Ergonomics is one of the most important factors of modern product design. It requires taking anthropometric and human factors into account when designing your product, ensuring that users with varying needs can use it comfortably and efficiently.
Given that users usually default to the easiest-to-use products, understanding ergonomic design principles is key for success on the market.
In this article, we’ll explore what ergonomic design is, examples of ergonomic design, its benefits, and the 10 core ergonomic design principles to keep in mind.
Table of Contents
What Is Ergonomic Design?
Ergonomic design is the process of creating products, environments, or systems tailored to the physical and cognitive needs of the people who use them. It’s intended to maximize ease of use and efficiency while minimizing the strain (physical and mental) required to use something.
Designers consider human factors such as posture, reach, physical force, and cognitive load to create products as intuitive to use as possible for any potential user, including people with disabilities and those who are substantially smaller or larger than average.
The 10 Principles of Ergonomic Design
When applied together, the 10 ergonomic design principles help you create world-class products that serve the full spectrum of human users.
1. Design for All
Designing your product so that everyone can use it is one of the most important principles of ergonomics. This involves accounting for the full range of your potential users, from the 5th percentile to the 95th percentile in size.
Designing for all requires grounding your design body measurement data across all of your expected users, varying by age, sex, ethnicity, and more. Designing products so that both the smallest and largest expected users can operate them comfortably usually means that the needs of the average person are fully accommodated.
Example: A handheld medical scanner sized to fit both a 5th-percentile female hand and a 95th-percentile male hand will likely be comfortable for an entire clinical team to use throughout a shift.
2. Design for Accessibility
Ergonomics in product design also extends to users with disabilities. Your product should be designed so that physically disabled people (such as blind or deaf people, people who use a wheelchair, people with arthritis, etc.) can use it safely and intuitively. This requires thinking beyond the non-disabled user from the earliest stages of prototype development.
Accessible design applies to physical, digital, and hybrid products and extends to buildings, packaging, and more. In many cases, designing for accessibility is a legal obligation required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Research the ADA Standards for Accessible Design to understand when you may be required to implement specific design elements.
Example: An automated smart door system activated by an app (like Alexa or Google) can help wheelchair users open doors without having to turn a handle or struggle to keep it open while going through.
3. Support Neutral Postures
Neutral posture refers to body positions in which joints, muscles, and bones are naturally aligned, placing minimal stress on the user and reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Designing for a neutral posture means aligning your product so people don’t have to put themselves in any awkward position to use it.
The principles of neutral posture (sitting or standing) are as follows:
- A centered head, positioned directly over the shoulders and hips, and looking straight forward
- A relaxed and upright neck, not tilted forward, backward, or to the side
- A straight back, not compressed forward or extended backward
- Relaxed shoulders, not pushed down or lifted up
- Naturally positioned arms and legs
Example: A height-adjustable keyboard lets people position it so they can relax their shoulders and elbows at a 90-100° angle.
4. Reduce Repetitive and Excessive Motions
Another key aspect of ergonomics in product design is reducing the motion required to use the product. This principle applies to any product, but it is especially relevant to workplace products that employees are likely to use repeatedly throughout the day.
While you can’t always design to avoid repetitive motion, you can build your product to reduce the need for excessive motions that strain the body, such as reaching far to press a button or repeatedly twisting the wrist. Designing your product this way could reduce the chances of users incurring a repetitive strain injury (RSI) or cumulative trauma disorder (CTD).
Example: A barcode scanner with a trigger that activates at very low force and an ergonomic grip that distributes pressure across the fingers rather than concentrating it at one point allows warehouse workers to scan thousands of items per shift without developing hand fatigue.
5. Account for Cognitive Ergonomics
Cognitive ergonomic design is one of the most important aspects of product development, especially in UI/UX design. If you look at examples of human-centered design, you’ll notice that all of them are simple and intuitive to use, even if the products themselves are fairly complex.
Good cognitive ergonomics means presenting information clearly and predictably. This reduces mental workload, improves decision-making, avoids cognitive overload, and reduces the likelihood of user error. Each of these contributes greatly to the user’s perception of their experience with your product.
Example: A wearable medtech device, such as a smartwatch, that includes an intuitive, consumer-grade user interface to help users easily find and track health metrics, like activity, heart rate, and sleep patterns.
6. Minimize Excessive Forces
Any time a product requires a user to exert more force than is comfortable or sustainable over time, the design is working against them. Motions such as gripping, pushing, pulling, lifting, and pressing can strain muscles, tendons, and joints. If these forces are excessive (either from a single high-demand action or from moderate force applied over time), people can develop fatigue and injuries.
Not every product can be designed to “do the work” for the user, and some tasks require a level of physical strain no matter what. With that said, the basic principle of force minimization can be applied to any product. This might look like reducing the pull strength required to pull a lever, lowering the force required to open a valve, or adding mechanical advantage to a handle.
Example: Power tools, such as drills and impact wrenches, help people apply minimal force to handle physical tasks that would otherwise require excessive force if done entirely by hand.
7. Make Sure Everything is Easily Reachable
If something requires the user to stretch, bend, or otherwise strain themselves to use it, it can cause discomfort and lead to musculoskeletal issues if done repeatedly.
When designing a product, it’s critical to ensure that components are positioned at proper heights, distances, and locations. For reference, everything the user needs should be within arm’s reach — not far enough to force users to stretch, and not too close to cause people to stoop.
Example: An industrial control panel redesigned so that all emergency stop buttons fall within the standing operator’s primary reach zone (no more than 18 inches from the body) reduces reaction time in critical situations and eliminates the shoulder strain from repeated lateral reaches across a shift.
8. Maximize Stability
Maximizing stability (or minimizing vibration) involves reducing or eliminating user exposure to consistent shaking when using your product. Studies have linked prolonged exposure to hand-arm or whole-body vibration to various health issues, such as musculoskeletal pain.
Minimizing vibration is important when designing heavy machinery, power tools, and other equipment with integrated motors, especially those intended for continuous use throughout the day.
Example: A jackhammer equipped with vibration-dampening handles and an anti-vibration mounting system can reduce the amount of hand-arm vibration transmitted to the operators.
9. Minimize Contact Stress
Contact stress occurs when any part of the body, particularly soft tissue, comes into contact with a hard or sharp surface. It can cause pain, fatigue, and damage to the human body, especially when the contact stress is prolonged and repeated.
Aim to design your product to minimize pressure points (where your product comes into contact with the user’s body) beyond what is absolutely necessary. For instance, a laptop with a sharp front edge that presses into the user’s wrists during typing creates cumulative contact stress that can contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome over time. This problem can be solved simply by rounding the edges.
Example: An industrial torque wrench with a textured rubber grip and no exposed metal fasteners on the handle surface prevents the contact stress injuries common in assembly workers who grip and re-grip the tool hundreds of times per shift.
10. Account for Environmental Factors
There are a few specific environmental factors that you can account for to holistically improve comfort and safety when using your product. These include:
- Lighting: Proper lighting can reduce eye strain, improve productivity, and reduce the likelihood of accidents or errors caused by poor visibility.
- Spacing: With adequate spacing, people can change positions, move around, and stretch, reducing static load and improving comfort when using the product.
- Temperature: Keeping the product at a comfortable temperature (neither too hot nor too cold) makes it easier for people to use, especially over prolonged periods.
Example: One example we highlighted in our roundup of product design examples was the Orrb Wellness Pod. It’s a fully enclosed workspace that integrates lighting, spacious seating, and audio control, letting users work in a quiet, tranquil environment.
Real-Life Examples of Ergonomic Design Across Industries
Ergonomic design principles can apply to virtually any product intended for human use across any industry. Examples include:
- Medical technology: Items such as surgical instruments, biomedical devices, and patient monitoring equipment must be designed for prolonged use without causing fatigue or errors. The FortéBio Blitz, a StudioRed design, is a great example — it features a lid for easy access to internal components and an iconographic physical interface that guides people in using it correctly.
- Consumer technology: Things like keyboards, wearables, and handheld devices benefit from ergonomic shaping and weight distribution. For instance, we designed the Hakkei HX-S keyboard with ergonomic curvature to support natural hand and wrist posture.
- Industrial products: Power tools, heavy machinery controls, and warehouse equipment need to accommodate repetitive use and a wide range of body types. For example, the Fulfilld F2022 Warehouse Scanner, another StudioRed design, features an ergonomic handle and buttons aligned with neutral hand positions to minimize strain after hours of repeated use.
- Financial technology: Financial hardware, like checkout systems or ATMs, needs to be designed so users can quickly and easily understand how to use it. We designed the 7-Eleven Quick Check-Out system with comfortable touchpoints and an ADA-compliant side display to accommodate users of varying height and physical abilities
Pro tip: The Measure of Man and Woman: Human Factors in Design by Alvin R. Tilley provides a comprehensive guide to designing for human factors and optimizing ergonomics.
What Are the Benefits of Ergonomic Design?
There are multiple benefits to designing products with ergonomic principles in mind. These include, but are not limited to:
- Reduced risk of injury: By supporting natural body mechanics and minimizing strain, ergonomic products help protect users from injury. An ergonomic design can help reduce the likelihood of people developing musculoskeletal disorders, soreness, repetitive stress injuries, and workplace accidents.
- Better user experience: Products that feel natural and easy to use can provide a naturally superior user experience compared to those that are difficult to use. If Product A and Product B do the exact same thing for a similar price, but Product A is easier to use, users will almost always default to Product A.
- Improved productivity and quality: Ergonomic products support productivity by letting users focus entirely on their work (or if not work, the goal they want to achieve). When users aren’t battling awkward mechanics or unintuitive design, they may work faster and make fewer mistakes over a sustained period.
Design Ergonomic Products with StudioRed
Memorizing and applying all ergonomic design principles can be difficult, especially for companies with limited product design experience.
StudioRed is a full-service product design agency with over 40 years of experience designing ergonomic products across eight separate industries, from medtech and biotech to consumer electronics and industrial products.
Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you design ergonomically optimized products.
Ergonomic Design Principles FAQ
Below are some answers to the most commonly asked questions about the ergonomic design principles.
What Are the Common Challenges With Ergonomic Design?
Common challenges with implementing ergonomic design include:
- Gathering anthropometric and behavioral data early in the design process
- Balancing ergonomic needs against product development cost limits and manufacturing constraints
- Implementing ergonomic design principles without making the product too complex
What Is the Difference Between Physical and Cognitive Ergonomics?
Physical ergonomics refers to the interaction between the human body and a physical object. Cognitive ergonomics primarily concerns the interaction between the human mind and a physical item.
Do All Products Need To Apply Ergonomic Design Principles?
Any product made for extensive human interaction can benefit from applying ergonomic design principles to some degree. If a product is designed for hours of continuous use, proper ergonomics are non-negotiable. Products made for limited or occasional human use don’t always need all the bells and whistles, but may still benefit from ergonomic design.
What Is the 90-90-90 Rule in Ergonomics?
The 90-90-90 rule in ergonomics is a guideline for maintaining neutral posture while in a sitting position. It calls for 90-degree angles at the elbows, hips, and knees.
