Design Cost Savings and Ergonomics

Abstract

Designing products includes many issues which have an impact on the life cycle of a product. Design costs include the cost of the design for the product's functional needs and the cost of the design for associated needs. Examples of associated needs are design for assembly, design for serviceability, design for compatibility, and design for manufacturability. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how applying appropriate ergonomic principles during design can reduce many life cycle costs. Relating potential cost savings attributed to ergonomics can be useful as a tool in decision support systems. An example is used to demonstrate the range of potential impacts of ergonomic driven design strategies. Reducing costs in one design focus area often impacts another design focus area negatively. By estimating the status (best to worst) of the current design performance measures and normalizing results, the impacts of changing design parameters are seen.