Car Ergonomics Inclusive Design for Seniors: Development of a system-level concept of a car’s luggage space
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Program
Publicerad
2020
Författare
Barnö, Viktor
Hallberg, Simon
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
This master thesis covers the development of an innovative concept that was designed to
facilitate the loading and unloading of a car’s luggage space to include the senior with natural
disabilities caused by age. The project was performed at the Division Design & Human Factors, at
Chalmers University of Technology and was initiated by the Ergonomics department at CEVT with
the aim to increase the knowledge and competence of how to include users with special needs or
disabilities. This was enabled by general exploratory research through a literature study and a
market analysis. The research displayed the special needs and disabilities among marginalized
groups. The project pivoted towards the target group where an improvement has the highest
potential of generating an influential impact. Due to the global growth of the aging population and
the market potential it entails, the focus was directed towards seniors and the natural disabilities
caused by age. An investigation regarding which natural disabilities aging brings about and how
they affect the seniors’ daily car usage was carried out. Common physical disabilities are change
in body size and body posture, also a decrease in muscular volume and strength. The research
also demonstrated that general impairments of the motor, sensor and cognitive functions are
common among seniors. All these disabilities had to be taken into consideration in the
development of a car that should be ergonomically appropriate for the senior user.
To further understand the special needs of the senior user, an empirical study, including
observations and interviews was performed to outline the user requirements regarding the usage
of the luggage space. The user study consisted of four Swedish seniors in the age span of 75-80
years old, with various tangible disabilities among the participants.
To facilitate the loading and unloading of the luggage space for seniors, a concept development
was initiated. The objective was to address as many different experienced problem areas as
possible to reach a higher inclusivity. Hence, the generated concept should be on a system-level,
consisting of several different sub-solutions, focusing more on the general functionality than the
detailed design. The development started with a requirement setting and functional description,
that was established by the exploratory research and empirical study. This led up to a concept
generation phase, which was followed by a concept screening process that resulted in a final
innovative concept. The presented concept consisted of several sub-solutions that fulfills the
stated user needs and is possible to implement in current cars to reach a higher level of
inclusiveness.
Finally, it was concluded that if a product development project designed towards a marginalized
group, in this case, seniors, both the targeted group and the norm users would benefit from the
outcome while still retaining the same attractiveness and quality of the product.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Inclusive Design, Universal Design, Innovation, Ergonomics, Product Development