price difference is worth it. This

comparison was conducted

using the Bellinger-Haworth

Scale, shown right.



Process

We were instructed to each

sit in the chairs and

evaluate its ergonomic

features: How easy was it to

adjust height, lumbar

support, arm rests, etc? We

also compared the ability of

interaction with others, the

reclining features, the ease

of movement, and comfort.

In a nutshell, we were to

learn the chair from sitting

in it, and evaluate the ease

of use and movement.



Data: Chair Features


Ryan Jake Average Ryan Jake Average Ryan Jake Average

Seat Height Adjustability 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Seat Pan Adjustability 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 5

Seat Pan Angle Adjustability 2 4 3 5 5 5 5 5 5

Seat Backrest Adjustability 2 2 2 5 5 5 5 5 5

Arm and Shoulder Clearance 3 5 4 5 4 4.5 5 5 5

Buttocks Clearance 5 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5

Lumbar Support Adjustability 3 1 2 5 5 5 5 5 5

Armrest Height Adjustable 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 5

Distance between Armrests 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Total 27 27 27 45 44 44.5 45 45 45

Staples Lane Chair Knoll RPM Knoll Generation


Data: Chair Comfort



Waterfall Edge Behind Knees 4 5 4.5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Seat Pan has Soft Edges 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Seat Pan is Comfortable 5 4 4.5 5 4 4.5 5 5 5

Chair's Backrest has Soft Edges 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Chair's Backrest is Comfortable 4 4 4 3 4 3.5 5 5 5

Lumbar Support is Comfortable 3 4 3.5 5 4 4.5 5 5 5

Armrests are Padded 5 5 5 4 2 3 5 3 4

Soft Fabric 5 5 5 2 4 3 3 3 3

Total 36 37 36.5 34 33 33.5 38 36 37



Data: Ease of Use



Chair Height Adjustable 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Armrest Height Adjustable 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 5

Lumbar Support Adjustable 1 1 1 5 4 4.5 5 5 5

Backrest Angle Adjustable 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 5

Reclines Easily 3 1 2 5 5 5 5 5 5

Controls Reachable while Sitting 2 5 3.5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Control Functions Clear 4 5 4.5 1 5 3 3 5 4

Controls Easily Operable 4 5 4.5 1 5 3 5 5 5

Controls have Smooth Edges 4 5 4.5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Controls have Clearance Room 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5

Total 29 33 31 42 49 45.5 48 50 49



Data: Bodily Support



Back Presses Against Backrest 3 4 3.5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Stable Back Support 4 1 2.5 5 4 4.5 5 5 5

Constant Lumbar Support 3 1 2 5 4 4.5 5 5 5

Armrest Support 3 4 3.5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Armrest Length Convenient 2 4 3 5 5 5 5 5 5

Total 15 14 14.5 25 23 24 25 25 25



Data: Overall Chair Experience



Control Integrate with Design 4 4 4 3 5 4 5 5 5

Appearance 4 3 3.5 5 3 4 5 5 5

Adjustability 2 2 2 5 5 5 5 5 5

Ease of Use 3 3 3 3 4 3.5 5 5 5

Comfort 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5

Total 17 16 16.5 20 21 20.5 25 25 25



Findings: Chair Features


0

1

2

3

4

5

Seat Height

Adjustability

Seat Pan

Adjustability

Seat Pan

Angle

Adjustability

Seat

Backrest

Adjustability

Arm and

Shoulder

Clearance

Buttocks

Clearance

Lumbar

Support

Adjustability

Armrest

Height

Adjustable

Distance

between

Armrests

Staples Lane Chair Average Knoll RPM Average Knoll Generation Average


Findings: Chair Comfort


0

1

2

3

4

5

Waterfall

Edge Behind

Knees

Seat Pan has

Soft Edges

Seat Pan is

Comfortable

Chair's

Backrest has

Soft Edges

Chair's

Backrest is

Comfortable

Lumbar

Support is

Comfortable

Armrests are

Padded

Soft Fabric



Findings: Ease of Use


0

1

2

3

4

5

Chair

Height

Adjustable

Armrest

Height

Adjustable

Lumbar

Support

Adjustable

Backrest

Angle

Adjustable

Reclines

Easily

Controls

Reachable

while

Sitting

Control

Functions

Clear

Controls

Easily

Operable

Controls

have

Smooth

Edges

Controls

have

Clearance

Room



Findings: Body Support


0

1

2

3

4

5

Back Presses

Against Backrest

Stable Back

Support

Constant Lumbar

Support

Armrest Support Armrest Length

Convenient



Findings: Overall Chair Experience


0

1

2

3

4

5

Control Integrate

with Design

Appearance Adjustability Ease of Use Comfort



Analysis

What looks the best may not always be the best. The

RPM chair looked the most comfortable and easy to

use. The Generation chair was a little intimidating

and didn’t seem to offer much in the realm of

comfort, but it was quite the reverse of roles. The

Generation chair offered the most comfort and also

provided easy and simple adjustments. Nothing

seemed out of reach and unnatural in movement.

The RPM was almost there in good ergonomic design

but just fell short compared to the Generation chair.

It seems that the Generation chair allowed freedom

of natural movement, ease to adjust to one’s body,

and a flexible system for seating, all making for a well

designed ergonomic chair.


General DiscussionGeneral DiscussionGeneral DiscussionGeneral Discussion

Executive Summary

GenerationThe Generation chair by

Knoll offers the best

ergonomic design of the

three chairs. It scored a

near perfect score and

offers the most

enjoyable seating

experience.

RPM The RPM chair by Knoll

was the runner-up. In

terms of ergonomic

design, it was very

functional but just quite

not there. There were a

couple of issues, but still

offered a decently

comfortable seating

experience.

LaneOf the three chairs, this

offered the worst sating

experience. It did not

offer a very comfortable

seat while also lacked

some adjustable

features. It was poorly

ergonomically designed.


General DiscussionGeneral DiscussionGeneral DiscussionGeneral Discussion

Situational Recommendations

RPM

This chair targets an

older audience, but

features a modern

design.

These chairs would

benefit most in an older

commercial office space

with a modern design

touch. They offer class

and comfort, but are

slightly outdated to

younger generations.

Generation

This chair targets a

younger, fresher

audience, with a very

contemporary design.

These chairs should be

chosen in a younger

office space with a

contemporary design

touch. They offer class

and comfort, while

being up-to-date and in

style.


Lane

This chair targets a more

economically priced

audience, for a small home

office.

These chairs should be

used for a small home

office, and a consumer

who cannot afford a high

end chair. It provides

temporary comfort but is

not the most well

ergonomically designed.

ReferencesReferencesReferencesReferences

Knoll (2009). Generation by Knoll. Canada.

Knoll (2014). Design and Plan. Retrieved February 23, 2014, from

http://www.knoll.com/design-plan

Knoll (company). Retrieved February 23, 2014, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoll_(company)


Documents

RYAN CLARK AND JACOB NEIDLINGERiucdp/Knoll2.pdfBackground on Ergonomics Importance INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND DESIGN THINKING CASE STUDY DISCUSSION REFERENCES Ergonomics strives to provide