Innovation resource pack - Design Museum

InnovationCase study: Good GripsSometimes the need for an ergonomically correctdesign can inspire a completely new product. Sam Farberran a successful business in New York marketing and sellingkitchen equipment. When his wife, a keen cook, developedarthritis and found difficulty using utensils, he felt he wasideally placed to help her and others like her. He collaboratedwith Smart Design and came up with a range of kitchen toolswhich are user-friendly for everyone butparticularly suitable for people withlimited mobility or strength intheir hands.These clever scissorshave a soft cushionedhandle that swivels as youcut, reducing fatigue.“What meatheaddecided to put anti-arthritispills in a childproofcontainer?Richard SeymourLinks …Websites:Exploring ergonomic design:www.brunel.ac.uk/research/exploringHenry Dreyfuss: www.hda.netHenry Dreyfuss archive:www.si.edu/ndm/exhib/hd/start.htmInnovative houseware: www.jwpltd.co.ukBooks:Henry Dreyfuss Associates, The Measure of Manand Woman, Whitney Library of Design, 1993Russell Flinchum, Henry Dreyfuss, IndustrialDesigner: The Man in the Brown Suit, Rizzoli, 1997G Salvendy, Handbook of Human Factors andErgonomics, Wiley, 1977•”Getting a gripThis diagram of a graspinghand by Dreyfuss, intendedto help calculate the diameterof hand rails, is used bycompanies like Good Gripsto decide on the shapeand size of handles.•This cheese slicefeatures rubber finson the handle whichmake it soft andcomfortable to hold.Good Grips now have over 100 items intheir range, including knives, a whisk, akettle, a sieve, brushes, gardening andbathroom equipment.Special features include:• the use of non-slip Santoprene rubberfor handles• large-diameter handles• ‘soft spot’ grips which provide extra friction• consideration of the position of handleson heavier items such as kettles toreduce wrist strainDreyfuss handset prototypes: © Henry Dreyfuss Collection, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, USA © Design Museum 2001