A Design Contribution to Ergonomic PC Mice Development

Jönköping University, JTH, Logistik och verksamhetsledning Technical Scientific Unit of Engineering and Technology, Research Unit for Inland Development, Instituto Politécnico da Guarda, Guarda, Portugal; CMAST—Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technology, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal Technical Scientific Unit of Engineering and Technology, Research Unit for Inland Development, Instituto Politécnico da Guarda, Guarda, Portugal; CISE—Electromechatronic Systems Research Centre, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal 2022

Developing new manual computer pointing devices abiding to the requirements set out in ergonomic product design literature necessitates joining contributions from several areas, including the ergonomic guidelines applicable to hand tool design, human–system interaction, and certain user characteristics such as anthropometric data. Computer mice are hand tools enabling the interaction with the computer, for use by people from both sexes and practically all ages. Moreover, the PC mouse’s intensive usage is able to cause musculoskeletal disorders. This paper reports on a study aimed at developing new computer mouse shapes, reducing forearm pronation, and providing hand–palm holding, supported by a literature review and an adequate design methodology, starting from known shapes of commercial products, the traditional (horizontal) computer mouse, and the vertical computer mouse. In this regard, potential concepts were generated as solutions to the previously specified problem through a set of creative tasks based on the specifications. Four new shapes were proposed to be evaluated through an assessment matrix; as a result, two new PC mice geometries were designed and fully prototyped. This study also reports on selected results of usability and an electromyographic evaluation of the prototypes against three commercial PC mice (horizontal, slanted, and vertical) by a sample of 20 participants, supporting validation of the development process and the newly developed geometries, with emphasis on the slanted conical innovative shape.

ergonomic product development; ergonomic computer mouse design; human-systems interaction; usability; Engineering and Technology; Teknik och teknologier; Article in journal; info:eu-repo/semantics/article; text

10.3390.ijerph19138126

Open access content. Open access content
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

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English

UPE oai:DiVA.org:hj-57837
0000-0001-9759-9133
doi:10.3390/ijerph19138126
ISI:000824049700001
Scopus 2-s2.0-85133137043
Local GOA;intsam;1679920
1337383917

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