Ergonomic Design: UCD Student Housing Desk

Ergonomics refers to user safety and ease of use for the user; well designed with the consumers’ wellbeing in mind. Ergonomic design has 5 main points to consider:

1. Safety

2. Comfort

3. Ease of Use
4. Performance

5. Aesthetics

I’d like to talk about ergonomic design in regards to my desk, which was provided for me through UC Davis student housing. I chose to do my desk because I had been experiencing pain in my right shoulder after prolonged use of my desk. As ergonomic design works to prevent stress injuries such as this, I figured analyzing my desk in this manner would provide a new perspective.

Safety of the product refers to whether or not the product inflicts harm to the user or malfunction in a way that will cause harm. The desk is safe in the sense that there are no splinters or direct harm. However, there are certain aspects that seem questionable. For example, the shelf above is not attached to the base and it is possible for it to fall. Basically, there is potential for harm, more so than the average desk.

Comfort of the product has a couple elements: use of the product must not be dreaded. The product is poorly designed if consumers suffer general pain from using it. My desk is not comfortable in the slightest. The panel that pulls out is at an awkward length that can cause pain due to repeated movements (stress injuries). While this could be fixed through chair height, the said chair would have to be capable of a relatively high position, as the desk is abnormally high. Additionally, the desk is very rigid and it is obvious no thought was put into the idea of comfort.

For this section, I will combine both ease of use and performance. Ease of use obviously means how effortless the product is to use and performance considers the product’s proficiency and how well it works. A desk is fairly straightforward, however, this desk has some issues when it comes to functionality. The drawer that pulls out ends up blocking access to the drawers below, especially the top drawer. Lastly for this section, the desk itself does not have much desk space, leaving little room for all school supplies and office-like supplies.

The aesthetic qualities, or visual appeal, are fairly bland. Nothing particularly stands out. The wooden tone is on the lighter side, but still not too pale. The physical properties are boring; no carvings, curves or any such elements are present. While linear lines are not bad, the manner in which they are utilized on my desk are boring. Although, the bland aesthetics can be good because, by nature, the desk is very neutral and therefore will not clash with any area of décor UC Davis students may have in their room.

In conclusion, the desk is not poorly design in a purely aesthetic quality; in that sense, it is designed to fit within an array of designs. However, when it comes for safety, comfort, and functionality, the desk illustrates a failed design. It is not enjoyable to use, in my case it causes stress injuries, and the top shelf is not secure and could easily be knocked off. My conclusion is the desk was relatively cheap, made to look functional without much thought actually going into the design.